Vegetable oils, which are derived from seeds, are most likely toxic to your metabolism system. They are a key driver of chronic diseases so prevalent in modern economies, diseases including obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
These four modern-day diseases were rare in the 19th century. However, their rates have increased dramatically since the 20th century, which is when processed foods with trans fats, refined flour, sugar, and processed seed oils became widespread and very popular. The term “vegetable oil” is a misnomer. They are seed oils that are industrially processed. In addition, they are pro-inflammatory and drive oxidation that promotes chronic diseases.
Many ancient civilizations did not have processed seed oils to disrupt their overall health. Modern cultures like Egypt and Japan have seen declining health rates that correspond to an increase in the consumption of seed oils.
One change that you can make today to reduce your risk of chronic diseases is to eliminate all seed oils from your diet. This would take only a little extra effort to read some labels on the food you purchase.
Many Americans believe that vegetable oils are healthy fats. The term itself sounds healthy by promoting the false belief that they come from vegetables and carry important micronutrients found in vegetables. This is false. These oils are toxic, industrially processed seed oils. These are some of the unhealthiest food items you can consume.
Even more concerning is that high amounts of oxidative stress caused by ingesting seed oils can weaken your immune system. This can dramatically increase your risk of all infections, including COVID-19. Some doctors stress that eliminating seed oils is just as important as optimizing your vitamin D level to lessen the risk of contracting COVID-19.
The media publish plenty of headlines about the health risks surrounding the consumption of net carbs, processed sugars, and trans fats. Still, seed oils cause far more damage to your health than any of the other culprits.
Metabolic Illness Reached Astronomical Highs by 2006
Heart disease is now the leading cause of death in the United States. However, it was unknown in the 19th century. Cancer caused 0.5% of deaths in 1811. It caused over 31% of all deaths in the U.S. in 2010. Diabetes was rare in the 19th. Its prevalence was 0.37% in 1935. Now there is a prevalence of 10.5%. Obesity had a prevalence of 1.2% in the 19th century. In 2015, its prevalence was nearly 40%. By 1990, 24% of all adults in the United States were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and visceral obesity.
By 2015, a full 88% of all U.S. adults did not meet the 5 criteria for metabolic health, which is measured by triglycerides, glucose, blood pressure, waist circumference, and HDL cholesterol.
Some researchers also point out that osteoarthritis and macular degeneration followed a similar path as metabolic diseases. Dietary history may offer some answers including the addition of the four primary processed foods: sugar, trans fats, refined flour, and industrially processed seed oils.
One scientist, Dr. Chris Knobbe, an ophthalmologist and founder and president of the Cure AMD Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), believes these four dietary additions have been harmful to humans.
“I believe this is a global human experiment for which no one gave consent. Nobody saw this coming. They wouldn’t have signed up for it,” he said. Dr. Knobbe also points to the work of Weston A. Price, who made the connection between oral health and physical disease. His research showed that native Americans who still eat their ancestral diets have almost no tooth decay. However, when these communities added white flour and refined sugar to their diets, their teeth began to deteriorate.
“Weston Price connected these foods, these very foods essentially, to physical degenerative disease in 1939. Nobody listened,” Knobbe says.
Why Seed Oils are So Unhealthy
Seed oils are pro-inflammatory and promote oxidation in your body. But, Knobbe says that seed oils can be likened to arsenic.
“There are many parallels between arsenic and seed oils, not the least of which is the fact that arsenic is fantastically oxidative, pro-oxidative. And this is exactly how seed oils get us. They drive the oxidation. They’re pro-oxidative, proinflammatory, and toxic, but of all of these, it is oxidation. That is by far the worst.”
The American diet is replete with seed oils in processed foods, fast foods, and even upscale restaurants. This is because of their cost, which can only be 20% of the cost of butter. Seed oils remain available in our foods regardless of their toxicity. They do not produce acute reactions, only chronic diseases.
Seed oils began to enter the American food marketplace in the 1860s. They were first added to butter and lard. Eventually, they replaced butter, lard, and beef tallow. The change in the American diet and the resulting changes to health were gradual. Many people did not make the connections. Thus, they remain prevalent in the American diet.
In addition to being proinflammatory, seed oil poisons are also:
- Genotoxic
- Cytotoxic
- Carcinogenic
- Mutagenic
- Thrombogenic
- Atherogenic
- Obesogenic
One-Third of US Caloric Intake Comes from Vegetable Oils
Knobbe has published data on the increase of vegetable oil usage in the U.S. By 2010, nearly one-third of caloric intake came from seed oils. The greatest issue is the amount of Omega-6 linoleic acid found in seed oils. Since the intake of seed oils has risen so dramatically in the 20th century, so has Omega-6 linoleic acid in our modern diets.
In addition, modern farmed animals have higher concentrations of omega-6 due to current feeding practices. Ancestrally raised animals had very low omega-6 levels. For comparison, researchers have looked at certain communities that have very low rates of chronic diseases and low consumption rates of linoleic acids, such as the Maasi of Africa.
They consume primarily milk, meat, and blood, which is a diet that’s 66% animal fat, 17% carbohydrate, and only 1.7% omega-6 linoleic acid. They have no heart disease. Another tribe, the Tokelauans, who live on a remote group of atolls between Hawaii and New Zealand, get up to 62% of their calories from coconut, which amounts to 53% fat, 48% of which is saturated fat. Only around 1% of their diet is omega-6 fats, yet they have no heart disease. Obesity and diabetes are extremely rare.
What Can You Do? Prepare Your Own Meals
It is vital that you reduce your intake of industrially processed seed oils as much as you can. This means eliminating all of the following oils:
- Soy
- Corn
- Canola
- Safflower
- Sunflower
- Peanut
- Grapeseed
- Rice bran
Olive and avocado oil are sometimes suspect because they may be adulterated with other seed oils. To do this, you’ll need to avoid nearly all ultra-processed foods, fast foods, and restaurant foods. This is why it is so important to prepare as much of your food as you can in your home so you know what you are eating and what you’re not eating. This information can help you towards a much healthier lifestyle.