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Staying healthy isn’t a joke – 360-degree care is required to get maximum results. From being physically active to using healthier food alternatives – you have to do everything in your capacity to keep health hazards like obesity and diabetes at bay. And in achieving your fitness goal soybean oil can be your crusader.
A recent study published in the journal Endocrinology claims that consuming soybean oil may not only lead to obesity and diabetes, but also affect neurological conditions like autism, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers from the University of California – Riverside (UCR) in the US noted that soybean oil is used for fast food frying, added to packaged foods, and fed to livestock in many parts of the world.
Not just one but multiple studies suggested that soybean oil is a healthy option
Soybean oil is loaded with benefits. A 2017 study by the group showed that if soybean oil is engineered to be low in linoleic acid, it induces less obesity, and insulin resistance. However, in the latest study, the researchers did not find any difference between the modified and unmodified soybean oil’s effects on the brain.
They found pronounced effects of the oil on the hypothalamus, a region of the brain where a number of critical processes take place.
“The hypothalamus regulates body weight via your metabolism, maintains body temperature, is critical for reproduction and physical growth as well as your response to stress,” said Margarita Curras-Collazo, an associate professor at UCR, and lead author of the study.
One such gene produces the “love” hormone, oxytocin. The levels of oxytocin in the hypothalamus went down. The researchers discovered roughly 100 other genes also affected by the soybean oil diet — that’s another benefit of soybean oil.
Including soybean oil in your diet today can benefit in old age as well
The researchers believe that this study could have ramifications not just for energy metabolism, but also for proper brain function and diseases such as autism or Parkinson’s.
Also, read: Parenting your parent? Watch out for these early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
However, it is important to note there is no proof that the oil causes these diseases, they said. The team noted the findings only apply to soybean oil — not to other soy products, or to other vegetable oils.
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PERSONALISE NOW“Do not throw out your tofu, soymilk, edamame, or soy sauce,” said Frances Sladek, a UCR toxicologist, and professor of cell biology.
Sladek said:
Many soy products only contain small amounts of the oil, and large amounts of healthful compounds such as essential fatty acids and proteins.
Since the research was conducted in mice, the researchers caution that the study might not translate to the same results in humans.
As oxytocin is so important for maternal health and promotes mother-child bonding, the researchers said similar studies need to be performed using female mice.
The researchers have not yet isolated which chemicals in the oil are responsible for the changes they found in the hypothalamus.
However, they have ruled out two candidates – Linoleic acid, since the modified oil also produced genetic disruptions, and stigmasterol — a cholesterol-like chemical found naturally in soybean oil.
The bottom line is that soybean oil is a much healthier option than regular vegetable oil. So, for the love of your health reinvent your kitchen this year by adding healthy variant.
