Her Work On Cold Pressed (virgin) Oils
Catherine Kousmine took a particular interest in vegetable oils because their quality had been greatly altered during World War II. Producers used new methods of oil extraction with heat (320°F - 392°F), the only goal of which was to produce half the quantity of oil again. The extraction with hexane, a hydrocarbon solvent with carcinogenic properties, allowed the production of almost twice the amount of oil.
The major problem with these methods, compared to the cold pressed method that produces what is commonly called virgin oil, is that the quality is poor: many of the cis molecules are transformed into the infamous trans molecules.
Dr. Kousmine became a strong opponent of processed food, white sugar, refined flour and refined oil, margarine and butter, believing each of them being harmful to the body cells and providing only "empty calories", as she called them.
Trans-fatty acids have been the object of several studies worldwide. These studies showed that, even at small doses, the trans molecules are a health hazard. These studies lead some countries (Canada, USA, France for example) to make health recommendations. In 2003, Denmark reduced the proportion of trans-fatty acids to 2 grams per 100 grams of cooking oil. Trans-fatty acids were forbidden in New York in 2006. In the Netherlands, following an advertising campaign in the eighties, the amount of trans-fatty acids in margarine went from 50% down to 2% today.
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