Let me start off by telling you, I’m sorry. I am someone who wrote 3 books and who knows how many social posts and words here on this site related to “the potential harm of Omega 6 fatty acids”. So, I’ll be the first to tell you: science proved me wrong. I want to share with you the truth about how I was participating in the toxic wellness culture that cherry picks information to create fear around food. While I now realize this is all related to Diet Culture, Disordered Eating, Orthorexia, and Healthism, it took a lot of science-based research to help me move from conspiracy-belief to true facts. Let’s look at some of that strong science.
How and why did we start thinking Omega 6 fatty acids were health hazards?
Yes, high heat absolutely can oxidize plant oils, but to avoid them in foods I buy from stores and demonize it in general is more problematic to my well being from stress and anxiety than anything that could be gained. And, it might surprise you to learn that the largest and most impressive scientific studies on the topic show the opposite of being a health hazard. Plant oils reduced all-cause mortality.
And while olive oil has been placed on a well-earned pedestal, vegetable oils have been widely demonized as being inflammatory, highly oxidized, industrially-produced and full of toxic byproducts of their manufacture. However, scientific evidence refutes these claims and most vegetable oils show overall health benefits (albeit more modest than olive oil), including canola, soybean and corn oil. For example, a 2021 study [of 521k – a HUGE data set of humans, not animals (1)] showed that substituting butter and margarine with corn oil, canola oil, or olive oil reduced all-cause mortality and mortality from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, respiratory disease, and Alzheimer’s disease… ” (2)
While usually statements about the inflammatory nature of seed oils are not backed by science, you may see some people use scientific references to explain why plant oils, such as sunflower, otherwise known as Omega 6 fatty acids, are (supposedly) harmful to our health. That doesn’t necessarily mean what they’ve extrapolated.
I encourage you to actually click those references and check:
- Was it on animal or human models?
- Perhaps was it on a very small cohort, which leaves room for flaws?
- Was it peer-reviewed and randomized?
- Does it have conclusive evidence or rather does it infer and encourage further research?
There are nuances to everything in life. And when I looked at some of the supposed references I’d been using to justify my own personal beliefs, I realized that these resources did not give the substantial conclusive evidence I’d come to believe they did. I remember the first time I was convinced of this concept. It was watching a video of how they make canola oil rooted in fear and disgust, which took hold of my opinion of plant oils. Going forward I looked for validation of that belief, rather than from an unbiased perspective of the true science.
Myths vs Facts
If you Google search “seed oils” on the internet, prepare for a whole lot of uncited articles tell you the “top reasons” to avoid them. Here are the common myths I found, and scientific references to give you the actual facts.
MYTH: The consumption of industrial seed oils represents an evolutionary mismatch.
FACT: From their earliest days, the hunter-gatherer diet included various grasses, tubers, fruits, seeds and nuts. (4)
MYTH: Eating industrial seed oils raises our omega-6-to-omega-3 fatty acid ratios, with significant consequences for our health.
FACT: Omega-6 fatty acids, which we get mainly from vegetable oils, play an important role in our overall health. They lower harmful LDL cholesterol and boost protective HDL. They even help blood sugar regulation by improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin. (3)
MYTH: Industrial seed oils are unstable and oxidize easily.
FACT: Omega-3 supplements contain more lipid oxidation in products compared to those with vegetable oils (5).
MYTH: Industrial seed oils are unstable and oxidize easily, processed with harsh solvents, deodorized, and chemicals added to improve color and smell.
FACT: There are multiple methods of extraction, such as organic expeller pressed or cold pressed seed oils, wich maximize nutrients and antioxidants and minimize risk of oxidation.
Owing to consumer demand for safe and natural culinary items, the cold pressing technique is interestingly replacing traditional extraction methods. At the industrial level, the cold pressing technology has benefits such as lower energy consumption and cheaper investment costs. When compared to solvent extraction, it has a reduced environmental impact and exhibits greater versatility because it is quick and simple to process a variety of different types of seeds. Cold-pressed oils are preferred over refined edible oils because they have higher levels of bioactive compounds such carotenoids, sterols, and phenolics. The presence of more phenolics and tocols in cold-pressed oils may increase their oxidative stability during storage. (13)
Just as there are higher qualities of olive oil, so are there of all plant-based oils.
MYTH: All seed oils are derived from genetically modified crops.
FACT: Not only can you buy specifically non-GMO oils, but many crops are not usually modified.
The most common products that are genetically modified are:
- Soybeans (Soybean Oil)
- Canola (Canola Oil)
- Corn (Corn Oil)
- Cotton (Cottonseed Oil)
- Sugar Beets
If you’re buying any soybean, canola, corn and cottonseed oils that do not exclusively call out “non-GMO” in the name, these are by default genetically modified oils — this is currently the standard in the food industry for these specific oils. There are non-GMO varieties also available, but they are less common. For example, right now over 90% of the canola crop is GMO — though the percentage of non-GMO crops is growing rapidly.
Alternatively, there are many plant oils that are “naturally non-GMO.” Which means, there aren’t any GMO varieties being grown in the world at this time, so you don’t have to keep an eye out for “non-GMO” in the name.
All the varieties of these oils are non-GMO:
- Sunflower Oil
- Safflower Oil
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Rice Bran Oil
For example, there is no genetically modified olive oil in existence today. Therefore, ALL of the olive oil available is naturally non-GMO. Most seed oils used in supplements and food are sunflower or safflower oil, which means they are not GMO. Specifically all Shaklee products are non-GMO.
MYTH: When industrial seed oils repeatedly cycle up and down in temperature (as restaurants do in fryers), even more toxic byproducts form.
FACT: The human body converts very little linolenic acid into arachidonic acid. This includes even when linolenic acid is abundant in the diet.
The suggestion isn’t to run out and buy the lowest quality oil possible, but rather be mindful of quality and variety, which your gut health and body overall love.
Fully Debunking Inflammation from Seed Oils
Omega-6 fatty acids, which we get mainly from vegetable oils, play an important role in our overall health. They lower harmful LDL cholesterol and boost protective HDL. They even help blood sugar regulation by improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin. So why did we start thinking it was bad?
The main charge against omega-6 fats is that the body can convert the most common one, linolenic acid, into another fatty acid called arachidonic acid, and arachidonic acid is a building block a building block for inflammatory compounds. But only a small amount of the linoleic acid we eat—about 0.2 percent—turns into arachidonic acid. Also, not all of the compounds it produces cause inflammation. Arachidonic acid also has anti-inflammatory effects. (6)
The critics argue that we should cut back on our intake of omega-6 fats to improve the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6s. The American Heart Association (AHA) commissioned science advisory that was two years in the making, nine independent researchers from around the country, concluded that data from dozens of studies support the cardiovascular benefits of eating omega-6 fats. (5)
Omega 6 Fatty Acids Have Been Shown to Improve Health
The body converts very little linolenic acid into arachidonic acid, even when linolenic acid is abundant in the diet. In fact, much of the research to support the anti-seed oil stance was done on animals, but there is little evidence from studies in people that linoleic acid is inflammatory because we simply aren’t built like mice and rats.
In fact, numerous scientific studies have shown the opposite: omega-6 fats don’t rev up inflammation, instead eating more omega-6 fats either reduced markers of inflammation or left them unchanged. Many studies showed that rates of heart disease went down as consumption of omega-6 fats went up.
A meta-analysis of six randomized trials found that replacing saturated fat with omega-6 fats reduced the risk of heart attacks and other coronary events by 24%. A separate report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that pooled the results of 11 large cohorts showed that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats (including omega-6 and omega-3 fats) reduced heart disease rates. (3)
In fact, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed nearly 2,500 men for an average of 22 years found that those with the highest blood levels of linoleic acid had a 43 percent lower risk of dying from any disease during the study period than those with the lowest. Higher blood levels of arachidonic acid reduced the risk of dying by 20 percent. (8)
Why is Sunflower Oil in my supplements?
Sunflowers are one of the few crops native to the United States. The sunflower is native to North America. Indigenous tribes started cultivating it over 4,500 years ago. Today, sunflower oil is a food, a medicine, and a skin treatment. It is available in several forms, each with a different formula and with its own benefits. Sunflower oil is a popular vegetable oil in edible products because of its mild flavor and high smoke point.
Sunflower oil is also a good source of Vitamin E and K. And, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), lined to reducing risk of heart disease, also appear in sunflower oil. MUFAs are what is abundant in olive oil linking it to health improvements.
In an exhaustive 2011 study, screening of oxidative status of commercially available omega-3 supplements and vegetable oils shows that the content of oxidation products varies. The evidence of oxidation (hydroperoxides and alkenals) in marine omega-3 supplements are far higher than in fresh vegetable oils. (5)
Sustainability
“The problems and challenges of global climate change due to release of greenhouse gases from burning forests, peatland swamps, and draining of peatlands for palm oil cultivation, loss of biodiversity due to loss of natural habitat, suggest that we are in urgent need of an alternate sustainable, healthier stearate sunflower oil. Methods and technology developed for producing HSHO sunflower oil and the availability of mutants with high stearic acid content will be very useful to develop sunflower oil with higher proportion of stearic acid and provide a healthy and stable substitute to palm oil.
The high-stearic sunflower oil will help fight cardiovascular diseases and bring health benefits to the consumers by the progressive replacement of hydrogenated and trans-fat-rich oils in human food. It will provide stable, healthy, and solid cooking oils. The high-stearic-high-oleic sunflower seeds can be obtained by conventional breeding techniques (non-GMO) and are similar to conventional sunflower. Hence, in the near future, it will be possible to develop a greater variety and quantity of healthy high-stearic sunflower oil.” (12)
Want more science?
FDA Completes Review of Qualified Health Claim Petition for Oleic Acid and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that there is credible evidence to support a qualified health claim that consuming oleic acid in edible oils, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.” (10)
Not yet, another?
“The potential of an effective cholesterol-lowering diet to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease may be significantly enhanced by inclusion of a moderate amount of monounsaturated fat. The long-term effect on self-selected diets remains unknown, in terms of compliance and in terms of the lipid response and, ultimately, cardiovascular outcomes.” (11)
Still not convinced?
A diet rich in high-oleic-acid sunflower oil favorably alters low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and factor VII coagulant activity: “Substitution of foods rich in saturated fat with foods rich in high-oleic-acid sunflower oil and margarine has favorable outcomes on blood lipids and factor VIIc. This oil presents another useful source of MUFA for diets aimed at prevention of heart disease.” (12)
In Conclusion
With well-established research that a diet rich in PUFA is health beneficial, that the oils are not inherently oxidized, with the added benefits of antioxidants, polyphenols, Vitamins and MUFAs, not to mention natural and native abundance in North America, sunflower becomes an accessible and ideal ingredient.
References
-
- Cooking oil/fat consumption and deaths from cardiometabolic diseases and other causes: prospective analysis of 521,120 individuals, BMC Medicine
- Fats & Oils, Nutivore
- No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fats, Harvard Health
- Hunter-Gatherer Diet, History
- Determination of lipid oxidation products in vegetable oils and marine omega-3 supplements, PMC3118035
- Do seed oils make you sick, Consumer Reports
- Omega-6 fatty acids and risk for cardiovascular disease: a science advisory from the American Heart Association Nutrition Subcommittee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism; Council on Cardiovascular Nursing; and Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, PMID: 19171857
- Serum n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of death: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, PMID 29566193
- Stearic sunflower oil as a sustainable and healthy alternative to palm oil. A review. Springer Link
- Review of Qualified Health Claim Petition for Oleic Acid and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease, FDA
- Adding monounsaturated fatty acids to a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods in hypercholesterolemia, PMC3001502
- A diet rich in high-oleic-acid sunflower oil favorably alters low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and factor VII coagulant activity, PMID 15983523
- Cold Pressed Oils: A Green Source of Specialty Oils, volume II, PMC10289288
- Introduction to cold pressed oils: Green technology, bioactive compounds, functionality, and applications, ScienceDirect
- Is Sunflower Oil Good for You, WebMD
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