RFK Jr. Says Seed Oils Are Poisoning Americans
The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., warns that seed oils are poisoning Americans.
RFK Jr. says Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by canola, corn, soybean, and other seed oils. Now, a study published last month in the journal Science has found that linoleic acid, the omega-6 fatty acid found in the oils, drove the growth of triple-negative breast cancer tumors in mice, raising the possibility of similar harm in humans.
Triple negative breast cancer accounts for around 1 in 7 breast cancer cases. This aggressive form of breast cancer is more prone to recurrence and more likely to have spread to other areas of the body once identified.
This is not the first time seed oils have been flagged for adverse health outcomes. Dr. Timothy Yeatman, a professor of surgery at USF’s Morsani College of Medicine, says seed oils, which are an integral part of the Western diet, can cause chronic inflammation when eaten in excess and combined with high sugar intake.
According to researchers in the latest study, linoleic acid binds to the protein FABP5, promoting the growth of cancerous tumors.
“This discovery helps clarify the relationship between dietary fats and cancer, and sheds light on how to define which patients might benefit the most from specific nutritional recommendations in a personalized manner,” said study senior author John Blenis, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Professor of Cancer Research in the Department of Pharmacology and a member of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, per Cornell Chronicle.
While the fatty acid is often found in processed foods, it is also present in some animal products, like eggs. However, the quantity of fatty acids in the animal products depends on the animal’s diet.
“This research helps address a significant knowledge gap in how specific nutrients, particularly lipids, affect cell growth. It provides a step-by-step understanding of how a common dietary fat can fuel cancer proliferation,” said Estela Jacinto, a biochemistry and molecular biology professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, per Fortune.
In the past, RFK Jr. has highlighted the increasing consumption of seed oils in the American diet, pointing to changes in how popular foods, like McDonald’s fries, now rely on the potentially harmful fat.
“Fast Food is a part of American culture. But that doesn’t mean it has to be unhealthy, and that we can’t make better choices. Did you know that McDonald’s used to use beef tallow to make their fries from 1940 until phasing it out in favor of seed oils in 1990?” RFK Jr. posted on X in October 2024.
Fast Food is a part of American culture. But that doesn’t mean it has to be unhealthy, and that we can’t make better choices. Did you know that McDonald’s used to use beef tallow to make their fries from 1940 until phasing it out in favor of seed oils in 1990? This switch was… pic.twitter.com/ygijMtsSQt
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 21, 2024
“This switch was made because saturated animal fats were thought to be unhealthy, but we have since discovered that seed oils are one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic. Interestingly enough, this began to drastically rise around the same time fast food restaurants switched from beef tallow to seed oils in their fryers,” RFK Jr. continued.
The researchers of the latest study say cutting down on seed oils may reduce the risk of breast cancer. In their place, olive oil and avocado oil can offer healthier alternatives with lower levels of linoleic acid.
“People who enjoy a burger with fries on a night out aren’t to blame, and Americans should have every right to eat out at a restaurant without being unknowingly poisoned by heavily subsidized seed oils. It’s time to Make Frying Oil Tallow Again,” wrote RFK Jr.
