Seed oils get a lot of flak on social media for causing inflammation. But are seed oils bad for you, really? A RDN breaks down the latest science.
If you regularly use social media, you’ve probably heard about «toxic» seed oils. Sometimes dubbed the «hateful eight», these seed oils are blamed for a wide range of health issues, from headaches to heart disease to chronic inflammation.
Health influencers and bloggers often warn about the potential dangers of these oils, suggesting that their high content of omega-6 fatty acids and the processes used in their production make them harmful to our health. But does the research support these claims?
Many nutrition experts and scientific studies highlight the benefits of seed oils, emphasizing their content of essential fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants. They argue that seed oils can be part of a healthy, balanced diet when consumed in moderation.
So which is it? Read on to learn about the science behind seed oils to help you make informed choices.
Seed oils are processed oils extracted from various seeds. The eight most common seed oils include canola (rapeseed), corn, cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, and rice bran oil.
Seed oils are typically produced by breaking the seeds, pressing them, and occasionally applying heat. They are sometimes extracted using chemicals. In addition, further refining, bleaching, and processing may be done to remove odors and flavors.
One of the main reasons health influencers recommend avoiding seed oils is their high omega-6 fatty acid content.
You may have heard of omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fatty fish and some plant sources like flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts. These fats have a variety of health benefits, from protecting against heart disease to reducing the risk of cancer.
Omega-6 fatty acids, on the other hand, are used to produce molecules that cause inflammation in the body, per the journal Open Heart.
It’s important to remember that humans need omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to survive. In fact, seed oils contain an essential fatty acid (i.e., a fatty acid the human body cannot make on its own) called linoleic acid.
However, the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids may be an issue. Historically, humans consumed about a 1:1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. This ratio has skewed recently, with people eating more omega-6s than omega-3s. And back in 2007, researchers in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism hypothesized that eating a higher ratio of omega-6s promotes chronic inflammation, which is associated with a variety of different illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease.
