Social media has disseminated lots of fear of seed oils, but what are the facts! First, let’s review some facts about oils and health!
The Facts around Seed Oils
Online conversation has questioned the healthfulness of seed oils, suggesting they might cause more harm than benefit. First step, lets look at what are seed oils!
Seed oils are vegetable oils that come from seeds.
- Canola
- Corn
- Sunflower
- Safflower
- Soy
- Cottonseed
- Grapeseed and rice bran are also seed oils but less commonly used
Oil is obtained by crushing seeds to extract the oil. The process occurs without heat. References made to cold-pressed oils indicate this type of processing. Cold-pressed oils can appear cloudy, so for esthetics, some companies will heat the oil to break it down and resolve the cloudiness.
Changing the look of the oil has led people to question if they now are less healthful! Current research does not demonstrate any concerns over these oils, unless they are used in excess.
Nutrition Of Seed Oils
Oils, just like all fats, contain fatty acids and generally a variety of the three main types of fatty acids – saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Studies show that saturated fats elevate blood cholesterol levels resulting in Dietary Guidelines and recommendations to limit your intake of saturated fats. Unsaturated fats, when used in place of saturated fats can help lower blood cholesterol.
Scientific evidence continues to show the benefit of using unsaturated fats when planning your meal plans. Guidelines from the American Heart Association continues to encourage using unsaturated fats.
Recommendation
The bottom line is that evidence continues to show that seed oils are not only safe, but they are a better choice when managing your blood cholesterol. This document from the Center For Science in the Public Interest provides a great overview of the whole topic!
- Helm, Janet, Trent-Gurbuz, CJ. Are Seed Oils and Vegetable Oils Bad for You? https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/what-are-seed-oils-and-are-they-bad-for-you
- Roeder, A. Are seed oils healthful or harmful? https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/are-seed-oils-healthful-or-harmful/
- Dow, C. Seed Oils: Are the Healthy or Harmful? Center for Science in The Public Interest. https://bit.ly/3ULJ0PM
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