#19: Seed Oils: True Harm Or Just Another Food Fear Fad?

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Are seed oils the dietary villain social media makes them out to be, or is this just another food fear fad? Join me, Dr. Bobby Dubois, as I unravel the truths and myths surrounding seed oils like canola and safflower. 

There are NO randomized clinical trials comparing people who eat a diet with seed oils vs a diet consisting of non-seed oils like avocado, coconut, or olive.  Since we lack the key studies that we desire, I explore the topic based upon the following questions:

1. Are corn, peanuts, and the vegetables that produce these seed oils bad for you? (no evidence to support this concern)
2. Is the problem getting the oils out of these good vegetables (the extraction and denaturing process)?  Likely not.
3. Is it the contents of the seed oils themselves harmful (e.g., the omega 6 polyunsaturated fats)?  Our bodies need omega 6s and the studies that switch folks from saturated fats to seed oils show no risk of heart disease (and maybe the opposite). No evidence they they raise markers of body inflammation, and don't increase the risk of diabetes.
4. Is the harm related to the heating of the seed oils? Heating seed oils can produce potentially harmful compounds, but so does grilling a steak or salmon.
5. How much seed oil do we consume as we cook food?  Not a lot. 70% of the fat we eat comes from meat (fish, beef, chicken) and not added oils.
6. Are we blaming the wrong food?  Likely this is the key issue as cheap seed oils led to the production of yummy, highly processed, calorie dense foods.  And the problem lies there....
7. Avocado or olive oil costs 5 times what canola/corn oil costs.  Is it worth the cost to switch from seed oils to these non-seed oils? A

Take-home messages:

• i don't fear seed oils
• where they can be a concern is reusing oils over and over in a deep fat fryer where potentially worrisome compounds can accumulate
• If you have symptoms that bother you, perhaps do an N-of-1 trial of removing them from your diet.