Dive Brief:
- Dow AgroSciences conducted consumer surveys asking how healthy they thought various fat and oils are. Dow pointed to the results as a reason why the company promotes the omega-9 fatty acid found in its canola and sunflower oils.
- A survey question posed 1,000 adults to classify 12 types of fat as either extremely healthful, somewhat healthful, neither healthful nor unhealthful, not very healthful, not at all healthful, or unaware. Omega-9 fatty acids came in as the third healthiest fat, after omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Another survey question had consumers list seven oils from the healthiest to the least healthy. Coconut was ranked as the healthiest oil, followed by canola, sunflower, soybean, safflower, corn and palm.
- According to Dow AgroSciences, its canola oil contains 74% omega-9 fatty acid oils, compared to 61% for commodity canola oil. Dow sources its canola and sunflower oils from Nexera seeds.
Dive Insight:
Survey results showed that many people are unaware of the different types of fat. For example, omega-9 is a monounsaturated fat, yet 23% of consumers ranked omega-9 as extremely healthful, while only 4% ranked monounsaturated fats as extremely healthful.
According to the University of Colorado, "A healthy diet should consist of roughly two to four times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. A typical North American diet may contain 11 to 30 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids, contributing to the rising rate of inflammatory disorders in the United States."
Further, "Although omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids all serve different functions within the body, the evidence is clear that incorporating balanced proportions of both essential and non-essential fatty acids are necessary for maintaining overall heart health and general wellness." Unlike omega-3 and omega-6, the human body does produce its own omega-9 fatty acids.
