I wonder who started the “seed oils are responsible for all evil in the world” trend. That’s another one I’ve heard from people I thought reasonable when discussing food.
For the record:
Seed oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, especially linoleic acid. Seed oil critics reason that there are pathways in which linoleic acid is converted in the body to other polyunsaturated fatty acids associated with inflammation. However, an overwhelming majority of published scientific literature points to the safety and potential health benefits of linoleic acid in reducing inflammation and risk of coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Contrary to claims that omega-6 fats promote inflammation, research indicates that they do not have harmful pro-inflammatory effects when consumed as part of a balanced diet.
I swear the social media sphere, for whatever reason, is hell bent on destroying society via death by a thousand cuts. From outright lies to shitty health information to hating higer education.
I think it is more complicated than that. As I understand it, it is the ratio of 6 to 3 that can have inflammatory effects. Most people don’t get much 3 and get lots of 6 so that can be a problem. Both are essential but we need the right balance.
Also, it is pretty well understood that EVOO shouldn’t be used in high heat applications, anything over 375 where it smokes. You can and should cook with it but use something else for searing.
Edit: here’s some published research on ratio since people are downvoting me.
I talked to someone about why i don’t eat meat and i didn’t really elaborate, because i didn’t feel the need to. A bit of talking later she said cancer only started since we started eating so much grain/flour/gluten. That was fucking wild, knowing that bread wasn’t invented 30 years ago. They found bread in özis belly.
what i find particularly upsetting about this kind of thing is that there are valid reasons to think we should maybe not be eating so much grains, but it’s not because of cancer!
it’s just that it’s too much carbs (especially for the average modern lifestyle) and generally not very chewy, which is suboptimal for jaw development.
That would probably be Ray Peat. Ray Peat was friends with Linus Pauling, and he had a special diet he recommended (and lived to be 86, died in 2022). It focused on fat soluble vitamins A, E, K, and D, and promoted low low PUFA (fatty acids, eg seed oils), and high vitamin C. He did have a little PUFAs later in life in his diet though as he became elderly. He wasn’t a quack, but it is likely his extreme diet was missing some obvious important components like omega 3s and 9s.
He is also the person who talks about proportions of fats to each other, eg taking vitamin E to combat negative affects of vitamin A, which is still used to treat vitamin A toxicity in ERs to this day.
I wonder who started the “seed oils are responsible for all evil in the world” trend. That’s another one I’ve heard from people I thought reasonable when discussing food.
For the record:
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/05/01/what-science-says-about-using-seed-oils-in-our-diets/
I swear the social media sphere, for whatever reason, is hell bent on destroying society via death by a thousand cuts. From outright lies to shitty health information to hating higer education.
I think it is more complicated than that. As I understand it, it is the ratio of 6 to 3 that can have inflammatory effects. Most people don’t get much 3 and get lots of 6 so that can be a problem. Both are essential but we need the right balance.
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/496.html#%3A~%3Atext=Omega-6+fatty+acids+are%2CInfant+development.
Also, it is pretty well understood that EVOO shouldn’t be used in high heat applications, anything over 375 where it smokes. You can and should cook with it but use something else for searing.
Edit: here’s some published research on ratio since people are downvoting me.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8504498/
The online discourse lacks any of the nuance and specificity of this information.
Thank you for posting it for clarity.
So eating fish and chips is not helping
I talked to someone about why i don’t eat meat and i didn’t really elaborate, because i didn’t feel the need to. A bit of talking later she said cancer only started since we started eating so much grain/flour/gluten. That was fucking wild, knowing that bread wasn’t invented 30 years ago. They found bread in özis belly.
what i find particularly upsetting about this kind of thing is that there are valid reasons to think we should maybe not be eating so much grains, but it’s not because of cancer!
it’s just that it’s too much carbs (especially for the average modern lifestyle) and generally not very chewy, which is suboptimal for jaw development.
Guess dinosaurs spent too much time at the bakery, too.
That would probably be Ray Peat. Ray Peat was friends with Linus Pauling, and he had a special diet he recommended (and lived to be 86, died in 2022). It focused on fat soluble vitamins A, E, K, and D, and promoted low low PUFA (fatty acids, eg seed oils), and high vitamin C. He did have a little PUFAs later in life in his diet though as he became elderly. He wasn’t a quack, but it is likely his extreme diet was missing some obvious important components like omega 3s and 9s.
He is also the person who talks about proportions of fats to each other, eg taking vitamin E to combat negative affects of vitamin A, which is still used to treat vitamin A toxicity in ERs to this day.
https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/unsaturated-oils.shtml
https://grasslandbeauty.com/blogs/news/seed-oils-friend-or-foe-part-2?srsltid=AfmBOoqokUh0Dq71q6CwXOi6brvscWnjFYPqAszfsZF-UYOuXtXb2lty
https://raypeat.com/articles/nutrition/oils-in-context.shtml