Are Seed Oils Bad For You? A Gastroenterologist Weighs In

Should you throw away your canola oil? Here’s what a gastroenterologist has to say.

Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RDReviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD

Seed oils have been a disputed topic in the food and health space for quite some time. You probably have some in your pantry, examples being canola oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil, among others. And you may even find some of these oils used in EatingWell recipes.

But seed oils have a bad rap for causing an array of health issues, from inflammation to digestive problems. Is this even true? Gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, M.D. just weighed in on the debate surrounding these controversial oils.

“I’m about to wade into some stuff right now,” Bulsiewicz says at the start of his recent Instagram Reel. “We’re going to talk about seed oils: ‘the boogeyman,’ ‘the cause to all of our problems,’ but are they actually inflammatory? Because that’s the real question that we need to answer.” Here’s what the doctor has to say about this highly discussed topic.

Related: 4 Healthy Oils Beyond Olive Oil to Eat Every Week, According to a Dietitian

Do Seed Oils Cause Inflammation?

If you’re asking yourself, “Should I just throw out my canola oil right now?,” the gastroenterologist wants you to pump the brakes as he explains how seed oils can be a healthier alternative to other ingredients.

“What are you comparing it to?” he says in response to whether seed oils are inflammatory. “Many of the people who tell us that seed oils are so bad are the same people that tell us, ‘Don’t worry about saturated fat, it’s not a problem.’ And yet, if you look at the studies where they replace saturated fat with seed oils, people have less inflammation.”

Bulsiewicz is referring to studies like the 2024 review published in Food & Nutrition Research where it was shown that oils rich in unsaturated fats were preferred for better LDL cholesterol levels, weight maintenance and inflammation over saturated fats like butter and coconut oil.

Related: Use Coconut Oil on Your Skin? Know the Pros and Cons

But is Bulsiewicz fully endorsing adding more seed oils into your diet? Not necessarily.

“Can seed oils be inflammatory within a certain context? Yes, if you overeat calories because you are consuming way too much oil and not enough fiber, then you will get inflammation. And that is the result of the overconsumption of calories,” he explains. Because these oils tend to be in highly processed foods, they’re easy to overeat.

In his regular routine, the gastroenterologist recommends a different type of oil—and generally tries to avoid a category of food.

“When I use oil in my diet, it is extra-virgin olive oil, and I try to avoid fried foods because they contain things like advanced glycation and products that I don’t want,” he recommends. Advanced glycation end products cause sugar to interact with protein and fat in the bloodstream, and this happens when foods are cooked at high temperatures, so fried foods are a prime example of having this effect on the body.

Related: Some Ultra-Processed Foods May Be Worse for Your Heart Health Than Others, According to New Research

Olive oil is a staple in the Mediterranean diet, one of the healthiest forms of eating. This oil has a ton of benefits: it’s packed with heart-healthy fats, it can reduce cancer risk and it has anti-inflammatory properties.

The Bottom Line

If you’re using seed oils as a replacement for saturated fats, the gastroenterologist is giving you the green light. But as a part of your usual routine, try using extra-virgin olive oil more regularly when you’re cooking. It’s an easy and healthier swap to butter and other oils, and it even has some nutritional bonus points, including anti-inflammatory benefits.

Related: Consuming Olive Oil May Lead to 28% Lower Risk of Dementia-Related Death, According to a New Study

Read the original article on Eating Well.