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Canola is a Healthy Oil
Fats are made of smaller units called fatty acids. Canola oil is low in saturated fatty acids. In fact, it is lower in saturated fat than any vegetable oil found in supermarkets today. Why is choosing a vegetable oil low in saturated fat important? Studies in animals, healthy volunteers and people with heart disease show that diets high in saturated fat raise blood cholesterol. Because it is low in saturated fat, canola oil can replace more saturated vegetable oils, margarines and butter in the diet to help lower blood cholesterol. For instance, explorers in Antarctica had lower blood total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) when they ate and cooked with canola oil and canola margarine instead of their regular oil and margarine during the long winter! This simple dietary change improved the explorers' blood cholesterol. North Americans can enjoy the same benefits by using canola oil in their diets.
Canola oil is rich in monounsaturated fat. Canola oil is a leading source of monounsaturated fat in the North American diet because it is used widely in home cooking. When substituted for saturated fat in the diet, canola oil helps lower blood cholesterol. Populations with high intakes of monounsaturated fat for example, people living in Mediterranean countries where olive oil is consumed widely – are less likely to die from heart attacks. This finding may be due to the effect of mono-unsaturated fat on LDL cholesterol. Mono-unsaturated fat lowers LDL cholesterol, thereby reducing heart disease risk. It does not lower HDL-cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol. New research suggests that diets rich in monounsaturated fat help control blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes and in healthy people. In fact, diets in which monounsaturated fats replace saturated fats appear to have more favorable effects on blood glucose than low-fat diets rich in carbohydrates. The prudent diet may not have to be low in fat to help prevent or manage diabetes. Good control of blood glucose can be achieved with diets rich in monounsaturated fat, provided the intake of saturated fat is low.
Canola oil contains two fatty acids that are essential in our diets – linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid). These fatty acids must be obtained from food because our bodies cannot make them. Essential fats play important roles in growth, reproduction and vision; in keeping skin healthy; and in the metabolism of cholesterol. Essential fats may help prevent heart disease and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Canola oil is a good source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the essential omega-3 fatty acid. People who eat diets rich in ALA have a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes than people with low intakes of this fatty acid. This finding has been remarkably consistent in studies of people living in France, India and the United States. Many North Americans have low intakes of ALA and other omega-3 fats. One tablespoon (15mL) of canola oil contains 1.3 grams of ALA. Adults can meet most of the recommended intake for ALA by adding just one tablespoon (15mL) of canola oil to salad dressings or in cooking every day.
Today's busy consumers want foods that taste good and boost health. Canola oil fits the bill. It has a unique blend of fats that offers health benefits for healthy people and people at risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Plus, its mild flavor makes it ideal for baking, braising and frying and for use in salad dressings, sauces and baked goods.
Choose the vegetable oil with the best nutritional profile – the one with a healthy amount of monounsaturated fat plus essential omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fat. Your best choice? Canola!
Source: CanolaInfo