Does Industrial Seed Oil Disturbs Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio?

Do you also use industrial seed oils for cooking? You may need to stop using it. Why? There are quite a few reasons why industrial seed oils should not be used, and one of the prominent reasons is that they are processed.  Read on, and you will not want them in your kitchen anymore.

What is Industrial Seed Oil?

Industrial seed oils have replaced traditional facts such as olive oil or coconut oil. These oils are highly processed and extracted from cotton sheet soybeans, corn or rapeseed (canola), and safe flower seeds. Industrial seed oils are widely used in every household worldwide and have surpassed healthy fats.

Do you know that industrial seat oils were actually used to make soap in the old times? Then how did they become a part of our diet? In the early 1870s, William proctor and James gamble invented a new idea to make soap from vegetable oils. They later on realized that with the process of hydrogenation, they could turn the oil into a cooking fat. This innovative idea led to the invention of industrial seed oils.

How is Industrial Seed Oil Made?

There is a long process to produce industrial seat oil suitable for human Intake. The oil goes through refining, bleaching, and deodorizing to make it consumable. Initially, the seeds are collected from corn, rapeseed, cotton, or soy plants.

Then the seeds are heated to extremely high temperatures that produce a harmful and dangerous byproduct by oxidizing the fatty acid present in the seed. Then the seeds are processed to petroleum solvent, which helps increase the oil extraction to a maximum level.

Several chemicals are used to deodorize industrial seed oil. The result of the process is the production of trans fat, which is also very unhealthy for humans. At last, more chemicals are mixed with the industrial seed oil to improve the color of the oil. Simply put together, industrial seed oil contains transferred and unhealthy byproducts that cause no benefit to humans.

Methods Of Extraction

Cold Pressed

The cold-pressing procedure involves crushing the seeds to produce the oils at low temperatures. Compared to other processes, cold pressing produces oils with a neutral flavor, hence favored by many people. However, the quality tends to be inconsistent.

Expeller Pressed

The oils are manufactured by mechanically pressing expeller-pressed oils. The oil produced through expeller pressing is usually produced in larger amounts. The oil may get a toasted or nutty flavor due to the higher temperatures. Oil yields from expeller-pressed oils have been recorded at 70%.

Solvent Expelled

To remove the seeds’ fat, the seeds are first mashed into a paste and then rinsed with a solvent. The solvent is then heated in a sealed container and distilled, leaving almost no trace of the original solvent in it after processing. 

Oil yields from solvent extraction have been 95 percent. The benefit of this procedure is its high productivity and it needs less maintenance than other extraction techniques.

Side Effects Of Industrial Seed Oil

Some of the serious health issues caused by industrial seed oils are

  • Cognition
  • Asthma
  • Diabetes 
  • Infertility
  • Muscular degeneration
  • Inflammation
  • Heart disease

Why Should You Not Use Industrial Seed Oil?

Following are some main reasons why industrial seed oils should not be used.

They Are Produced From Genetically Customized Crops

The plants that produce industrial seed oils are among the most genetically engineered plants, including corn, soy, cotton, and rapeseed.

Added Ingredients

Due to the instability of the fatty acids in industrial seed oils, synthetic antioxidants are added to prevent oxidation and rancidity. (1)

Increase omega-6 to omega-3 fatty Acid Ratio

Industrial seed oil disturbs our body's Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio, resulting in chronic diseases.

How to Optimize Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio?

It is important to have a balanced Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio in your body; otherwise, it can cause serious problems like inflammation. (2)

Nowadays, people consume a lot of Omega 6 and less Omega 3, which disturbs the ratio, yet it is quite easy to maintain the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 in your body. You can

  • And take rich animal foods and Omega 3, for example, seafood.
  • Do not use vegetable oils that are high and Omega 6.
  • You may also take Omega 3 supplements like fish oil capsules which are easily available.

Seed oil cause no good to humans. They are behind many of the health issues we go through, such as high calories, heart burns, and disturbed bowel. It is best to replace industrial seed oils with traditional and natural oils (3) for a healthy lifestyle.

References

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462476/ 
  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19022225/
  3. https://openheart.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000196