Canola oil cuts bad cholesterol, blood glucose levels

Canola is Canada's oil, and new research from the University of Toronto suggests it should also be one of the oils of choice for people with Type 2 diabetes. Dr. David Jenkins, a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Department of Medicine, compared people with Type 2 diabetes who ate either a low glycemic index diet that included bread made with canola oil, or a whole wheat diet known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. His study, published in the journal Diabetes Care , found that those on the canola bread diet experienced both a reduction in blood glucose levels and a significant reduction in LDL, or "bad," cholesterol. Even more exciting, he said, was the finding that the canola bread diet seemed to have the most significant impact on people who needed help the most — those whose HbA1c test measuring blood glucose over the previous two or three months was highest. Jenkins, who is head of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital , said the reduction in LDL cholesterol observed in his study of 141 people could translate into a seven per cent reduction in cardiovascular events. He said the benefit could also be translated into an additional 20mg dose of one of the cholesterol-reducing drugs known as statins — a doubling of a standard dose. The word canola is a contraction of Canada and ola, meaning oil.