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Dr. Mercola

May 28, 2007
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Soy's New Competition: Hemp

Since 2005, sales of hemp food products have risen by more than 50 percent, spawning an $8.6-million industry. While the United States currently prohibits commercial cultivation of industrial hemp, it allows the import of seeds, oil, flour and other hemp byproducts to be manufactured into ready-to-eat foods in the United States.

There are now hundreds of hemp foods available online and on supermarket shelves. The newest addition, hemp milk, is experiencing phenomenal sales.

Hemp can be used as an alternative to soy products such as soy milk, which some people can't tolerate. Many are attracted to hemp's taste and nutritional value.

Research suggests that the fatty acids in hemp can help reduce risk of cardiovascular ailments. However, the ALA omega-3 in hemp is not the same as the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, which have been shown to be heart-healthy. ALA does convert into EPA or DHA in the body, but only at a rate of about 1 percent.

Los Angeles Times May 14, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

In the past two years, sales of hemp food products in markets and grocery stores rose by more than 50 percent, propelling the unassuming seed to an $8.6-million industry.

Hemp was first cultivated in China more than 6,000 years ago, and was used as a food source long before soy foods. Unlike soy -- whose prominence in natural food circles is a direct result of aggressive marketing by the edible oil industry -- hemp seeds pack a powerful nutritional punch. You can find it in hundreds of products, including shakes, snack bars, breads, ales and hempacinos.

Two tablespoons of shelled hemp seeds contain about 11 grams of protein and 2 grams of unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. Hemp oil also has a better-than-average ratio -- about 3 to1 -- of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, although, as mentioned above, the omega-3 is not the same omega-3 found in fish- or krill oil. Krill oil is still your best source of vital omega-3s and antioxidants that are so lacking in our modern diet.

Additionally, hemp, like flax, is loaded with highly beneficial water-soluble fibers.

If you are concerned that you might get high from these hemp food products, don't be. The government has made certain that commercially grown hemp does not contain the psychoactive ingredient THC.

Related Articles:

Are You Taking the Right Type of Omega-3 Fats?

New Findings About Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Depression

Newest Research Reasons Why You Should Avoid Soy
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Article's Comment     ( 29 Comments )
 
 
 +11 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Witch Doctor   
Apprentice User
  
[ Joined on 09/06 ]
[ Posted on May 28, 2007 ]
Post Reply

Hemp: Not For Human Consumption (link to Weston A. Price Foundation article)

A number of companies are now selling hemp oil, toasted and shelled hemp seeds and granola bars containing hemp seeds. This is not a good use for hemp. Hemp may be appropriate for domestic animals and birds, but it should not be used for human food. In China, where cultivation of hemp originated, hemp oil was used occasionally, but there are no references in the Chinese literature to the use of hemp seeds as food for human beings. (Simoons, Food in China, 1991)

Hemp oil has been promoted in recent years as a "heart healthy" oil that is rich in essential fatty acids and low in saturated fat. Hemp oil is indeed highly unsaturated, and this is exactly why it should be avoided. Hemp oil is over 75 percent polyunsaturated, containing about 55 percent omega-6 fatty acids and about 20% omega-3 fatty acids. It contains only about 10 percent saturated fatty acids and 10 percent monounsaturated fatty acids. It is, therefore, highly unstable and prone to oxidation; and the high content of linoleic acid makes it particularly unsuitable for human consumption. Diets containing an excess of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-6 fatty acids, have been linked not only to heart disease but also to cancer and autoimmune disease.

 
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 +12 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Amanda Rose   
Savvy User
  
[ Joined on 06/06 ]
Author of the Article [ Posted on May 29, 2007 ]
 
I don't know, Duane.  The WAPF argument against hemp seems to be that it's not traditional and it has some Omega 3s and 6s instead of saturated fats.  It also risks oxidation. 

The O6 to O3 ratio is actually pretty darned good, as Dr Mercola states.  If you keep it in the refrigerator and then use it over a couple of months, you don't shoulder a big risk of it oxidizing.  I also get plenty of saturated fats in my other foods.  Hemp is not traditional, but I am more likely to eat salad if I have a decent salad oil.  Hemp is a potential salad oil.  I wonder how it tastes.

Actually, now I have a wild hair to plant hemp on my property.  Related species do very well up here and I would almost surely be raided.  *That* would be a blog entry.  I should watch the news and make sure it's legal before I plant it.  It's all fun and games until you end up serving hard time. 

Amanda

 +5 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Witch Doctor   
Apprentice User
  
[ Joined on 09/06 ]
Author of the Article [ Posted on May 28, 2007 ]
 
 (cont'd)

An additional problem derives from the fact that hemp oil may contain traces of cannabinoids and these substances can then turn up in the urine of those who consume it. In one research project, seven adult volunteers purchased hemp oil from a health food store and ingested 15 milliliters each. Urine samples taken at 8, 24 and 48 hours after ingestion were positive for THC. (Journal of Analytical Toxicology October 1997 21(6):482-485.) If these volunteers had been obliged to give a urine sample to their employers, they would have failed their drug test.

Because hemp oil is highly unsaturated, it makes an excellent base for paints and varnishes. In fact, there is no need to consider hemp for human consumption except in small quantities for medicinal purposes. There are many good fats and oils that humans can use and there are many good industrial uses for all the by-products of the hemp plant. Let’s not make the same mistake with hemp that we have made with soy, by promoting its inappropriate use as a human food.

 +3 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY natural_born_healer   
Novice User
  
[ Joined on 12/07 ]
Author of the Article [ Posted on April 12, 2008 ]
 
First of all, hemp seeds are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a medicinal herb.  It can be used internally for constipation in weak patients, and it can also be used as an oil topically to promote hair loss and treat dry hair.

I personally don't think that hemp, when used in moderation, will cause any harm.  I have been using a hemp protein powder with added "super greens" and maca powder with great success.  BUT, I alternate it with Soy protein powder, which works well for me since I suffer from hyperthyroidism, and with Whey protein powder, which I use the least of all three since it messes with my digestion.

The key to health in my opinion is moderation, and this whole American obsession with "superfoods" is nothing but a path to disaster.  When you look at Weston Price's research, you will see that his whole argument was that tribal people ate a huge variety of foods that were all local and WHOLE.  And I think that is exactly the key.  That is also the reason why I use Hemp protein powder slightly more often than soy, because it is a WHOLE food, not an isolate like Whey and Soy.

In today's world, everyone seems to be looking for this convenient quick fix that requires little preparation, and that provides every nutritional need.  I think that EVERYTHING in excess and out of balance will lead to disease.

So instead of arguing whether hemp is good or not, we should rather see it as a small part of a healthy diet and figure out what else should be part of this diet.  I have Graves' disease and with diet (by including controversial foods like soy and hemp, and many, many others) and acupuncture alone  have managed to go into remission without RAI or other conventional treatments despite the bad prognosis my doctor gave me.

 +2 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY cheftodd   
Savvy User
  
[ Joined on 04/07 ]
Author of the Article [ Posted on May 30, 2007 ]
 
Duane, how is the stock coming along?

 +1 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY