Are seed oils scary?

January 10, 2025 by
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If you spend any time at all on video-based social media, you have probably seen warnings from fitness influencers, purported health advocates, and even some physicians that villainize seed oils. These videos usually make claims that seed oils such as sunflower oil, canola oil, and corn oil are responsible for obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses. While there may be a kernel of truth to these arguments, according to most nutrition experts, much of the panic is overblown.

Sunflower oil vinaigrette from The Washington Post by Joy Manning

The main arguments by anti-seed oil activists is that these oils are highly processed, contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids that are linked to chronic diseases, and are not part of the ‘natural’ human diet that we evolved to eat over eons. There is a correlation with the amount of seed oil consumption and the rise in some health conditions, but as we all know, correlation does not necessarily mean causation. Nutritionists point out that there are a lot of other factors that must be taken into account, such as urbanization, reduced physical activity, higher levels of stress, increased use of prescription medicines, and higher salt intake. Teasing out which of these items is responsible for things like obesity and heart disease is nearly impossible.

Part of the problem is that while eating too much of anything isn’t good for you, it can be difficult to determine how much seed oil is in your diet if you are eating a lot of processed foods, which rely on industrially-produced items like canola oil and high fructose corn syrup. If you are cooking most of your meals at home, you can control the amount of things that contain compounds like omega-6 and you probably don’t need to change your diet. If you want to err on the side of caution, most nutritionists say there isn’t much downside to eliminating these oils from your diet.

Category: Antipasto

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9 Comments

  • FuzzyChef  on  January 11, 2025

    According to medical research, omega 6s are good for you and may improve heart health.

  • racheljmorgan  on  January 11, 2025

    I think one of the most annoying aspects of these oils is they’re extremely difficult to avoid unless you’re cooking from scratch in your own kitchen. I welcome the focus on new oils like avocado/walnut and saturated fats. It’s impossible to find bread in a standard grocery that doesn’t contain soybean oil, even at the bakery counter.

  • Nancith  on  January 12, 2025

    Having just read a book (not one I would have chosen, was for a book club) which villainized seed oils among many other products, it is refreshing to have another perspective. Thanks for the link in the article. It is difficult to avoid these oils for many people because the healthier ones are so much more costly. But I also think moderation is the key in all of this stuff.

  • LeilaD  on  January 13, 2025

    So that’s the latest food panic, hmm? *eyeroll
    I take ’em all with a… grain of salt.

  • Erinzzz  on  January 17, 2025

    “anti-seed oil activists”… call them what they really are, Joe Rogan sycophants. I can’t believe this is the new Oooo Big Food Scary rhetoric.

  • ohikel210  on  January 17, 2025

    For those who use seed oils for higher temperature cooking, you can replace them with, for example, Bertolli “cooking olive oil for high temperature cooking”. I have been using it for over two years. It works well and is much less expensive than virgin olive oils.

  • e.mary  on  January 17, 2025

    An interesting article on The Guardian.

  • averythingcooks  on  January 19, 2025

    As a retired science educator, I’m very happy to see that the often confused/missused idea that correlation (vs actual, established CAUSATION) is evidence of an actual link, is outed both here and in the Guardian article.

  • Dripping  on  January 20, 2025

    ‘What instead of what’

    Clearly saturated fat is not great for health so lard and tallow would be bad in comparison to oil including seed oils. Olive oil and avocado oil may be preferable to seed oils. But you could assert that actual avocado and olives are whole foods and contain fibre and other nutrients so likely would be healthier than oils. In most homes in food service people do use oils and fats for cooking.

    See Zoe on oils and fats for expert scientists’ commentary.

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