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Seed oils lower stroke risk, cholesterol despite social media warnings, according to expert

A Stanford professor who disputes TikTok, YouTube claims that cooking with seed oils is risky shares health benefits, and why butter is worse

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Seed oils on a supermarket shelf. Eight common oils – canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, soy, rice bran, sunflower and safflower – are getting a bad rap on social media, but this is not justified, according to a nutrition scientist. Photo: Shutterstock

“The Hateful Eight” may sound like an old-time Western movie, but this showdown does not involve cowboys, horses, or even guns.

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It is is being fought on social media.

To listen to some people on TikTok, YouTube or certain podcasts, the oil extracted from these plants is poisoning us. But is it really?

“It’s so odd that the internet has gone wild demonising these things,” says Dr Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, in California, and a nutrition scientist at the Stanford Prevention Research Centre. “They are not to be feared.”

Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and a nutrition scientist, says seed oils “are not to be feared”. Photo: Stanford University
Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and a nutrition scientist, says seed oils “are not to be feared”. Photo: Stanford University
The thinking is that seed oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids that break down into toxins when used for cooking, and thereby causing inflammation, weakening the immune system and contributing to chronic illnesses.
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