Leading Scientists reveal that recent experiments indicate cooking with vegetable oil releases toxic chemicals which are linked primarily to cancer. These scientists are now promoting the use of olive and other alternatives for the frying of foods.
There has been ongoing research the results of which have disproven the long-time belief that oils rich in polyunsaturated fats, such as corn oil and sunflower oil, are healthier than the saturated fats in animal products.
People have been telling us how healthy polyunsaturates are in corn oil and sunflower oil. But when you start messing around with them, subjecting them to high amounts of energy in the frying pan or the oven, they undergo a complex series of chemical reactions which results in the accumulation of large amounts of toxic compounds. – Martin Grootveld, a professor of bioanalytical chemistry and chemical pathology
In their experiments, scientists found that heating up vegetable oils led to the release of high concentrations of chemicals called aldehydes, which have been linked to illnesses, including cancer, heart disease and dementia. In contrast, heating up butter, olive oil and lard in tests produced much lower levels of aldehydes.
Professor Grootveld and his team are not the only ones that have concerns over these polyunsaturated oils and the toxic chemicals they produce when heated.
Professor John Stein, Oxford’s emeritus professor of neuroscience is backing up these claims and adding more evidence from results of his own research that indicate vegetable oils are contributing to other health problems as well.
Partly as a result of corn and sunflower oils, the human brain is changing in a way that is as serious as climate change threatens to be. – Professor John Stein
He holds the belief that because vegetable oils are rich in omega 6 acids they contribute to a reduction in critical omega 3 fatty acids in the brain. Omega 3 acids play a big role in brain functioning and cognitive abilities.
“If you eat too much corn oil or sunflower oil, the brain is absorbing too much omega 6, and that effectively forces out omega 3,” said Professor Stein. “I believe the lack of omega 3 is a powerful contributory factor to such problems as increasing mental health issues and other problems such as dyslexia.”
While both teams of researchers and scientists have strong findings that illustrate the negative effects of consuming vegetable oils as well as the toxic chemical levels they produce when heated, the NHS continues to advise against frying food in butter or lard, recommending instead corn oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil. With their firm belief that saturated fats raise cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease.
According to Professor Grootveld, “This major problem has received scant or limited attention from the food industry and health researchers.” Evidence of high levels of toxicity from heating oils has been available for many years, he said.
Health concerns linked to the toxic by-products include heart disease; cancer; “malformations” during pregnancy; inflammation; risk of ulcers and a rise in blood pressure.
Sources: :
http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/cooking-with-vegetable-oil-releases-toxic-chemicals-linked-to-cancer-20151108-gktips.html
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/11/cooking-with-vegetable-oils-can-cause-cancer-experts-warn/
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