Seed Oils / Linoleic Acid

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Do seed oils cause chronic disease

EVIDENCEREVIEW 1

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The main player in seed oils is linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid), an essential fatty acid the body cannot make and has to get from food. In randomized trials in healthy people, eating more linoleic acid did not raise inflammatory markers in the blood; and when it replaces saturated fat, low-density lipoprotein () cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol, goes down and there are fewer coronary heart disease events. Where linoleic acid goes once you eat it, and why eating more does not mean more inflammation, is covered in the later chapter on what is fact and what is inference.

You have probably scrolled past a video like this: someone pours the household soybean and corn oil down the drain and says these oils are the real cause of chronic disease. The claim runs roughly like this: "industrial seed oils" such as soybean, corn, sunflower and canola oil are full of linoleic acid, which "inflames you, disrupts your metabolism and makes you fat," so you must avoid them completely. It makes three core assertions:

1. Linoleic acid raises inflammation throughout the body
2. Linoleic acid makes people fat through appetite
3. Therefore seed oils as a whole are harmful

For the molecular details of the linoleic-acid and appetite hypothesis, dive into Fat Quality, Omega-6 & Appetite.

Educational content, not medical advice — consult a clinician.

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