I have heard people talk about rancid oil as if it were poisonous. I understand that it smells bad–hence the name. But when I have tried to locate discussions of it’s dangers, I have largely struck out. My question: Is rancid oil bad for you? What would the consequences of consuming a substantial portion of rancid oil have any dire consequences for my health?
“it’s” shoulda been “its.” Sorry.
If you consume a substantial amount of any oil you will most likely end up with a case of the runs.
Not as bad as poop, but probably higher in cholesterol, and you won’t have much of a chance of being featured in a porn movie for consuming rancid oil.
Rancid oil does impart a particularly nasty flavor to anything you make with it.
I’ve never heard of it being poisonous. However, as previously noted, consuming a “substantial quantity” of oil, rancid or not, will lead to “substantial” gastro-intestinal distress.
Despite how an outside observer may assess your situation, I’d guess that you’d then find the consequences to be “dire.”
Rancidness is usually caused by oxidation of the oil. This means more cancer-causing free radicals and a very nasty flavor. Also, it is within the realm of possibility that toxin-producing fungi like Aspergillus flavus could show up, although I doubt the oil is nutritionally complete enough- aflatoxin production is usually associated with raw peanuts or other unprocessed foods.
Aflatoxin is carcinogenic, but not usually deadly (to humans- it kills cows). But if you are thinking of making chips with that funny-smelling oil, I would advise you think again. If nothing else it will taste foul and result in a day-long bathroom stakeout.