Cottonseed Oil
Level 4 — Significant concernsIn Winter's Dictionary3 sources
Cottonseed Oil is a other — Fixed oil from cottonseed plant
What it does
Fixed oil from cottonseed plant
Where you'll see it
Salad oils, oleomargarines, mayonnaises, salad dressings, sardines, potato chips, doughnuts, candies, chocolate, fruit polish
What the research says
Known to cause numerous allergic reactions.
[ultra-processed-people] Original feedstock that drove invention of the RBD process: Procter & Gamble took a cotton-industry waste byproduct containing the toxin gossypol (which causes reduced male fertility) and engineered it into Crisco — possibly the first mass-produced UPF. Gossypol still present in cottonseed oil that is not fully refined.
[metabolical] Cottonseed oil is a high-omega-6 seed oil that contributes to the pro-inflammatory omega-6:omega-3 imbalance characteristic of processed diets. Often partially hydrogenated for shelf stability, introducing trans fats.
Sources
- Metabolical (Lustig) — Chapter 18; Chapter 20: a rapid switch to seed oils occurred in the 1980s — and our diet became replete in omega-6 fatty acids through industrial processing
- Ultra-Processed People (van Tulleken) — Chapter 2: The invention of UPF: the oil contained a toxin called gossypol, which protects the plant from insects but also leads to reduced fertility in men, as well as a number of other impurities that made it taste foul
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives (Winter): Known to cause numerous allergic reactions, but because of its wide use in cosmetics, foods, and other products, it is hard to avoid