Should I use seed oils?

Our read is that seed oils, particularly those high in linoleic acid, are implicated in various health issues, including metabolic dysfunction, increased cancer risk, and cardiovascular mortality.

Experts suggest that avoiding processed seed oils and reducing linoleic acid intake are crucial steps for improving overall health and preventing chronic conditions.

The processing methods of seed oils and their prevalence in Western diets and processed foods raise significant concerns about their long-term effects on human health.

To reduce linoleic acid intake, Paul Saladino advises avoiding chicken and pork fed corn and soy, consuming nose-to-tail animal foods, and cutting out seed oils and processed sugars.

• 01Paul Saladino claims that Western diets cause disease more from increased seed oils, refined starches, sugars, and processed foods than from lack of fiber or increased saturated fat.
• 02Andrew Huberman notes that increasing omega-3 fatty acids and reducing linoleic acid reduced headache frequency and intensity in adults with migraine.
• 03Paul Saladino states that diets high in linoleic acid impair anti-tumor T-cell responses by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction, potentially increasing cancer risk.
• 04Paul Saladino claims that canola oil processing results in a contaminated, oxidized oil that is harmful and leads to de novo lipogenesis.
• 05Paul Saladino suggests that synthetic trans fats from seed oils break down mitochondria because they are novel fats the human body has not evolved to process.
• 06Paul Saladino indicates that cutting out seed oils and processed sugars is a more effective root cause solution for metabolic dysfunction than using methylene blue.
• 07Paul Saladino claims that avoiding processed seed oils is a primary step to prevent gynecomastia, balding, obesity, and hirsutism.
• 08Paul Saladino states that metabolic health, defined as mitochondrial energy production, is crucial for life and impaired by processed food ingredients like dyes, microbiome disruptors, and seed oils.
• 09Paul Saladino claims that excess linoleic acid from seed oils accumulating in mitochondrial membranes can cause proton leak, reducing ATP production and leading to metabolic dysfunction.
• 10Paul Saladino notes that replacing saturated fat with linoleic acid from safflower oil in post-coronary event men increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and coronary heart disease mortality.
• 11Paul Saladino states that seed oils high in linoleic acid are a major driver of illness and are found in processed foods.
• 12Paul Saladino claims that the processing of seed oils involves an eight-step chemical process using solvents like hexanes and high heat, followed by bleaching, raising concerns about potential contamination.
• 13Paul Saladino suggests that fumes produced during cooking with seed oils are associated with cancer.
• 14Paul Saladino claims that consuming vegetable oils instead of animal fats over the past 70 years has led to millions of deaths.
• 15Paul Saladino advises against including seed oils high in linoleic acid in the diet.
• 16Paul Saladino states that seed oils are not benign for humans, based on historical evidence, animal studies, mechanistic data, and human RCTs.
• 17Paul Saladino claims that seed oils like corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean, and peanut are high in linoleic acid, which humans cannot easily metabolize.

Paul Saladino notes that conflicting evidence on seed oils may stem from observational studies, oil freshness, study duration, and genetic differences in linoleic acid metabolism. He also points out that the seed oil industry has a significant financial interest influencing public perception, as evidenced by 'heart healthy' labeling, and that manufacturers can label products containing canola oil as 'glucose control' or 'balanced nutritional drinks' despite canola oil's negative long-term effects on blood sugar, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction. Paul Saladino also mentions that Dariusafarain, who conducted a meta-analysis on seed oils, has received consulting payments from processed food companies and industry lobbying groups, and that the American Heart Association certifies soybean oil, which is approximately 55% linoleic acid, as a healthy oil.

A change in the verdict would require new evidence demonstrating that the chemical processing of seed oils does not result in harmful contaminants or oxidation, that linoleic acid from seed oils does not impair mitochondrial function or increase disease risk, or that the long-term consumption of seed oils is consistently associated with positive health outcomes in human randomized controlled trials.