What Are “Seed Oils” And Why Are They Killing Us?

What are “seed oils” and are they actually making us sick? They seem to be the thing that everyone is talking about recently, and people are saying that they’ll the reason people are overweight & unhealthy. It seems a bit apocalyptic. Is this true? Well, yes.

Seed oils are the highly processed oils extracted from soybeans, rapeseed, corn, & safflower seeds, and while only introduced to the American diet in the early 20th Century, contribute 20% of their daily calorific intake. Read more about this here:

Originally used in soap making, these low-cost oils quickly became a key part of the Western cuisine. But so what? There are many processed foods today that aren’t as hated nowadays. What’s different about seed oils?

What most upset people with seed oils is how they were falsely marketed as “heart healthy”, based on dubious scientific research, unsubstantiated marketing claims, & sly donations in the millions to the American Heart Association. Find out more about this story here:

So what’s the evidence that these oils aren’t good for your health, and how are traditional cooking fats like olive oil, butter, animal fats, and ghee any better for you? For this, we have to delve into the science of it, not just focus on the suspicious origins.

Firstly, we need to talk about “essential fatty acids”, i.e. Omega 3 & 6, the former being anti-inflammatory, the latter being pro-inflammatory. Both of these are, as the name states, essential in the human, but only in the right, delicate, balance.

Ideally, normal human diets should have a ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 between 1:1 and 4:1, depending on many factors like age, activity levels, and other demographics. Nowadays, the typical American diet has a ratio of between 10:1 and 30:1, which is massively pro-inflammatory.

This imbalance in the Omega 6 : Omega 3 fatty acid ratio produces a state of chronic inflammation that contributes to numerous chronic diseases and other illnesses and intolerances associated with them, such as DNA damage which leads to cancer.

As well as this, because of these oils’ instability, synthetic antioxidants are usually added to prevent oxidation and rancidity. These synthetic antioxidants can have carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting, and immunocompromising effects.

How does this compare to other cooking oils and fats? What can we do to mitigate the effects of these oils, or do we have to give them up altogether? Follow me for more insight on food, cooking, & health topics!