Scientist have been consistently telling told us that rapeseed oil is healthy, so why are social media influencers still saying we should worry?
Some claim seed oils are industrial waste products, therefore, unsafe to consume, with such statements found in English and other languages across the internet.
They claim that a food ingredient is an industrial waste product implies that because it may have been a waste stream at one point in time that somehow makes it bad to consume. A German influencer recently posted, "Rapeseed oil is poisoning you!”
Researchers are now debunking such claims.
"The scientific recommendations are quite different from many of the discussions on social media,” says Matthias Riedl, a German nutritional medicine specialist and medical director of Medicum Hamburg.
Much of the scaremongering on social media serves generates gripping, shocking news, meaning clicks.
Exaggeration and uncertainty often work better on social media than nuanced analysis, says Hans Hauner, senior professor of nutritional medicine at the Else Kroner-Fresenius Foundation at the Technical University of Munich. "Social media is usually not about scientific facts, but about attention.”What are the claims about seed oils?
The claims online about seed oils vary. Here are some, alongside the responses given by scientists.
Rapeseed oil causes inflammation: Professional health associations say there is no reliable scientific evidence for this. On the contrary, rapeseed oil has a comparatively favourable omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in its fatty acid profile.
Refined oil is fundamentally unhealthy: Nutritionist Riedl says refining serves to remove undesirable substances and improve heat stability. In the case of virgin oils, decomposition products harmful to health can form at higher temperatures.
Rapeseed oil increases your risk of cancer: The German Nutrition Society (DGE) says systematic reviews have not been able to confirm an increased risk of cancer
Rapeseed oil contains harmful erucic acid: Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment says modern rapeseed varieties now contain only very small amounts which are not considered to pose an increased health risk.
Experts clear on rapeseed oil
"Rapeseed oil is an excellent cooking oil,” says Hauner. It contains many monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. "In principle, this makes it even slightly better than olive oil, whilst being significantly cheaper,” says Hauner.
"In the debate about rapeseed oil, one should also ask what the alternative to frying is,” adds Riedl. Often, these are butter or coconut oil – both of which contain significantly more saturated fatty acids. The DGE also rates coconut oil and animal lard rather unfavourably due to their high content of saturated fatty acids.
Margarine made from vegetable oils, on the other hand, is generally recommended by the DGE, as are olive, walnut, linseed and soya oils as sources of vegetable fat alongside rapeseed oil.
If you want to use less fat in general, you could also use an air fryer as these often require little or no additional oil.
However, professionals say the aim is not to completely avoid fat, but rather to choose suitable sources and use them in moderation.
Alongside health considerations, practical benefits also come into play. Refined rapeseed oil is heat-stable and versatile.
Intense or repeated heating is not recommended – as with many other oils and fats – says Riedl, as this can lead to the formation of undesirable substances such as aldehydes.
In search of simple answers
Many people are looking for simple answers to complex health questions, says Riedl. Often, they find these, even if presented incorrectly or in a simplified manner, on social media.
In general, a further problem is the growing mistrust of industrial food production and official institutions.
Plus, online content that triggers emotions or clear stances - and thus generates a great deal of interaction - spreads more widely on these platforms, research shows.
That leads to a conflict between two forms of logic. Science is all about trade-offs and probabilities, while social networks reward simple messages and polarising views.
A further characteristic of social media is that foods and diets are constantly being re-evaluated. What is fashionable now may be slammed as dangerous tomorrow. Scientifically, though, diets are generally rarely wholly good or bad. Professional scientists do not consider individual foods in isolation, but rather dietary patterns as a whole.
"It is not a single food that matters, but quantity and overall diet,” says Riedl. "It is the dose that makes the poison.” – dpa
