Are Seed Oils Really Unhealthy? Dietitians Explain
SEED OILS ARE a Big Deal right now. Especially on certain corners of social media, where influencers argue that that these oils are cause cancer and lead to Alzheimer’s.
The scientific consensus states there's no backing to these claims, but the anti-seed-oil movement asserts that a grand health cover-up has long been underway.
Do seed oils really deserve all the hate they're getting? Are the omega-6s in seed oils as destructive as influencers say? And what even is seed oil anyway? Dietitians explain.
What are seed oils?
As Emily Timm, R.D., says, seed oils are literally oils from the seeds of plants. 'The majority of our seed oil consumption comes from packaged foods and from restaurant foods. We see canola oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil frequently used.'
Other seed oils include sesame oil, grapeseed oil, hemp seed oil, flaxseed oil, and pumpkin seed oil.
Do seed oils have health benefits or risks?
Here we go.
The concerns regarding seed oils often centres around two things: their omega-6 fatty acid content and their processing.
Many influencers and "nutritionists" online say that omega-6 fatty acids can potentially contribute to inflammation if they outweigh omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. There's no evidence to suggest that's true, says Abby Langer, R.D., Men's Health nutrition advisor.
Plus, both omega-3s and omega-6s are considered unsaturated fats, which your body needs – and might be better for you then other fat options. One meta-study that encompasses 15 studies and over 56,000 participants, showed that swapping saturated fats (typically found in animal products and baked goods) with unsaturated plant oils can significantly lower your risk of heart disease. One 2024 review found that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats like seed oils improves health markers and doesn’t increase inflammation.
Plus, there's no reason to fear inflammation: 'It's a necessary part of life. Not all inflammation is bad,' Langer says.
Seed oils also get a bad rep because of their level of processing. It's more difficult to get oil out of a seed than it is, say, an olive, so seeds undergo a more intense oil extraction process. People often assume that means the oils are chemical heavy – and that's not necessarily true. For example, oil might undergo a bleaching and refining phase to remove any odours and colours, but that doesn't mean you're finding bleach in your oil.
'While the processing differs from other oils, it does not create a situation where seed oil is more harmful to our health,' Langer says. 'It very much revolves the appeal to nature fallacy: If it's natural, it must be better for us. So, anything that has maybe a bit more processing is rejected in favour of something that has less processing, even though they may be nutritional equals at the end of said processing.'
And that narrative can be dangerous. As Michael Hershey, R.D.N., points out: 'demonising seed oils has resulted in consumers overlooking actual key foundational [nutrition] components,' such as eating enough fibre, protein, fruits, and vegetables
Well, what about the connection between seed oil and certain diseases?
'There is no legitimate or reliable research linking or showing that there is a link between [seed oils] and any kind of Alzheimer's or cancer,' says Langer.
The bottom line: As with most things in the realm of nutrition, too much of any one food or type of food probably isn’t going to yield a balanced, wholesome diet. Consuming seed oils as part of a balanced diet is a-okay. 'It's really the diet as a whole that matters,' Langer says.
Should you worry about having too much seed oil?
Unless you're chugging canola oil, you don't need to concern yourself with it.
'Overall, fats [like seed oils] are necessary for health, and also help with both satiety and flavour,' Langer says. Being afraid of fats is not the answer, and neither is 'micromanaging every bit of food that we put in our mouths.'
Instead of worrying about how much seed oil you’re consuming, focus on eating plenty of whole sources of fats, like nuts, fatty fish, soy products, chia, flax, and hemp seeds.
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