Clinical trials in the 1980s linked seed oils to cancer — In the early 1980s, a series of high-quality clinical trials began to show a connection between seed oil consumption and cancer, particularly colon cancer. The documentary notes that this was in a dozen clinical trials, and the results were strong enough to prompt high-level meetings at the ... See more

Ancestral populations thrived on diets rich in saturated fat but free from processed seed oils. This allowed them low rates of chronic disease, even with widely varying macronutrient profiles

Clean out your cooking oils — Many homes still stock common seed oils like canola, sunflower, and safflower. Toss them out and replace them with traditional fats such as butter, ghee, and coconut oil for cooking. They're stable, naturally rich in fat-soluble vitamins, and don't contribute to oxidative stress the way seed oils do.

Oxidized LA metabolites (OXLAMs) drive systemic oxidative stress — When LA is heated, stored, or metabolized in excess, it forms OXLAMs, damaging breakdown products that are biologically active. OXLAMs like 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) are generated during lipid peroxidation and damage DNA, proteins, mitochondria, and even stem cells. These oxidized by... See more

Excess LA fuels chronic inflammation — Once oxidized, LA and its metabolites act like molecular triggers for inflammation. My papers detail how these compounds damage cell membranes and trigger inflammatory cascades that affect the liver, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. Animal models show that dietary seed oils rich in LA promote liver i... See more

Chronic illness has become a normal part of everyday life for many Americans. You likely know someone living with heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune issues, or ongoing mental health challenges. These problems are showing up earlier, lasting longer, and affecting more people than in the past. While many factors contribute to this trend, one of the ... See more

LA stays in the body for years, not days — I discussed this same issue in my reviews, published in the journal Nutrients and Advances in Redox Research. As explained in these papers, the half-life of LA in the body is about 680 days, meaning it takes up to six years to replace 95% of it. Because it gets stored in adipose tissue and incorporated int... See more

The Ancel Keys Hypothesis featured flawed science and cherry-picked data — One of the most influential studies supporting the diet-heart hypothesis was the Seven Countries Study, led by Ancel Keys in the 1950s, which suggested a correlation between saturated fat intake and heart disease. His findings laid the foundation for dietary guidelines that ... See more

Skip ultraprocessed foods and restaurant meals — Many restaurant meals are loaded with seed oils, as they're used in sauces, dressings, marinades, and other ingredients across nearly every item on the menu. Even meals that appear healthy often contain multiple sources of LA. Cooking at home gives you full control over your ingredients and makes it ... See more