Arabic version: الأدلة لا تدعم الادعاءات بأن زيوت البذور تسبب الالتهاب

According to The Guardian, concerns that seed oils cause inflammation are not supported by evidence from human studies, despite growing online criticism of products such as canola and sunflower oil.

Seed oils are extracted from seeds and include canola, sunflower seed, rice bran, soya bean and corn oils. Vegetable oil is often a mixture of sunflower seed and canola oils. The Australian dietary guidelines say the oils should be limited because they are high in calories, but give no major reason to avoid them otherwise.

Prof Lauren Ball, director of the University of Queensland’s Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing, said there is “no convincing evidence” that normal dietary amounts of canola or sunflower oil harm health. She said their unsaturated fats are generally beneficial for cardiovascular health. Dr Jason Wu of the University of New South Wales said the evidence base consistently points to health benefits from eating seed oils.

Critics frequently focus on omega-6 fatty acids, including linoleic acid, and claims that they promote inflammation. While rodent research has suggested that very high omega-6 levels can produce harmful effects, the article says human data does not show the same connection. People who consume more linoleic acid have substantially lower cardiovascular disease risks, while supplementation studies have found no major harms and sometimes modest benefits.

Randomised trials of omega-6 fatty acids have not found increased inflammation, the article says. Replacing saturated fats such as butter with unsaturated fats in canola and sunflower oils can lower LDL cholesterol, an important cardiovascular risk factor. The article concludes that seed oils are high in calories but otherwise healthy, particularly when used instead of saturated fats.