Researchers at McGill University say a new blend of cooking oil can help people increase their metabolism, lower their cholesterol and, in some cases, even slowly shed pounds.

However, the lead scientist cautioned Tuesday that functional oil -- an all-natural blend of tropical oils, flaxseed oil and phytosterols derived from plants -- should not be seen as a miracle diet aid.

It should be seen as a way to keep off extra pounds that can lead to obesity and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Peter Jones told a news conference.

"We're not exactly targeting this so much as a weight-loss approach but as weight maintenance,'' Jones said.

"Someone who is leading a normal, active lifestyle and is putting on weight gradually, if they want to reduce the amount of weight they're putting on every decade this would be one of the ways to go, combined with a strategy that includes exercise and adherence to Health Canada's diet recommendations.''

Jones' research, funded by the Dairy Farmers of Canada and Vancouver-based biotech company Forbes Medi-Tech, was based on two clinical trials involving a total of about 40 men and women who were about 11 kilograms overweight.

For one month, some of the participants were given a diet of foods such as scrambled eggs, french toast, spaghetti and raw vegetables -- nand the functional oil. The other participants had the same diet, but with other oil, such as olive.

After a break of about four weeks, the process was repeated with participants switching to either the functional oil diet or the other oils.

The results have been published in four medical journals, including The International Journal of Obesity and Metabolism.

Jones concluded both sexes noticed an increase in metabolism levels and a reduction in so-called bad cholesterol by 15 per cent. This was a result of the liver burning the oil as energy instead of absorbing it and storing it in the body as fat.

As for weight loss, however, men lost only about half a kilogram per month while women did not experience any measurable weight loss.

Functional oil, patented by Forbes Medi-Tech, must still undergo further testing by Health Canada before it can be sold in grocery stores.

© Copyright 2003 Canadian Press

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