Canola oil may be harmful for the brain

Despite Canola oil marketed as healthy, recent research suggests it may worsen memory features

Mouse models used in latest study showed that a diet rich in canola oil may actually trigger significant health problems.

According to researchers at Lewis Katz School of Medicine of Temple University in Philadelphia, in spite of this type of oil being globally recommended “as one of the healthiest edible vegetable oils in terms of its biological functions and its ability to aid in reducing disease-related risk factors and improving health”, it may in fact worsen memory and lead to weight gain.

For this research, several groups of mice were monitored for 6 months. As published in the journal Scientific Reports, the Brassica napus oil can influence the formation of amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer’s disease, this way leading to poor learning and memory capacities by damaging the synapses. The maze test was the foundation of the final assessments. The mice consuming canola oil diet were not capable of completing it, when compared with those eating a regular diet.

Based on the results, the scientists suggested that long-term consumption of canola oil may actually be harmful for brain health. In order to reach a final conclusion, the researchers plan to further study matters such as how exactly canola oil affects amyloid beta plaques, the time-frame in which it may become dangerous, as well as other brain effects outside the cognitive diseases spectrum.