The Hype Around Seed Oils: Are They Really That Bad For You?

By: Jillian Foley RDN, LDN

Nutritionista

The recent attention that seed oils have been getting from influencers on Tiktok and Instagram has many people questioning if they should be avoiding them. With claims that they cause inflammation and are a risk to heart health, more-and-more people are reading labels trying to avoid these oils.

Let's dive into the science behind it and see if they are truly harmful or just over-hyped.

What are seed oils? They are exactly what they sound like! They are the oils that are pressed from seeds such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, canola oil (from a rape seed), corn oil and many more. These oils are commonly found in baking and processed goods because of their mild flavor and low cost.

What's the nutrition of seed oils? Seed oils are a polyunsaturated fat. Unsaturated fats are healthy fats that we need to consume because the body doesn't make it. Unsaturated fats have been proven to improve heart disease and reduce inflammation because they have omega fatty acids. An article written by Stanford Medicine stated that dozens of studies over years showed that swapping out saturated fats for unsaturated fats lowers death rates.

If unsaturated fats are healthy, why claim that seed oils aren't?

It's a two part answer.

First, the ratio of the omegas is said to be a concern. While omega fatty acids are proven to improve heart health and reduce inflammation, it's the omega-3s that are the most antinflammatory and seed oils tend to be higher in omega-6s. And while we do want to increase out omega-3 consumption via fatty fish, walnuts, flax, etc. , this doesn't mean that foods with omega-6s are harmful. The American Heart Association states that omega 6s from seeds and seed oils helps reduce bad cholesterol; lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke. Besides, most oils aren't purly one type anyway and are made up of a combination of different types of fats. Even avocado oil is 71% monounsaturated, 16% saturated and 13% polyunsaturated.

The second concern is how they are made. SOME of the mass produced seed oils like soybean oil and canola oils that are typically found in fast foods and processed foods are extracted with hexane, a solvent that is hazardous in gas form. According to Harvard Health Publishing, this gas evaporates leaving limited if any residue at all. But lets assume for a moment that residue IS left behind. We already know we should be limiting fast food and overly processed foods anyway!

What should we do with this information? Now that you understand that seed oils are a good source of healthy fats, you can take comfort in not overthinking about this. You don't have to read every protein and granola bar questioning the type of oil used. You should, however, ask yourself if too many of the foods you are consuming are fast foods, and overly processed. If this is this case, you can try switching out for less processd healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados and fish to help with your omega 3 to omega 6 ratio and reduce the potential for hexane residue.

Jillian Foley, RDN Nutrititionista is a Registered Dietitian that specializes in Food Therapy. She believes that weight-loss & disease prevention/management is 20% food education & 80% psychological. She owns her own practice for 1-on-1 sessions as well as courses. You can find more info @www.Nutritionista267.com Follower her on IG @Nutritionista_1