Seed Oil vs. Sugar: Which is Worse?

Today we’re going to discuss which is worse: sugar or seed oils packed with omega-6 fatty acids.

Common seed oils are:

• Soy oil

• Corn oil

• Canola oil

• Cottonseed oil

• Safflower oil

• Sunflower oil

On average, we’re consuming way too many foods high in omega-6 fats. Ideally, a person should consume a 1:1 ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids.

However, the average ratio is 15:1. This imbalance can lead to all kinds of health problems, especially in the cell membranes.

Refined sugar also leads to health issues and is converted to fat, but the extra sugar doesn’t accumulate in the body like omega-6 fatty acids do.

Omega-6 fatty acids (seed oils) lodge into your cells and accumulate in your tissues for 600 days. They are not water-soluble like sugar is and can't be burned off like sugar can.

Both refined oils and refined sugar can deplete important nutrients. While certain whole foods, like fruit, have sugar, they also have nutrients and phytonutrients to help replenish what was lost and provide protection. But seed oils are a highly refined, over-processed part of a seed that doesn’t have any protective factors.

To make seed oils they also use a solvent called hexane to extract the oil from the seed—is it possible some of this solvent could end up in the oil?

Overall, while sugar isn't good for you, omega-6 fatty acids are worse for your health than sugar is.