What Are Seed Oils?

Seed oils are edible oils extracted from the seeds of various plants. Here are the key points about seed oils:

Common types of seed oils include:

  • canola oil (rapeseed oil)

  • corn oil

  • cottonseed oil (Crisco)

  • soybean oil

  • sunflower oil

  • safflower oil

  • grapeseed oil

  • rice bran oil

  • peanut oil

Key characteristics of seed oils:

  • They are high in polyunsaturated fats, particularly omega-6 fatty acids like linoleic acid.

  • They are often highly processed and refined using chemical solvents and high heat.

  • Their consumption has increased dramatically over the past century, especially in Western diets.

Potential Health Risks

  • linked to obesity by interacting with the endocannibinoid system

  • linked to metabolic syndrome and diabetes

  • increases the risk of cardiovascular disease

  • cause inflammation and chronic diseases related to them

  • disrupt the Omega-6 to Omega-3 balance in body

  • processing methods include harmful residual chemicals

Alternatives:

  • oils from the flesh of fruits: olive, avocado and coconut oils

  • beef tallow, lard, butter, ghee

  • focusing on whole, minimally processed foods

Citations:

[1] https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/are-seed-oils-bad-for-you-healthy

[2] https://www.levels.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-seed-oils-and-metabolic-health

[3] https://www.czapp.com/explainers/what-are-seed-oils/

[4] https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2024/09/are-seed-oils-getting-a-bad-rap

[5] https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/03/18/what-are-seed-oils/72856510007/

[6] https://www.massgeneral.org/news/article/seed-oils-facts-myths

[7] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/seed-oils-are-they-actually-toxic

[8] https://www.zeroacre.com/blog/seed-oils-to-avoid

Research

Deol P, Kozlova E, Valdez M, et al. Dysregulation of Hypothalamic Gene Expression and the Oxytocinergic System by Soybean Oil Diets in Male Mice. Endocrinology. 2020;161(2):bqz044.

“The 2 soybean oil diets had similar but nonidentical effects on the hypothalamic transcriptome, whereas the coconut oil diet had a negligible effect compared to a low-fat control diet. Dysregulated genes were associated with inflammation, neuroendocrine, neurochemical, and insulin signaling.”

Ramsden CE, Faurot KR, Carrera-Bastos P, et al. Dietary fat quality and coronary heart disease prevention: A unified theory based on evolutionary, historical, global, and modern perspectives. Curr. Treat. Options Cardiovasc. Med. 2009;11(4):289.

“As the source of virtually all structural and functional molecules in the human body, diet is perhaps the most important environmental determinant of health. Mounting evidence suggests that global populations with very low CHD rates share certain dietary characteristics, especially dietary fatty acid intakes.”

Lee JH, Duster M, Roberts T, et al. United States Dietary Trends Since 1800: Lack of Association Between Saturated Fatty Acid Consumption and Non-communicable Diseases. Front. Nutr. 2022;8:748847.

“Processed and ultra-processed foods increased from <5 to >60% of foods. Large increases occurred for sugar, white and whole wheat flour, rice, poultry, eggs, vegetable oils, dairy products, and fresh vegetables. Saturated fats from animal sources declined while polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils rose. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) rose over the twentieth century in parallel with increased consumption of processed foods, including sugar, refined flour and rice, and vegetable oils. Saturated fats from animal sources were inversely correlated with the prevalence of NCDs.”

Grootveld M, Percival BC, Grootveld KL. Chronic non-communicable disease risks presented by lipid oxidation products in fried foods. Hepatobiliary Surg. Nutr. 2018;7(4):305–312.


DiNicolantonio JJ, O’Keefe JH. Omega-6 vegetable oils as a driver of coronary heart disease: the oxidized linoleic acid hypothesis. Open Hear. 2018;5(2):e000898.


Alvheim AR, Torstensen BE, Lin YH, et al. Dietary linoleic acid elevates endogenous 2-arachidonoylglycerol and anandamide in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and mice, and induces weight gain and inflammation in mice. Br. J. Nutr. 2013;109(8):1508–1517.


1.Alvheim AR, Malde MK, Osei-Hyiaman D, et al. Dietary Linoleic Acid Elevates Endogenous 2-AG and Anandamide and Induces Obesity. Obesity. 2012;20(10):1984–1994.

Alvheim AR, Torstensen BE, Lin YH, et al. Dietary Linoleic Acid Elevates the Endocannabinoids 2-AG and Anandamide and Promotes Weight Gain in Mice Fed a Low Fat Diet. Lipids. 2014;49(1):59–69.

Schuster S, Johnson CD, Hennebelle M, et al. Oxidized linoleic acid metabolites induce liver mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and NLRP3 activation in mice. J. Lipid Res. 2018;59(9):1597–1609.