Seed Oils: Hero or Villain
Dec 18, 2024
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Seed oils are in headlines! For the food industry, they are “heroes” as they are, versatile and have wonderful heat-stable characteristics. In fact, they are in about 33% of packaged goods in America, so most Americans consume a lot of seed oils! For others, they are a villain with growing concern and evidence about the negative impact on our health. RFK wants to ban them, and some scientific studies connect seed oils to inflammation caused particularly by excess omega-6 fatty acids commonly found in processed seed oils.
We explore a recent study published in GUT which suggests that seed oils might be connected to the rapid rise in colon cancer in young adults.
The Facts: Explosion of colon cancer rates in young adults and according to National Cancer Institute data, in the past 20 years has almost doubled.
Key Resources
Explore the evidence and form your own perspective on the role of seed oils and their connection to colon cancer.
The Study
Integration of lipidomics with targeted, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomics defines an unresolved pro-inflammatory state in colon cancer Read on PubMed
Medical Articles
Lipid imbalances hold the key to chronic inflammation in colon cancer
Science Daily: Lipid imbalances and inflammation in colon cancer
Popular Press
New study reveals warning signs of colon cancer in young people | Daily Mail
Doctors warn cooking oil used by millions may fuel colon cancer surge | Daily Mail
Additional Insights
More on Seed Oils: What are seed oils and their impact?
Seed oils are processed oils derived from plant seeds and are prevalent in about one-third of U.S. packaged foods. They’re rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential but over consumed in the American Diet – often at twice recommended levels. This excess consumption is exacerbated by insufficient omega-3 in most diets, which is connected to inflammation and health concerns.
Common Seed oils: canola, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, safflower, sesame, pumpkin, flaxseed and more., hemp, poppy, rice bran, black cumin, perilla, camelina (wild flax), watermelon, moringa, jojoba, baobab, tomato, karanja, palm.
Pros:
Affordable and versatile
Heat-stable for cooking
Enhance flavor and texture
Some contain nutrients like vitamin E
Cons:
Highly processed and linked to inflammation
High omega 6 content contributes to an unhealthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio
May impair immune function and gut health
Easy alternatives that don’t have the same health concerns
Transparency and the WISEcode mission.
Ever feel lost trying to figure out what’s actually in your food? Labels can be tricky—seed oils might be there, but with so many names and terms, they’re easy to miss.
That’s where WISEcode comes in. As a leading foodtech™ company, we harness leading advancements in technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, lab research, and cloud computing to bring unprecedented knowledge to the food, nutrition, and health industries.
At the heart of our innovation is WISEdata™, the world’s most comprehensive food database. With over 15,000 attributes for each of the 650,000 foods we’ve analyzed, WISEdata™ provides 1,000 times more data than any other source. This is the foundation of true food transparency—right down to whether a food contains seed oils.
We don’t take a stance on seed oils—that’s up to you. Our mission is simple: empower you with transparency so you can make informed choices. Whether you care about seed oils or not, WISEcode gives you the tools to identify them and decide what’s right for your diet.
Knowledge is power. WISEcode gives it to you.
We believe:
Transparency is knowledge.
Knowledge is power.
Food isn’t meant to be feared but loved. By scanning a barcode, you’ll instantly know if a product contains seed oils, which are found in about 33% of American packaged goods.
Join the transparency revolution to know what’s truly in your foods. [Download the app today!]
Peter Castleman
Founder
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