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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday December 10 2017, @09:19AM   Printer-friendly
from the what-were-we-talking-about? dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Canola oil is one of the most widely consumed vegetable oils in the world, yet surprisingly little is known about its effects on health. Now, a new study published online December 7 in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) associates the consumption of canola oil in the diet with worsened memory, worsened learning ability and weight gain in mice which model Alzheimer's disease. The study is the first to suggest that canola oil is more harmful than healthful for the brain.

"Canola oil is appealing because it is less expensive than other vegetable oils, and it is advertised as being healthy," explained Domenico Praticò, MD, Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology and Microbiology and Director of the Alzheimer's Center at LKSOM, as well as senior investigator on the study. "Very few studies, however, have examined that claim, especially in terms of the brain."

Curious about how canola oil affects brain function, Dr. Praticò and Elisabetta Lauretti, a graduate student in Dr. Pratico's laboratory at LKSOM and co-author on the new study, focused their work on memory impairment and the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model. Amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau, which is responsible for the formation of tau neurofibrillary tangles, contribute to neuronal dysfunction and degeneration and memory loss in Alzheimer's disease. The animal model was designed to recapitulate Alzheimer's in humans, progressing from an asymptomatic phase in early life to full-blown disease in aged animals.

Dr. Praticò and Lauretti had previously used the same mouse model in an investigation of olive oil, the results of which were published earlier in 2017. In that study, they found that Alzheimer mice fed a diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil had reduced levels of amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau and experienced memory improvement. For their latest work, they wanted to determine whether canola oil is similarly beneficial for the brain.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Sunday December 10 2017, @08:35PM (4 children)

    by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Sunday December 10 2017, @08:35PM (#608046)

    might be because it would cost more to study more oils. Each type of oil being studied would need a set of test/control mice, specialized foods and lab space to raise the mice as well as staff to tend them.

    That said I agree with your position. We need to take a better look at the ingredients being used in the foods we eat. Remember how margarine was supposed to be better for you than butter?

    --
    "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @10:31PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @10:31PM (#608084)
    • (Score: 2) by Pav on Sunday December 10 2017, @11:21PM (1 child)

      by Pav (114) on Sunday December 10 2017, @11:21PM (#608105)

      In the free market you can buy as many doctors, researchers and government officials to vouch for your product as you like. The tobacco industry learned this years ago, but Roosevelts Communications Act wasn't pushed back enough yet - we now have the media concentration required to block out that anti-profit cancer messaging. They're now easy to buy with fewer talking heads to keep on-message, and the Internet might soon get there (once they cancel that anti-free-market net neutrality BS).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 11 2017, @01:47AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 11 2017, @01:47AM (#608143)

        we now have the media concentration required to block out that anti-profit cancer messaging

        It's important to note that the populace still owns the broadcast spectrum.
        What is required to get things back to where they were before Reagan:
        1) Elect a president who appoints an FCC that represents The People.
        2) Have that bunch return to The Fairness Doctrine (nuked by Reagan and Mark Fowler ~1987).
        3) Revoke licenses for those who don't comply.

        On His Radio Show, Ralph Nader Asks Progressives If They Have Been Permitted To Appear On Lamestream Media [google.com]
        The answer is routinely "No".

        Multiple times, Ralph Nader has made lists of leading thinkers who would be good foils for the bought-and-paid-for "experts" who regularly appear in Lamestream Media.

        Mainstream Media: Who Gets On and Who Does Not [googleusercontent.com] (orig) [commondreams.org]

        Advocacy Talk [googleusercontent.com] (orig) [csrl.org]

        -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @11:50PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @11:50PM (#608115)

    > Remember how margarine was supposed to be better for you than butter?

    Sure, it would be nice to have some real research on foods like the ones mentioned in this article
    https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/food-ingredients-avoid?slide=1 [rodalesorganiclife.com]
    The article is based on interviews with "experts"...