After indulging over the Christmas period, and contracting Covid, I was feeling not-great. This led me to more diet research, and to seed oils which I had seen mentioned as being bad for you on various platforms across the Internet. Hours of research later, I embarked on removing them from my diet. I’ve since felt like I have more energy, and have been dropping some fat which I needed to lose.
As for the actual mechanism, people like Tucker Goodrich explain why in the videos below, but in essence it seems to be the key component in the modern western diet that has us experience massive increases in obesity and diabetes etc vs 150 years ago. These polyunsaturated fatty oils do have a perceived positive impact on cholesterol levels, but in studies metnioned in the second video below, actual mortality increases with the use of them. We have seen carbohydrate consumption decrease in recent years, but obesity levels are not going down.
The below is the best video to start with:
Tucker’s breakdown of a recent paper show that seed oils are likely to be the what makes the potato category so fattening, as normal potatoes which aren’t fried are listening as far less fattening.
The next video is interesting as it explains how seed oils negatively impact your Mitochondria to reduce your energy levels. I’ve chosen a section that also mentions the following I found interesting (I’ve paraphrased):
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a disease that I think originated in the 50’s and 60’s. They put people on a low linoleic acid but high carb diet, and got a 100% cure rate. BMI goes down and insulin resistance also goes down.
High linoleic acid diet = seed oils in the above.
Dr Catherine Shanahan has an interesting article on the topic and identifies high polyunsaturated seed oils
Atheletic performance:
In summary, this study demonstrates a specific contribution of n-6 PUFA-rich oils like CO to the loss of spontaneous physical activity and insulin sensitivity in mice. If these data hold true for humans, this study could provide a novel link between recent increases in dietary n-6 PUFA to sedentary behavior and the development of insulin resistance in the Western world.
Sports nutritionists would benefit by paying attention to PUFA. These polyunsaturated fatty acids build up in athletes body fat over the years, and at a certain concentration cause problems.
Sports Nutrition: Ditching High PUFA Seed Oil (aka Vegetable Oil) Will Help Athletes Perform Better
Which oils to avoid?
Those containing high polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs):
- Grapeseed oil
- Rapeseed oil
- Safflower
- Sesame oil
- Soy oil
- Sunflower oil
What should you have instead?
- Butter
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil (within reason - it still has a decent amount of polyunsaturated fats)
One thing to watch out for is a something being called one thing, but containing something else. I had an ‘Olive oil spray’, which of course was around 50% soya oil..
As for where we can find these oils? Nearly everywhere. Biscuits, granola, Beyond Meat burgers, crisps, every brand of gluten-free bread, etc.
Other interesting links: