Soyabean oil can cause genetic changes in brain, a new study by University of California Riverside reveals.
The study was conducted on mice and published in the journal Endocrinology. It showed negative effects of soyabean oil on the hypothalamus part of brain. A report by the researche team say that the oil not only leads to obesity and diabetes but may also affect neurological conditions like autism, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety and depression.
The researchers found out that soyabean oil diet affected nearly 100 hormones including oxytocin. They have not yet identified the specific chemicals in the oil causing these genetic modificationss. Rather they have discovered that neither linoleic acid nor stigmasterol are the responsible chemicals. During the study, the modified oil without linoleic acid also caused genetic changes thus confirming that it was not the negatively affecting chemical.
The examined male mice were fed with three diets; rich in soyabean oil, coconut oil and soyabean oil low in linoleic acid.
The same team has discovered in 2015 that soyabean oil causes diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance in mice. In 2017 they found out that soyabean modified to be low in linoleic acid causes less insulin resistance and obesity.
The researchers also noted that the negativite effects were confined to the use of soyabean oil. Other soy products such tofu, soy sauce and soy milk contain only small amounts of oil that is not harmful. However, it is not yet evidenced that the oil is causing these genetic changes in mice.
The study further needs to be conducted on female mice because oxytocin is essential for maternal health. This could help design better dietary oils is future as Poonamjot Deol, an author of the study said.