Common Oil Alters Genes and Metabolism

Soybean oil profoundly shifts the brain toward disease, according to a new study. Don’t pretend this oil is easy to avoid either, it is the most common oil – unfortunately.

The Study

“New UC Riverside research shows soybean oil not only leads to obesity and diabetes, but could also affect neurological conditions like autism, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and depression.”¹

They observed how genes behaved and found about 100 altered by soybean oil. One highlight was soybean oil caused less oxytocin production. Oxytocin is the love hormone – associated with bonding.

This same UC Riverside group previously showed soybean oil induces obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver in mice². Yes, diabetes. These junk oils can wreck your metabolism – and now other brain functions.

The scope

When this study dropped, I happen to be looking at the USDA branded food database. So, I added a query to look at soybean usage in branded foods.

Twenty percent of branded food products include soybean oil, which totals 44% of all products where an oil is present. Watch out for salad dressings for sure.

But, this only scratches the surface. Restaurants use copious amounts of industrial junk oils, including soy, along with canola, corn oil, and others. For example, McDonald’s uses a soy/canola/corn blend for frying³. Even better, companies are now rolling out gene-edited soybean oils in restaurants ⁴. Steer clear.

This trend won’t reverse. Soybean and canola oils are about $100/35lb cheaper than avocado oil⁵ for restaurants.

Strategy

On my Eating For Health page, and in an expanded free white paper Why When To Eat Matters, I explain key avoidances. Junk oils are firmly on the list. You can’t use supplements as antidotes for regular junk oil consumption. Canola, soybean, corn oil, all vegetable oils are destructive. They cause massive oxidative stress (think body-wide rusting). Further, they will lead you down the road to atherosclerosis and heart disease by degrading your blood vessels. I detail that in my cholesterol white paper, Deprescribing Statins.

Throw them away.

Now.

Seriously, read all cooking oil and salad dressing bottles in your house and toss them in the trash if they have soy or vegetable oil listed in the ingredients.

One more pitfall, mislabeling is a HUGE problem. Many olive oils, for example, are mixed with canola or other vegetable oils to increase the smoke point (and make it cheaper to produce. From an eye-opening book, Real Food/Fake Food “olive oil was the single most commonly referenced adulterated food of any type in scholarly articles from 1980 to 2010”⁶.

In restaurants, ask to have your food gilled with real butter. You may get funny looks, but it’s worth it.

If you do experience an exposure, antioxidants are a great first step (molecular hydrogen, liposomal vitamin C, and liposomal glutathione). And I would add forskolin for good measure (it improves endothelial function). I learned about that while putting together the Deprescribing Statins paper, please have a look for more details and references.

Avocado oil is great for cooking. As are most saturated fats, those that are solid at room temperature – grass fed butter, ghee, coconut, bacon grease, etc (Yum!). Olive oil is a healthy choice, but not ideal for high heat cooking.

Take Away

Soybean oil is toxic. Its inclusion in foods is widespread. It alters your brain chemistry. Your brain is your interface with the world. Think about that oxytocin piece one more time. Soybean oil may impair your ability to show affection to your loved ones. Plus, it puts you on the road to diabetes and untold other health consequences.

Run, don’t walk, away from these trash oils.