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A new finding shows that soybean oil affects the brain and other functions of the human body.
Using a mouse model to study the effects of soybean oil, a commonly used vegetable oil, it was revealed in a 2020 UC Riverside research shows that soybean oil not only causes obesity and diabetes, but it may also have an impact on neurological diseases such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and depression.
The study compared mice fed three distinct high-fat diets: soybean oil, soybean oil modified to be low in linoleic acid, and coconut oil, which was originally published in Endocrinology and referenced by Science Daily.
The research was reposted by Neuroscience News on June 17.
The same effect in mice could be seen in humans.
A UCR research team concluded in 2015 that the oil induces obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and fatty liver in mice, and the same research team discovered in 2017 that when soybean oil is engineered to be low in linoleic acid, it may result in fewer factors contributing to obesity and diabetes.
However, researchers discovered no difference in the effects of modified and unmodified soybean oil on the brain, Science Daily reported. Whichever type of oil had dramatic impacts on the hypothalamus, where a variety of essential processes occur, according to the experts.
“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, a UCR associate professor of neuroscience and lead author on the study.
The researchers discovered that a number of genes in mice fed the oil were not functioning properly. Oxytocin, the “love” hormone, is produced by one of these genes. Oxytocin levels in the hypothalamus decreased in mice fed soybean oil.
The researchers observed that the soybean oil diet affects over 100 additional genes. They believe that this discovery has implications not only for energy metabolism, but also for appropriate brain function and disorders like autism and Parkinson’s disease. It is crucial to remember, however, that there is no proof that the oil causes these ailments.