Mastering Nutrition The Problem With Seed Oils and Why They Are So Controversial
Dec 5, 2025
Explore the debate surrounding seed oils and their impact on health. Discover how these oils can increase tissue vulnerability and contribute to long-term damage. Aging plays a role in worsening this effect, revealing more harm as mitochondrial repair declines. Learn about studies that show initial benefits but subsequent health risks, highlighting the need for longer-term research. Chris Masterjohn argues that short trials miss these delayed effects, suggesting a reevaluation of diet-based health conclusions.
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Seed Oils Raise Long-Term Tissue Vulnerability
- Seed oils increase tissue vulnerability to damage over long timeframes rather than producing rapid effects.
- Chris Masterjohn explains that damage accumulates as tissues incorporate dietary fats and antioxidant reserves decline over years.
Aging Amplifies Seed Oil Harm
- Age and declining mitochondrial repair capacity amplify seed oil harm because older tissues repair less effectively.
- Masterjohn notes that you must study older people long enough to reveal increased cancer and mortality risks.
LA VA Trial Shows Delayed Risks
- The LA Veterans Administration trial randomized older adults to seed oils or traditional fats and ran for multiple years.
- Masterjohn recounts that initial heart benefits vanished while cancer and mortality diverged against seed oils after several years.