The Most Widely Used Cooking Oil In The US Found To Cause Genetic Changes In The Brain
In Brief
The
most widely used oil in the United States can be found in
processed/packaged foods, in the deep fryers of countless fast food
restaurants and even mixed into feed for livestock. Soybean oil is
everywhere and unfortunately, it is not healthy for us humans. Likely
the livestock as well should not be consuming it at all.
New research from the University of
California, Riverside has shown that not only does the consumption of
soybean oil lead to obesity and diabetes, but it could also contribute
to neurological conditions including autism, Alzheimer’s disease,
anxiety and depression.
In 2015, a research team from UCR found that soybean oil induces obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance and fatty liver in mice. Then in 2017 another study
from the same team discovered that if soybean oil is engineered to be
low in linoleic acid it will cause less obesity and insulin resistance.
The Latest Study
In a study
that was released earlier this month the researchers did not find any
difference between the modified and unmodified soybean oil’s effects on
the brain. The scientists did, however, find noticeable effects of the
oil on the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that controls body
temperature, hunger, parenting and attachment behaviors, sleep, and
circadian rhythms.
“The hypothalamus regulates body weight
via your metabolism, maintains body temperature, is critical for
reproduction and physical growth as well as your response to stress,” said Margarita Curras-Collazo, a UCR associate professor of neuroscience and lead author on the study.
The team noticed that some of the genes
in the mice that were fed the soybean oil were not functioning
correctly. For instance, the gene that produces the love hormone,
oxytocin, was drastically malfunctioning, lowering the amount of
oxytocin that it produced.
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The team also discovered around 100 more
genes that were affected by the diet consisting of the regular soybean
oil. These discoveries have led the team to believe that not only does
this substance have negative implications for energy metabolism,
but also can impact proper brain function, leading to conditions
including autism and Parkinson’s disease.
The research team notes that their
findings apply specifically to soybean oil and not necessarily to all
soy products. Frances Sladek, a UCR toxicologist and professor of cell
biology, said,
“Do not throw out your tofu, soymilk, edamame, or soy sauce. Many soy products only contain small amounts of the oil, and large amounts of healthful compounds such as essential fatty acids and proteins.”
It’s important to note that this study
was conducted on mice, and studies involving mice do not always
translate to the same results in humans.
“The dogma is that saturated fat is bad
and unsaturated fat is good. Soybean oil is a polyunsaturated fat, but
the idea that it’s good for you is just not proven,” Sladek said.
“If there’s one message I want people to take away, it’s this: reduce consumption of soybean oil,” said Poonamjot Deol, an assistant project scientist in Sladek’s laboratory and first author on the study.
Food For Thought – How Big Of A Role Does GMO Soy Play?
It is interesting to note that the
researchers of the study were not able to identify which chemicals in
the oil are responsible for the alterations in the hypothalamus,
although they were able to rule out two candidates, linoleic acid or
stigmasterol.
Could the fact that the soybeans used to
make the oil have been genetically modified, and thus engineered to
withstand copious amounts of glyphosate-containing Round Up be partially
at fault here? Unless another study is conducted using only organic,
pesticide free soybeans we will never know for sure.
Considering there have been numerous studies that have directly linked glyphosate to neurological disorders such as autism, this may be a key factor that the scientists involved with this study overlooked.
What Can You Do?
As one of the researchers involved in
the study recommends you can directly limit your consumption of soybean
oil. The best way to do this is to cut out all packaged and processed
foods and avoiding deep-fried foods. Yes, from fast food restaurants,
but also from sit down restaurants as well. Fast food restaurants
generally serve food that we know is not healthy for us, but most sit
down restaurants also serve food that is very unhealthy for us and yes,
they typically use soybean oil to fry their fries, wings, chicken,
jalapeno poppers, sweet potato fries and any other greasy delight you
can think of.
Eating real, whole foods (anything that
doesn’t come in a package) ideally organic is your best bet, not only to
avoid toxins such as soybean oil, but also a slew of synthetic
chemicals, preservatives, pesticides and other additives.
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