A lot of negative things are said about canola oil. Let’s look at the facts:
Myth 1. The extraction process leaves dangerous compounds. To make canola oil, the plant’s seeds are crushed and then heated with a solvent (usually hexane) to extract the oil. Most of this hexane evaporates during the refining process. It has been estimated that refined plant oils contain only trace amounts. In fact, oils provide less than two percent of our daily exposure to hexane (which is also found in gasoline fumes, for example).
Myth 2. The extraction process creates dangerous trans fats. Trans fatty acids are bad for health. Canola oil naturally contains no trans fatty acids, although trace amounts may form when any fat is exposed to high heat. To put this concern into context, low levels of trans fats are found naturally in animal proteins like beef, lamb, and full fat dairy.
Myth 3. It is high in omega-6 fatty acids, which cause inflammation. Although omega-6 fatty acids were found to cause inflammation in rats, studies show this is not the case in humans. The fatty acid profile of canola oil makes it a good choice from a health standpoint: it is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and the plant form of omega-3 fatty acid (called alpha linolenic acid), and lower in saturated fatty acids than olive oil.
Canola oil is related to rapeseed oil. While rapeseed oil is high in a compound called erucic acid, which can be toxic to humans in high amounts, canola oil comes from a plant bred to contain very little erucic acid. Like other plant oils, canola oil is a safe and healthy choice, and research has found that using it in place of refined carbohydrates and animal fats like butter lowers risk of heart disease.