CO [corn oil] is known to promote bone loss, obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and thus represents a useful model for studying the early stages in the development of obesity, hyperglycemia, Type 2 diabetes [23] and osteoporosis. We have used omega-6 fatty acids enriched diet as a fat source which is commonly observed in today's Western diets basically responsible for the pathogenesis of many diseases [24].Just 10% of the diet as corn oil (roughly 20% of calories), with no added omega-3, on top of an otherwise poor laboratory diet, caused:
- Obesity
- Osteoporosis
- The replacement of bone marrow with fat cells
- Diabetes
- Insulin resistance
- Generalized inflammation
- Elevated liver weight (possibly indicating fatty liver)
20% fat is less than the amount it typically takes to make a rodent this sick. This leads me to conclude that corn oil is particularly good at causing mouse versions of some of the most common facets of the "diseases of civilization". It's exceptionally high in omega-6 (linoleic acid) with virtually no omega-3.
Make sure to eat your heart-healthy corn oil! It's made in the USA, dirt cheap and it even lowers cholesterol!
43 comments:
News about cholesterol:
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=9299&Section=Disease&source=DHB_010216&key=Body+ContinueReading
If Stephan let me, I think previous link is not shown complete, this is the content (its maybe a little ambiguous about if cholesterol is or not 'the' original problem in heart disease):
"U.S. scientists say they've discovered cholesterol causes atherosclerosis by disrupting a network of interacting immune system proteins. University of Washington researchers studied the role of macrophages, immune-system cells that destroy proteins derived from cholesterol. They discovered that when macrophages become overloaded with such proteins, they become what scientists have called foam cells, due to their foamy appearance, and contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. The researchers also found drugs that lower cholesterol levels and inflammation help restore the macrophage network to more normal functioning. The scientists said their findings should change the way heart disease is treated, making the goal of treatment the restoration of functioning of a disrupted protein network, rather than the reduction of cholesterol levels. The study that included Lev Becker, Sina Gharib, Angela Irwin, Ellen Wijsman, Tomas Vaisar, John Oram, and Jay Heineckeappears in the journal Cell Metabolism"
Stephen, I hope that someday you will look into the benefits (or lack of) in high polyphenol olive oils. I have heard mostly anecdotal accounts of the benefits and I'd like to know more.
I did find this one study: http://www.annals.org/content/145/5/333.abstract
hollygee,
I recently read this new report about olive oil and its polyphenols
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/jan2010_The-Secret-Behind-The-Mediterranean-Diet_01.htm
Anyway, there is much published about extra virgin olive oil.
Those pesky bones. Wow, corn oil is more gross than I had thought possible.
Thanks for another great post that I wish everyone would read!
Are you sure you read/reposted that statement from the intro correctly? I don't think I've ever seen a statement like that on something as obviously good for you as corn oil. After all PUFA's are supposed to be this, that and everything else.
Pretty amazing. No wonder you were surprised.
Brian
Pleasantly surprised? Stephan you are the master of understatement. :-)
Thanks for the article Stephan! Fatty bone marrow could be related to those LA derived PPARg agonists I mentioned earlier.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15549648
You guys in US have really messed up your agricultural production. What you are going to do with all that corn?
westie- the us is going to feed the excess corn to starving people throughout the world and say they'e "saving" them, when really they are destroying local agriculture and entire economies.
also, we'll feed it to livestock, and then when herbavores like cattle get ecoli from eating grain all thier lives, we'll serve this disgusting meat at mickey d's and call it a 'happy meal'.
The plant does not want its cereal germ to be eaten. Since plants cannot run, they resort to other mechanisms. Maybe the high omega-6 / omega-3 ratio, and omega-6 content, have something to do with this. In the Paleolithic: inflammed animals that eat plant germs die sooner plants eaten by animals live longer plants reproduce more animals evolve behavioral mutation to avoid plant germs. (Except for smart ape in the Neolithic who did not eat those plant germs in the Paleolithic.)
Oh come on, this is nothing a little prednisone won't fix, which I try to serve on the side with my corn oil dishes.
Well, here I was wondering how I would rid myself of all this bone density I've surely gained on a real foods diet. Now I know the answer is corn oil! (I hope you can tell I'm being painfully sarcastic here.)
I love how the corn oil bottles say, "Trans fat free!" in such optimistic letters right across the front. They should include in the fine print: "But it's just as bad."
And this is something saturophobe cardiologists still promote as "heart healthy".
The evidence certainly is falling into place that excess n-6 PUFAs rival fructose as nasty neolithic agents of disease.
Nice work as usual.
Helen
There is worse news to come. Excess Omega 6 has very wide negative impacts on health from mental health to fertility, as well as arguably altering behaviour.
The US military with the endorsement of the ex Surgeon General Carmona are just beginning to take the Omega 3:6 issue very seriously following a 2 day conference organised by the NIH.
http://videocast.nih.gov/Summary.asp?File=15352
I wrote the book below two years ago. The title was picked to be memorable, and on the basis that Omega 6 alters our behaviour to the more aggressive impulsive and probably more acquisitive, as well as arguably being a significant factor in the increase in western illness.
You will find the refs on the web site. The editing is not good but the science is fine. I have spent two years on a rewrite, big expansion and update with 2400 refs which is getting closer to completion. The editing is closer to finishing than starting so if you are interested I would wait for the new one (-:.
Omegasixthedevilsfat.com
http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Six-Devils-Message-Dietary/dp/0955707404
Corn still tastes pretty good though, especially with butter. I wonder how much corn is needed to make 1 Tbsp of corn oil?
Let's see, assume 14 g fat per Tbsp oil, and corn has 0.2 g fat per ounce*, so to get 14 g of fat I would need to eat 70 ounces of corn to get 1 Tbsp of corn oil. That's over 4 lbs of corn!
* - from nutritiondata.com, using whole white sweet corn kernals, uncooked
A short tidbit, in Lund UNiversity study BUTTER trumped olive oil, rape oil and linseed oil and especially in women butter produced a significantly lower increase in blood fats after a meal.
Fascinating, how would you comment on this ?
http://www.lu.se/o.o.i.s?id=15111&news_item=4467
Hi Hollygee,
I've been pretty skeptical about polyphenols generally, for a number of reasons. I think there are some misconceptions about them. And some are toxic.
That being said, I'm coming around to the idea that some may be helpful in the right context.
Hi Westie,
Definitely. They looked at PPAR-gamma expression in bone marrow cells and it was increased, although they didn't look directly at activity. I haven't been able to find any papers indicating that LA and oxidized LA are PPAR-gamma agonists, do you have references for that?
Hi Ned,
I think there's a simpler explanation. Plants don't produce heat, so temperate climate plants use PUFAs because they have a low melting temp. If you're a seed and you want to sprout, but all your fat is crystallized because the ambient temp is below its melting point, you can't mobilize that energy. n-6 PUFAs have a low melting temp but are more resistant to oxidation than n-3s.
Hi Elizabeth,
Don't forget "cholesterol free"! I even see that on tubs of coconut oil.
Hi Swede,
Yes, the only way to get that little bit of oil out is with machines and petroleum solvents.
Hi Neonomide,
I saw that study, but I'm not sure what the significance is. They measured post-meal triglycerides if I recall. Are there any studies relating post-meal trigs with disease outcomes?
Westie-- never mind, I found it. This paper actually looks pretty interesting.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9568715
ok, waldorf salad is the ultimate no-no? Time to get my mom off mayo....
ok, waldorf salad is the ultimate no-no? Time to get my mom off mayo....
Why not make your own?
Thanks for unearthing that Stephan.
I agree with your (thermal) explanation for why plant oils contain such high amounts of n-6 or n-3 (flax).
"Plants don't produce heat". One of the big exceptions to this is our Pacific Coast Skunk Cabbage which produces a lot of heat certain times of the year. Anyone done studies on this? These sorts of exception can provide interesting tests.
i wouldn't consider corn oil to be neolithic Kurt G. Harris... just modern industrial waste.
troy
Hi Stephan,
Are there any studies done on humans showing evidence that Omega 6 is bad for us? I see lots of studies on animals, but on humans it's harder.
Thanks,
Patrick
Hey brother its Koury!
As usual interesting posts, points and further incriminating evidence for processed foods. Monsanto will be after you before you know it.
I am sad to see an over all reduction in recipes, from the old whole health website. The science is fantastic of course, but it would be great to see some of the ways you use the science in your kitchen. I hope this finds you well as usual, and look forward to hearing from you soon my friend.
Koury Eways NREMT-P
Valtor.
Trials on a negative (eat less Omega 6) I suspect are not very appealing as there is no market to approach for funding.
There is more work on Omega 3, There is limited space in the cell membrane so increasing Omega 3 in relation to Omega 6 in a sense gives a fuzzy indication of the impact of reducing Omega 6.
Westie
Thanks for the link. This is something I have spent time looking at too.
I think PPAR gamma does have a role in bone loss - a number of trials suggest it does.
A number of oxidised fat products promote PPAR gamma, including oxidised linoleic acid products.
In a University of Kentucky study, rabbits were fed diets high in corn oil, milk fat, chicken fat, dairy fat, lard and beef tallow and the oxidizability of serum LDL was measured. Oxidized LDL was highest in the rabbits fed corn oil.
Of particular interest was the fact that when corn oil fed rats were given supplements of cholesterol, 23.5 mg per 100 grams feed, the level of oxidized LDL was reduced by over 50 per cent. Vitamin E levels were much higher in serum of rabbits given supplemental cholesterol, suggesting that cholesterol spared vitamin E.
The amount of corn oil in the feed was about 41% of calories, or 18 grams per 100 grams of feed. The cholesterol supplement equated to that in one egg yolk per 100 grams of feed.
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/125/8/2045
Another later study by the same group found that cholesterol can inhibit linoleic acid-mediated endothelial cell dysfunction.
@half Navaho
Gee, you're picky
I should have said "late late late neolithic"
or "late capitalist post-industrial" or non paleolithic : )
Hey stephen I am little off topic here, but I am kind of deparate to find and asnwer and dont know who to ask. What do you think of this guys work on vitamin D. Trevor Marshall, Ph.D.,
ramon25, the Marshall Protocol has been refuted many times. Eades responded to it in the comments on the article below.
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/supplements/vitamin-d-bate-d-bunked/
ramon25, here is another discussion of the Marshall Protocol: http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/marshall-protocol-and-other-fairy-tales.html
Be sure to read the comments at the end, you will see what happened to some of the people who followed the protocol.
Jack Cameron
An incisive extrapolation. Thank you for sharing the link.
I have seen it suggested that cholesterol acts as an antioxidant on a number of occasions. The paper you cite adds to that argument.
The idea cholesterol is an antioxidant resource is an intriguing idea with complex ramifications.
This trial summary is thought provoking
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10400167
Sweden v Lithuania
More or less the same linoleic content of adipose fat
Lower LDL in Lithuania despite higher fat intake
4 times the rate of coronary disease in Lithuania
LDL in Lithuania was more susceptible to oxidation.
Hi Stephan
I'm a huge fan of your blog. I was wondering if I could ask you something. I've been eating a strict vegan diet - or at least 95% so - for the past 3 years. I'm starting to think that the endless amount of carbs I've been eating have left me somewhat glucose intolerant. I've been following your blog closely, and recently read "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes, and am starting to think that a diet based more in animal products would be better for me. I don't take this proposition lightly, considering the "low-fat, low-cholesterol" stance most health authorities take. I was wondering, what has your experience with the Paleo diet been like? Has it improved your health? Has it impacted your blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and such? Also, do you worry about the sodium content in salted meats? I would appreciate any information you can give me. Thank You.
^
This is a link to an earlier full paper looking at
Antioxidant state and mortality from coronary heart
disease in Lithuanian and Swedish men: concomitant
cross sectional study of men aged 50
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2126116/pdf/9066473.pdf
Hi Ramon25,
Marshall = science abuser.
Hi Rob,
Glad to catch you at this stage in your thought process. Many people who are concerned about nutrition tend to get very extreme about it-- going from thinking all animals are harmful to all plants/carbs are harmful, etc. That particular progression is very common. That kind of extreme thinking does a lot of harm.
I believe the truth lies in the middle. We're omnivores that are adapted to eating a diet rich in both plant and animal foods, that includes plenty of protein, fat and carbs. If you read certain authors, you'll end up thinking humans are healthiest on low-fat, high-starch diets. Other authors insist low-carb is the healthiest. The truth is that there were/are very healthy cultures that eat high-carb, low-carb and everything in between. I doubt eating a lot of carbohydrate would give you glucose intolerance over time, unless it was mostly refined or improperly prepared grains and/or sugar. Eating a high-starch unbalanced vegetarian diet that's poor in minerals and fat-soluble vitamins could get you there though. The Kitavans eat 69% carb for their entire lives and don't seem to get glucose intolerance or diabetes.
So maybe a good strategy would be to gradually re-introduce small quantities of meat (from good sources, and including liver) into your diet. The human body doesn't require a lot of meat, but it does benefit from some. Start slowly, because your digestive tract may not be ready to digest meat.
My health has always been pretty good, but I do feel better on my current diet than I did when I was eating "somewhat healthy" standard fare. My skin is better than it's ever been. Energy is good. I eat maybe 2/3 "paleo", plus fermented grains, well-soaked beans and butter.
Hi Stephan,
Thank you for your advice, that sounds very sensible. I find it’s easy to get lost in the world of nutrition, with so many extreme viewpoints out there.
I was wondering, have you read “The China Study”, by T. Colin Campbell? And if so, what is your opinion of it? I came across it a few years back and thought I had found a seamless case for the vegan lifestyle. Now when I read it, I find he relies too much on conjecture, rather than hard evidence. For instance, he seems to have proven that excess casein promotes liver cancer in rats when they are exposed to the carcinogen aflatoxin. He uses this discovery to argue that any animal protein promotes cancer in humans. That seems like an awful stretch to me. I don’t think he should assume that all animal protein is cancer promoting, when he’s only observed this effect from one specific protein, in a species far different than us. He also argues that animal protein is the cause of autoimmune disorders and various other illnesses. His theories have shaken a lot of people. I would love to hear your interpretation of them.
Thanks Again
Help me up somebody, I just fell off my chair!
Finally there seem to be more sensible than nonsensical papers being published.
Rob,
Lots of problems with The China Study. See this review:
http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/the-china-study-myth
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