04/06/2025
đą Are Seed Oils Really That Bad? Letâs Get Honest.
Thereâs a new wave of posts floating around claiming âseed oils arenât harmfulâ or âweâve overreacted.â
Letâs clear this upâ
Itâs not the seed itself thatâs the problem.
Itâs what we do to the seed that turns it into a chemical mess your body canât recognize.
đž Most seed oils (soybean, corn, canola, safflower, sunflower, etc.) are:
â industrially processed under high heat
â chemically extracted with solvents like hexane
â deodorized to mask rancidity
â often used repeatedly in fryers, leading to oxidation
And thatâs where the real harm begins.
đ§ How do processed seed oils affect your body?
Hereâs what the research shows:
1ď¸âŁ Theyâre inflammatory.
High omega-6 intake from seed oils can create an imbalance in your fatty acid ratio, contributing to chronic low-grade inflammationâa root of nearly every modern disease.
đ PubMed: Chronic inflammation and omega-6 excess
2ď¸âŁ They oxidize easily.
Linoleic acid (a major component in seed oils) is fragile. When it oxidizesâduring processing or high-heat cookingâit forms toxic aldehydes that damage DNA, proteins, and cells.
đ PubMed: Oxidized linoleic acid and coronary heart disease
3ď¸âŁ They worsen metabolic health.
In animals and humans, diets high in seed oils have been linked to insulin resistance, liver dysfunction, and obesity.
đ PubMed: Linoleic acid and metabolic disease
4ď¸âŁ Theyâre toxic when reused.
Reheated oils (think restaurant fryers) form toxic compounds that increase blood pressure, damage vessels, and raise cardiovascular risk.
đ PubMed: Repeated heating and cardiovascular damage
5ď¸âŁ They may impair brain function.
Excess omega-6 from these oils has been linked to mood disorders, cognitive decline, and altered brain signaling.
đ PubMed: Omega-6 and cognitive health
đââď¸ So noâitâs not about demonizing sunflower seeds or soybeans. Itâs about recognizing that weâve turned these natural foods into highly processed, inflammatory substances that now show up in nearly everything on the shelf.
What can you do?
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Opt for cold-pressed oils like olive, avocado, coconut, or even animal fats like tallow and ghee.
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Avoid products with soybean oil, corn oil, and generic âvegetable oil.â
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Choose restaurants that cook with safer fatsâor ask.
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Learn to read labels. They matter more than you think.
đ§Ź You were made to thrive.
But the body canât heal if it's being inflamed from the inside out every single day.
Not all oils are created equalâand your health is too important to gamble on industrial shortcuts.