How Mazola Corn Oil “Educates” Dietitians

Spin, spin, spin.

The Mazola corn oil brochure shown above was one of many materials available at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ 2013 conference and expo.

In it, Mazola claims corn oil is healthier than olive oil due to its higher phytosterol content (phytosterols are cholesterol-like molecules found in some plant-based foods that can lower LDL cholesterol).

Two important points:

• The established dose of phytosterols shown to have any sort of positive health benefit on heart health is 2 grams, an amount found in 15 Tablespoons (just shy of one cup) of corn oil.

• This brochure conveniently leaves out the fact that corn oil does not offer heart-healthy omega-3 or monounsaturated fats (flax, hemp, and walnut oils offers the former; olive and avocado oils the latter).

Any health professional who “knows their oils” would never cite corn oil as the healthiest of all (and, preferably, would recommend that the majority of fats in the diet come from whole foods, not oils).