What science actually says about seed oils – Popular Science
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others claim they’re harming our health, but the evidence suggests otherwise.
To their many vocal detractors, they’re referred to as “the hateful eight.” Canola oil, corn oil, sunflower oil and other refined oils made from the seeds of certain plants have become lightning rods for wellness influencers — and some politicians.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services by President-elect Donald Trump, says Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by them. Online forums, blogs and influencers say they’re “toxic,” “slowly killing you” and driving up rates of diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases. Even the fast casual chain Sweetgreen has banished them from some of their salad dressings.
The claim that seed oils are ruining our health is especially rankling to nutrition scientists, who see them as a big step forward from butter and lard.
Decades of research have shown that consuming seed oils is associated with better health, said Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University.
To suggest otherwise, he added, “just undermines the science.”
We asked scientists to help clear up the confusion about how these oils affect our bodies.
What are seed oils?
Seed oils — which also include cottonseed, soybean, safflower, grapeseed and rice bran oils — have become shorthand for refined plant-based vegetable oils.
