Thread by @nicknorwitz

1/6) 🔥Seed Oils and Science👀: What the Media Gets Wrong (and Right) (Sound On🔊)

I bit the bullet and decided to provide my 2 cents on the Controversial Topic of Seed Oils. Here are some things you should know…

“Seed Oils” is a term often poorly defined, leading to confusion. While they’re characterized by high Omega-6/PUFA content, the omega-6 & PUFA are not themselves per se “bad” as some may have you believe

TLDR: Overheated, oxidized soybean oil should not be “lumped” with minimally processed whole foods rich in omega-6, like walnuts or sesame. (Continue…) 👇

#metabolichealth #seedoil #omega6 #PUFA #staycurious

2/6) That said, it’s possible to have an imbalance of Omega-6/3 in the body, which can itself lead to inflammation 🔥

Insofar as diet contributes to the Omega-6/3 imbalance, and the fact that the Western dietary environment is overflowing with Omega-6, it’s reasonable to be “mindful” of one’s intake.

But this does not mean “fearing” any food rich in Omega-6, as if it were spiked with high potency poison ☠️... Importantly, there are non-direct determinants of omega-6/3 ratio – other than direct omega-6 and omega-3 intake.

Remember “you are what you eat?”

🗑️Trash that heuristic. It does more harm than good.

🧈And just as eating butter doesn’t directly translate into increased saturated fat in the blood (hello, de novo lipogenesis!), eating a given ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 doesn’t necessarily translate into your body’s omega-6/3 ratio.

FWIW, I happily consume some higher omega-6 foods, and boast a 1:1 omega-6/3 ratio, with 17.2% EPA/DHA index (see 5/6 for what I do personally)

3/6) Building on the prior point, Metabolic Context Matters

🥓🍳As an example, for those who eat a ketogenic diet, omega-6 are very efficiently burned and/or converted into ketone bodies, leaving less for structural purposes.

(I’ll caveat that this is based on physiologically informed extrapolations – rather than randomized controlled data – but I’d bet my liver on the matter.)

Furthermore, particular foods can contain compounds that protect omega-6 from oxidation. Sesame is a prime example, containing lignan antioxidants that massively reduce omega-6 oxidation.

4/6) 🤔RCT's aren't up to the Task...

Another key point we should consider when investigating the “seed oil controversy” relates to what data can be reasonably collected. Specifically, while we often look to human randomized controlled trials as a “gold standard” of evidence. Here, RCTs may not be well suited. This is because the proposed negative effects of chronic omega-6/3 imbalance and “oxidized oil” exposure takes many months to years to manifest – a far longer time period than can be reasonably expected in modern human RCT feeding trials.

Thus, looking only to RCTs can generate a “false negative” of sorts.

5/6) For those who want to know what I do – recall, I have a measured 1:1 omega-6/3 ratio, with 17.2% EPA/DHA index – I focus on:
👉whole foods without fear of natural omega-6 rich foods, including walnuts and sesame products (I love tahini)
👉I also prioritize getting omega-3 from fatty fish
👉Use heat-resistant oils, like macadamia oil and ghee, when cooking. I use EVOO to finish a meal and sometimes sesame oil for dressing as well or at low heats

6/6) I’m sure the discussion will continue, as it should. But for those who want a provocatively reasonable stance that acknowledges it’s about more than just calories but also tones down the fear-mongering, check out today’s video: