The Truth About Seed Oils: What Research-Based Nutrition Really Says

The Seed Oil Scare

The example of health misinformation I chose is how seed oils are "toxic". There have been many recent postings claiming that “seed oils are poison” which is a trend that is being amplified by influencers and public figures (Grassa, 2025). Robert F Kennedy Jr announced that Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by seed oils earlier this year (Snape, 2025). Following his speech there was an increase in influencers sharing that seed oils such as canola, soybean, sunflower, grapeseed, safflower, rice bran, cottonseed, and corn oils are inflammatory.

What Science Actually Says About Seed Oils

Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that these viral claims are not supported. Richard Bazinet, a professor at the University of Toronto, highlights that plant-based oils are often linked to positive long term health effects (Grassa, 2025). This misconception largely reflects a misunderstanding of the roles of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fats, which are naturally present in seed oils (Rosen, 2025).

Sacks et al. (2017) conclude that omega-6 polyunsaturated fats are heathier than saturated fats, which are found in canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, common seed oils. They also found that these oils can reduce cardiovascular events by up to 30% (Sacks et al., 2017). Similarly, the World Health Organization (2023) recommends replacing saturated fats with polysaturated fats as part of a healthy eating plan. Walter Willett, a professor in nutrition, states that “dozens of studies have looked at this, and about half of them show no effect, while the other half show reduction in inflammatory factors” which directly challenges the inflammatory message (Roeder, 2025).

The Real Health Risks of Misinformation

1.        Risk Substitution: Individuals may swap out seed oils with to butter or lard which increase cardiovascular risk (Roeder, 2025).

2.        Diet confusion: Viral messages full of misinformation erode trust in evidence-based guidance.  

3.        Equity: Avoiding affordable seed oils may increase the cost of food and limit access to populations with lower incomes.

This summary makes it clear that the scientific literature contrasts the viral message that seed oils are toxic. This reinforces how misinformation often spreads faster or overpowers peer-reviewed science and shows how important it is to communicate nutrition evidence clearly and in a way that is accessible to all to protect public health.

References

Grassa, J. L. (2025, March 29). Social media suggests seed oils—like canola—are bad for you. More science is saying otherwise. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/seed-oils-health-study-1.7494413 

Roeder, A. (2025, February 27). Are seed oils healthful or harmful? Harvard School of Public Health. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/are-seed-oils-healthful-or-harmful

Rosen, A. (2025, June 6). Influence vs. evidence: The science supporting seed oils. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/the-evidence-behind-seed-oils-health-effects

Sacks, F. M., Lichtenstein, A. H., Wu, J. H. Y., Appel, L. J., Creager, M. A., Kris-Etherton, P. M., Miller, M., Rimm, E. B., Rudel, L, L., Robinson, J. G., Stone, N. J., Van Horn, L. V. (2017). Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: A presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 136(3), e1–e23. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000510

Snape, J. (2025, January 13). Robert F. Kennedy Jr claims seed oils are “poisoning” us. Here’s why he’s wrong. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jan/13/robert-f-kennedy-jr-claims-seed-oils-are-poisoning-us-heres-why-hes-wrong

World Health Organization. (2023, July 17). WHO updates guidelines on fats and carbohydrates. https://www.who.int/news/item/17-07-2023-who-updates-guidelines-on-fats-and-carbohydrates