What Are the Dangers of Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil?

A cooking oil extracted from seeds of the cotton plant, cottonseed oil is an ingredient in salad oil, mayonnaise, salad dressing, cereals, baked goods and snack foods. Cottonseed oil is cheap, and after processing has a long shelf life. Nutritionists have concerns about the growing practices and nutritional value of this source of fat that is found in almost all processed foods.

Natural Toxin

Cottonseed contains gossypol, a toxin that protects the plant against insects. Used as a male contraceptive drug in China, gossypol interferes with potassium metabolism and was blamed for several paralysis cases among men who had low dietary intake of the essential mineral. Seeds must be bleached, deodorized, refined and chemically washed to remove as much gossypol as possible.

Pesticides

Because it is not classified as a food crop, cotton is largely unregulated when it comes to pesticides. One-fourth of all available pesticides are used in cotton production. Five of the top nine--cyanide, dicofol, naled, propargite and trifluralin--are known carcinogens. Weevils quickly develop immunity to pesticides, so larger amounts of stronger chemicals are needed every few years.

Genetic Modification

Along with corn, canola and soy, cotton bred to produce oil has been genetically modified. These plants can crossbreed with wild species, creating "superweeds" that require strong, more environmentally hazardous herbicides. Beneficial plants are also destroyed. Cotton plants modified to resist weevils also are inhospitable to monarch butterflies.
Cottonseed oil refined from genetically modified cotton plants may increase human and animal resistance to antibiotics, making gonorrhea and tuberculosis even harder to treat. Dr. Mae Wan Ho, director of the U.K. Institute for Science in Society, has called for destruction of genetically modified cotton crops and a halt to production.

Composition

Cottonseed oil is the major ingredient in Crisco shortening. Cottonseed oil is high in saturated fat, long thought to clog arteries, and low in healthy monounsaturated fat. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, a natural health advocate, products with labels that list a variety of possible oils used often do use cottonseed oil. Because cottonseed oil contains more than 50 percent Omega-6 fatty acids, consuming large amounts can harm health by causing a deficiency of essential Omega-3 fatty acids. Cottonseed oil is typically hydrogenated, a process that creates trans fats. Those fats are known to increase serum cholesterol.
Cottonseed oil is similar in molecular structure to peanut oil. There is much anecdotal evidence that people who are allergic to peanuts or gluten may have a reaction to cottonseed oil. No labeling of cottonseed oil as a potential allergen is required.