3 ms·

Scientists debunk claims of seed oil health risks

22 points by thelastgallon 1y ago

OhioMan2943 1y ago
Anyone who believes this- have the same product- popcorn- dip- wrap or whatever- in a seed oil variety and a non seed oil variety. Test it yourself. I feel incredibly sluggish and irritable after seed oil additives.
- Tistron 1y ago
  Interesting. Now have a friend help you do it blinded.
- DemocracyFTW2 1y ago
  I know a number of people who claim how bad MSG is for them, and humanity. The effect vanishes or reverses when you do a proper double-blind test. In other words, the effect seems to depend on the suggestion. Source: Wikipedia. The MSG-scam, the alleged link between autism and vaccination and the seed oil craze each go back to single persons who published claims that for some reason went viral. In my limited experience, claims like these (flat Earth, Moon Hoax, chemtrails...) went viral because they were outlandish, unsupportable claims not backed by science and sometimes even contradicting personal observation. Some people (and I'd say it's more likely to be scientifically not very literate persons) have a predisposition to latch onto bull crap. Let's call people with this trait '(social(ly)) influenceables' because they're frequently the audience to whatever social influencers choose to spew out. You could present an influenceable with a multiple choice test where possible or plausible theories are presented as answers next to a highly improbable or impossible one, and they sure as hell will agree with the improbable one. So this (if my impression is not skewed, which is very possible) would suggest that while not very scientifically literate, influenceable persons still have an acute sense for what counts as generally accepted and what counts as fringe theory. They don't have to, and they wouldn't (apart from the ongoing background activity of rumors that always float through the hearsay space). But we're not living in ordinary times, our society is in deep crisis, and for some reason, as in the 1930s, fringe theories and mysticism seem to have become attractive again. Well, apparently attractive enough for the U.S. government to peddle outlandish health-related theories.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
elric 1y ago
Foods with high amounts of seed oils tend to be cheap unhealthy garbage. Fried fast food, sugary crap, etc. I suppose these health concerns are a simple matter of correlation vs causation.
- defrost 1y ago
  While it’s true that many foods that use seed oils—such as packaged snacks and french fries—are unhealthy, they also tend to be high in refined carbohydrates, sodium, and sugar. “Sure, if you cut back on these foods, chances are you’re going to feel better,” Crosby said. But these other components, not the seed oils themselves, are the culprit behind weight gain and other negative health outcomes. ~ from the main article. That said, the title really should be "Scientist dismisses claims ..." (singular) as it's a press release that quotes a single scientist who no longer works for Harvard and who asserts that no scientific papers find the seed oils to have health risks. He may well be correct in that assertion, but that has to be taken as hearsay.
  - mapontosevenths 1y ago
    He's a Harvard professor and scientist who spent years studying it. I'll just take his word for it, unless you have better credentials or proof to the contrary.
    - defrost 1y ago
      I have scientific credentials of my own and I report scientific and technical data for a living. Please reread what I wrote and correct any mistakes I made. To clarify further, factually, * in 2022 he was reported as being adjunct associate of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. * Today he is unlisted on the staff rolls of Harvard. * In 2022 he was reported to have made a statement that "scientific evidence does not support these claims, according to experts" where the claims in question were reported to be that "that seed oils such as canola and soy are “toxic,”". While I personally have no belief that seed oils are in any way toxic I will strongly note, and urge you to see for yourself, that there is ample room for the opposite to slip through, * whoever reported the statement claimed to have been made by Guy Crosby may have made an error in presenting a claim for Crosby for comment or in reporting back Crosby's response. * of all the papers that Crosby has read he may have not read one or several that reveal a toxin (yes, this is unlikely but possible, no human has read their complete field). > I'll just take his word for it, "His word" in this press release is hearsay. The text of the press release was not written by him. It is not uncommon for people quoted in press releases to take issue with how their actual position has been reported.
jasonvorhe 1y ago
This article doesn't contain any information that could be construed as being scientific.
- vintermann 1y ago
  It refers to the consumer reports article: https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/do-seed-oils-make-you-sick-a1363483895/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/do-see... which actually not only mentions scientific papers including big meta-studies, but actually links to them. That's rare these days. Maybe the consumer reports article should be the main article, though.
- margalabargala 1y ago
  That just means seed oils now have equal weights of evidence for and against I guess?
  - jasonvorhe 1y ago
    No idea, I just skip them altogether. I lost trust in all commercial western medicine around 2021.
surume 1y ago
Gotta protect those precious greasy canola seed dollars, right? Seriously, does anyone even believe this?? I'm guessing High Fructose Corn Syrup doesn't cause diabetes either... As soon as some health investigator has a look at one of their profitable products, a squad of "scientists" rush to the scene to officially deboink the myth that it gives you heart disease. What a joke. And a sad one at that.
- mapontosevenths 1y ago
  I believe it. Is there any reputable evidence at all that I shouldn't?
- margalabargala 1y ago
  The specific claim being debunked is that seed oils are particularly bad ("toxic") for you compared to other oils. Which is not supported by evidence. As you note, there's plenty of evidence that a high fat diet causes assorted health issues. Seed oils specifically are not a disproportionately strong culprit.
- DemocracyFTW2 1y ago
  > Gotta protect those precious greasy canola seed dollars That hits hard where it hurts. Now let's talk about your ulterior motives, Sir.
- jasonvorhe 1y ago
  the "safe and effective" believers will buy anything presented to them by now.
saretup 1y ago
Why is this old post from 2022 (Updated Nov 2024) with no scientific information at the top of HN?
- k1t 1y ago
  Probably related to RFK claims. Eg https://www.npr.org/2025/06/19/nx-s1-5405595/claims-that-seed-oils-are-harming-americans-health-are-causing-problems-for-farmers https://www.npr.org/2025/06/19/nx-s1-5405595/claims-that-see... Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others have said that seed oils are poisoning Americans. The medical community mostly rejects those claims, but they are causing problems for farmers.
  - mapontosevenths 1y ago
    They rejected me for a Covid vaccine today. A lot of people are going to die.
- margalabargala 1y ago
  If you look at the top of HN, the top posts are usually not ones containing "scientific information". Why does this one need to meet that standard, especially when the claim it's debunking isn't based on scientific information either?
grassmudhorse 1y ago
[flagged]
- mapontosevenths 1y ago
  This is a blog post about a consumer reports article one of the faculty was the primary source for. The linked article is much better and cites numerous papers.
- wtallis 1y ago
  This wasn't published in an academic journal. It was published on the News page of Harvard's School of Public Health. It's PR/publicity for the school. The purpose of the post wasn't to appease industry donors, but to call attention to a Consumer Reports article that quoted someone from Harvard. The news post is just about bragging rights for the school. The Consumer Reports article seems to be a high-quality article, though still written for the general public rather than an academic journal.
- geremiiah 1y ago
  > industry donors Which ones? The meat industry or the soy farmers?
- DemocracyFTW2 1y ago
  I don't know what you're complaining about, there's plenty of links in this short piece which ends with a link to https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/do-seed-oils-make-you-sick-a1363483895/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/do-see... , an article that is somewhat more in-depth than the text from Harvard. > with the supposed goal of appeasing industry donors I've literally no clue why this strange thing fell out of the sky coming from seemingly nowhere. Are you angry Harvard doesn't comply with your imaginary goal posts? I don't get it.
  - wtallis 1y ago
    Did you click on any of those links aside from the final one to the Consumer Reports article? All the other links are merely to listings of blog posts with the given tag. There's nothing specific or even human-curated about where those links point. They add no value to the article.
thordenmark 1y ago
All I see are assertions and no data. Am I missing something in this article?
- DemocracyFTW2 1y ago
  Like, every single damn link in the article?
archerx 1y ago
It's not that seed oils are inherently bad, it is the industrial processing that makes them bad for you. If you are fine with consuming trace amounts of hexane then go for it. I will stick with olive and avocado oil.
- aziaziazi 1y ago
  A recent study shown trace hexane in most French milk because we feed a lot of our livestock with de-oiled soy which is the other side of the extraction process. The same traces are found in de-cafeined coffee and many d’avoir extracts.
  - archerx 1y ago
    Wow, thanks for the information, I did not know that.
ggm 1y ago
"Big oil" usually refers to something else.

22 points by thelastgallon 1y ago

Anyone who believes this- have the same product- popcorn- dip- wrap or whatever- in a seed oil variety and a non seed oil variety. Test it yourself. I feel incredibly sluggish and irritable after seed oil additives.

Tistron 1y ago
Interesting. Now have a friend help you do it blinded.
DemocracyFTW2 1y ago
I know a number of people who claim how bad MSG is for them, and humanity. The effect vanishes or reverses when you do a proper double-blind test. In other words, the effect seems to depend on the suggestion. Source: Wikipedia. The MSG-scam, the alleged link between autism and vaccination and the seed oil craze each go back to single persons who published claims that for some reason went viral. In my limited experience, claims like these (flat Earth, Moon Hoax, chemtrails...) went viral because they were outlandish, unsupportable claims not backed by science and sometimes even contradicting personal observation. Some people (and I'd say it's more likely to be scientifically not very literate persons) have a predisposition to latch onto bull crap. Let's call people with this trait '(social(ly)) influenceables' because they're frequently the audience to whatever social influencers choose to spew out. You could present an influenceable with a multiple choice test where possible or plausible theories are presented as answers next to a highly improbable or impossible one, and they sure as hell will agree with the improbable one. So this (if my impression is not skewed, which is very possible) would suggest that while not very scientifically literate, influenceable persons still have an acute sense for what counts as generally accepted and what counts as fringe theory. They don't have to, and they wouldn't (apart from the ongoing background activity of rumors that always float through the hearsay space). But we're not living in ordinary times, our society is in deep crisis, and for some reason, as in the 1930s, fringe theories and mysticism seem to have become attractive again. Well, apparently attractive enough for the U.S. government to peddle outlandish health-related theories.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

elric 1y ago

Foods with high amounts of seed oils tend to be cheap unhealthy garbage. Fried fast food, sugary crap, etc. I suppose these health concerns are a simple matter of correlation vs causation.

defrost 1y ago
While it’s true that many foods that use seed oils—such as packaged snacks and french fries—are unhealthy, they also tend to be high in refined carbohydrates, sodium, and sugar. “Sure, if you cut back on these foods, chances are you’re going to feel better,” Crosby said. But these other components, not the seed oils themselves, are the culprit behind weight gain and other negative health outcomes. ~ from the main article. That said, the title really should be "Scientist dismisses claims ..." (singular) as it's a press release that quotes a single scientist who no longer works for Harvard and who asserts that no scientific papers find the seed oils to have health risks. He may well be correct in that assertion, but that has to be taken as hearsay.
- mapontosevenths 1y ago
  He's a Harvard professor and scientist who spent years studying it. I'll just take his word for it, unless you have better credentials or proof to the contrary.
  - defrost 1y ago
    I have scientific credentials of my own and I report scientific and technical data for a living. Please reread what I wrote and correct any mistakes I made. To clarify further, factually, * in 2022 he was reported as being adjunct associate of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. * Today he is unlisted on the staff rolls of Harvard. * In 2022 he was reported to have made a statement that "scientific evidence does not support these claims, according to experts" where the claims in question were reported to be that "that seed oils such as canola and soy are “toxic,”". While I personally have no belief that seed oils are in any way toxic I will strongly note, and urge you to see for yourself, that there is ample room for the opposite to slip through, * whoever reported the statement claimed to have been made by Guy Crosby may have made an error in presenting a claim for Crosby for comment or in reporting back Crosby's response. * of all the papers that Crosby has read he may have not read one or several that reveal a toxin (yes, this is unlikely but possible, no human has read their complete field). > I'll just take his word for it, "His word" in this press release is hearsay. The text of the press release was not written by him. It is not uncommon for people quoted in press releases to take issue with how their actual position has been reported.

jasonvorhe 1y ago

This article doesn't contain any information that could be construed as being scientific.

vintermann 1y ago
It refers to the consumer reports article: https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/do-seed-oils-make-you-sick-a1363483895/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/do-see... which actually not only mentions scientific papers including big meta-studies, but actually links to them. That's rare these days. Maybe the consumer reports article should be the main article, though.
margalabargala 1y ago
That just means seed oils now have equal weights of evidence for and against I guess?
- jasonvorhe 1y ago
  No idea, I just skip them altogether. I lost trust in all commercial western medicine around 2021.

surume 1y ago

Gotta protect those precious greasy canola seed dollars, right? Seriously, does anyone even believe this?? I'm guessing High Fructose Corn Syrup doesn't cause diabetes either... As soon as some health investigator has a look at one of their profitable products, a squad of "scientists" rush to the scene to officially deboink the myth that it gives you heart disease. What a joke. And a sad one at that.

mapontosevenths 1y ago
I believe it. Is there any reputable evidence at all that I shouldn't?
margalabargala 1y ago
The specific claim being debunked is that seed oils are particularly bad ("toxic") for you compared to other oils. Which is not supported by evidence. As you note, there's plenty of evidence that a high fat diet causes assorted health issues. Seed oils specifically are not a disproportionately strong culprit.
DemocracyFTW2 1y ago
> Gotta protect those precious greasy canola seed dollars That hits hard where it hurts. Now let's talk about your ulterior motives, Sir.
jasonvorhe 1y ago
the "safe and effective" believers will buy anything presented to them by now.

saretup 1y ago

Why is this old post from 2022 (Updated Nov 2024) with no scientific information at the top of HN?

k1t 1y ago
Probably related to RFK claims. Eg https://www.npr.org/2025/06/19/nx-s1-5405595/claims-that-seed-oils-are-harming-americans-health-are-causing-problems-for-farmers https://www.npr.org/2025/06/19/nx-s1-5405595/claims-that-see... Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others have said that seed oils are poisoning Americans. The medical community mostly rejects those claims, but they are causing problems for farmers.
- mapontosevenths 1y ago
  They rejected me for a Covid vaccine today. A lot of people are going to die.
margalabargala 1y ago
If you look at the top of HN, the top posts are usually not ones containing "scientific information". Why does this one need to meet that standard, especially when the claim it's debunking isn't based on scientific information either?

grassmudhorse 1y ago

[flagged]

mapontosevenths 1y ago
This is a blog post about a consumer reports article one of the faculty was the primary source for. The linked article is much better and cites numerous papers.
wtallis 1y ago
This wasn't published in an academic journal. It was published on the News page of Harvard's School of Public Health. It's PR/publicity for the school. The purpose of the post wasn't to appease industry donors, but to call attention to a Consumer Reports article that quoted someone from Harvard. The news post is just about bragging rights for the school. The Consumer Reports article seems to be a high-quality article, though still written for the general public rather than an academic journal.
geremiiah 1y ago
> industry donors Which ones? The meat industry or the soy farmers?
DemocracyFTW2 1y ago
I don't know what you're complaining about, there's plenty of links in this short piece which ends with a link to https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/do-seed-oils-make-you-sick-a1363483895/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/do-see... , an article that is somewhat more in-depth than the text from Harvard. > with the supposed goal of appeasing industry donors I've literally no clue why this strange thing fell out of the sky coming from seemingly nowhere. Are you angry Harvard doesn't comply with your imaginary goal posts? I don't get it.
- wtallis 1y ago
  Did you click on any of those links aside from the final one to the Consumer Reports article? All the other links are merely to listings of blog posts with the given tag. There's nothing specific or even human-curated about where those links point. They add no value to the article.

thordenmark 1y ago

All I see are assertions and no data. Am I missing something in this article?

DemocracyFTW2 1y ago
Like, every single damn link in the article?

archerx 1y ago

It's not that seed oils are inherently bad, it is the industrial processing that makes them bad for you. If you are fine with consuming trace amounts of hexane then go for it. I will stick with olive and avocado oil.

aziaziazi 1y ago
A recent study shown trace hexane in most French milk because we feed a lot of our livestock with de-oiled soy which is the other side of the extraction process. The same traces are found in de-cafeined coffee and many d’avoir extracts.
- archerx 1y ago
  Wow, thanks for the information, I did not know that.

ggm 1y ago

"Big oil" usually refers to something else.