Is sunflower seed, as a common snack, carcinogenic, and what are the benefits and contraindications of sunflower seed oil?

Sunflower seeds, the fruit of the sunflower, can be eaten and used for oil. Sunflower seeds are a fairly common snack, usually made by roasting, but some people say that eating sunflower seeds may cause cancer, so is it true that sunflower seeds are carcinogenic? What are the benefits and effects of sunflower seed oil?

News that sunflower seeds cause cancer stirs up on all kinds of social media every so often.

One reason may be that sunflower seeds grow very quickly and easily absorb heavy metals from the soil, such as lead, nickel, cadmium and so on. For the soil, this effect can reduce heavy metal pollution. But for humans, eating plants rich in heavy metals and having them continually accumulate in the body is enough to cause disease.

But drawing the conclusion from this that sunflower seeds cause cancer is unscientific. The other crops we come into contact with in daily life also grow very quickly and have a similarly strong ability to absorb heavy metals, so can we conclude that grains and vegetables are also carcinogenic?

Another reason for believing that sunflower seeds cause cancer may be their high oil content, and most of these oils are unsaturated fatty acids; eating too much will not only consume choline in the body, but also disrupt fat metabolism in the body, with fat accumulating in the liver, affecting the normal function of liver cells and causing liver dysfunction.

Scientific research shows that this claim also has no scientific basis. Scientists have indeed carried out experiments, but the experimental results only showed that oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids (sunflower seed oil) is not suitable for frying; if food is not continuously fried, the harmful substances produced are actually not that many.

Taking in too much unsaturated fat is indeed an unhealthy way to eat, but taking in too much of any nutrient is unhealthy.

Dietary contraindications

Sunflower seeds should not be eaten in large amounts, and it is best to shell them by hand when eating. Because cracking them with the teeth easily causes the tongue and corners of the mouth to become raw and sore, and also causes a large amount of saliva to be spit out along with the shells when spitting them out, making taste dull, reducing appetite, and even causing stomach cramps. Saliva helps clear food residue from the mouth, reduces bacterial growth and fermentation, and protects the oral mucosa. According to measurements, cracking 250 grams of sunflower seeds a day will lose 2500 grams of saliva. No wonder people always feel dry in the mouth and thirsty after cracking sunflower seeds.

In addition, people suffering from hepatitis had better not crack sunflower seeds, because it will damage the liver and cause cirrhosis. Know when to stop: about 80 grams each time is appropriate. Cracking a large amount of sunflower seeds will severely consume saliva, and over time will affect oral health and even affect digestion. Sunflower seeds should not be eaten too much at one time, to avoid internal heat and mouth and tongue sores.

The benefits and effects of sunflower seed oil

1. Sunflower seeds are rich in a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, as well as the proteins essential to the human body and the mineral elements potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium and magnesium, while sunflower seed oil is also very high in the content of vitamins A, B1, Bz, E and P.

2. Therefore, sunflower seed oil can effectively calm the emotions, and can also do a good job of preventing cell aging, can do a good job of preventing some diseases, can treat insomnia, can enhance human memory, and can also lower blood pressure; it has a good anti-cancer effect and is good for people with neurasthenia.

3. Sunflower can do a good job of regulating brain cell metabolism, thereby improving its inhibitory function, and eating sunflower seed oil helps induce sleep. Sunflower seeds also contain a large amount of trace elements such as iron, zinc and manganese, and can do a good job of preventing anemia.

4. Sunflower seed oil contains a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, so sunflower seed oil can lower cholesterol and can effectively prevent arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.

The nutritional value of sunflower seed oil

1. Sunflower seed oil contains sterols, vitamins, linoleic acid and many other substances beneficial to humans, among which the natural vitamin E content is the highest among all major vegetable oils, while the linoleic acid content can reach about 70%.

2. Sunflower seed oil can lower serum cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels, and has the effect of lowering blood pressure. Moreover, sunflower seed oil is light and transparent and can retain the natural flavor of food during cooking; its smoke point is also very high, which can avoid the harm of cooking fumes to the human body.

3. Refined sunflower seed oil is a clear, good-looking light yellow or greenish yellow, with a fragrant smell and a pure taste.

4. The content of alpha-tocopherol, the most physiologically active form in sunflower seed oil, is higher than in general vegetable oils. Moreover, the ratio of linoleic acid content to vitamin E content is relatively balanced, making it easy for the human body to absorb and use. Therefore, sunflower seed oil is a high-nutritional-value, excellent edible oil beneficial to human health.

5. 90% of sunflower seed oil is unsaturated fatty acids, of which linoleic acid accounts for about 66%, and it also contains vitamin E, plant sterols, phospholipids, carotene and other nutritional components.

6. The linoleic acid contained in sunflower seed oil is an essential fatty acid for the human body; it forms the basic component of various cells and has the effect of regulating metabolism, maintaining blood pressure balance and lowering cholesterol in the blood.

7. Sunflower seed oil contains trace amounts of plant alcohols and phospholipids, and these 2 substances can prevent serum cholesterol from rising.

8. Sunflower seed oil contains abundant carotene, in greater amounts than peanut oil, sesame oil and soybean oil. Therefore, it can lower the concentration of serum cholesterol and prevent the occurrence of arteriosclerosis and vascular diseases, making it very suitable for people with high blood pressure and for middle-aged and elderly people.

9. Sunflower seed oil also contains nutrients such as glucose and sucrose, and its calorie content is also higher than that of soybean oil, peanut oil, sesame oil and corn oil, producing 9.499 calories per gram. Its melting point is also relatively low, making it suitable for absorption by the human body, with an absorption rate of over 98%.

The side effects of sunflower seed oil

Whether it is oil or other foods, they all have two sides: one side is beneficial to the body, and the other is harmful to the body. Rapeseed oil contains erucic acid, which mainly exists in rapeseed oil. Animal experiments have shown that a large intake of rapeseed oil high in erucic acid can cause myocardial fibrosis and lead to myocardial lesions; it causes slow weight gain, poor development and reduced fertility in animals. Tests showed that when the erucic acid content in the feed of male rats reached 10%, phenomena such as smaller testicles and no mature sperm appeared, causing a drop in platelets.