Although wild rapeseed oil contains significant amounts of erucic acid,[37] the cultivar used to produce commercial, food-grade canola oil was bred to contain less than 2% erucic acid, levels that are not believed to cause harm in humans,[38][39] and no health effects have been associated with consumption by humans of erucic acid[40] nor genetically modified canola oil.[41] Although rumors that canola oil can cause dangerous health problems circulated,[8][42] there is no reason to believe canola oil poses unusual health risks, and its consumption in food-grade forms is generally recognized as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration.[2][38]
Chinese and Indian cultures have used rapeseed oils for thousands of years, but the form used was unrefined (natural), which may make a difference in effect on health.[43]