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Your patients may come to you with questions about consuming seed oils, particularly because they’ve been trending on social media. In recent months, online claims have included references to the “hateful eight” of seed oils: canola, corn, cottonseed, safflower, soy, sunflower, rice bran, and grapeseed.

Among the claims: Seed oils increase inflammation, obesity, and even brain fog. But the truth is, as usual, more complicated, and your patients may not realize that seed oils can indeed be part of a healthy diet.

Here’s how to prepare for the questions.

“Oils are a fat,” said Caroline Susie, RDN, LD, Dallas-based spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Because these cooking oils are inexpensive and have a high smoke point, they are commonly used in processed foods, restaurant frying, and home cooking.

She said when discussing seed oils with patients, it’s best to focus on the overall pattern of their diets. “Fried foods, no matter what oil is used, are high in calories and fat. Excess calories and fat in the diet can contribute to weight gain,” she said.

How to Better Explain the Complexity of Seed Oils

Seed oils are naturally occurring in different foods like eggs, almonds, tofu, and chia seeds.

“They are not necessarily bad in their natural form — it’s when they are refined that they become this ultraprocessed oil and when eaten in high amounts, they increase inflammation in the body and ultimately lead to chronic disease over time, including obesity,” said Rebecca Jones, MS, a registered dietitian and bariatric coordinator for Novant Health Triad Region in North Carolina.

But are they unhealthy, as social media posts would have your patients believe? Their composition plays a role.

“They are not saturated fats. Seed oils typically are polyunsaturated fats,” Jones said. “In small amounts in their whole food state, they can be beneficial for heart health and disease. It’s when they are refined and eaten in large quantities that they are unhealthy.”

She said research shows that, on average, we eat a 10 to 1 ratio of seed oils (or omega-6 fatty acids) to omega-3 fatty acids. The goal would be to balance these two as much as possible, Jones said.

In the broader scope, a study revealed that individuals who swapped about 10 g of butter with plant-based oils such as canola, soybean, or olive oil cut premature death by 17%.

Who Should Avoid Using Seed Oils?

For patients at risk for heart disease or diabetes or a person who is dealing with obesity, trying to choose more whole food sources of these omega-6 fatty acids vs the ultraprocessed versions like chips, snack cakes, and fast foods is preferable and healthier, said Jones. “Leaning into a healthy diet and eating a wide variety of whole foods is going to be helpful to anyone concerned about chronic disease,” she added.

When discussing seed oils with your patients, you can suggest moderation. “If they are cooking at home and they’re using a little bit of canola oil to roast your vegetables or something like that, that’s certainly different than getting a fast-food meal fried in canola oil. Everything in moderation is key,” said Jones.

How to Cut Back and What Are Better Choices?

If patients are particularly concerned, you could suggest swapping seed oil for a healthier choice.

“If they are cooking at home and using canola oil, using avocado oil or olive oil is going to be a better choice,” said Jones. Jones also suggests limiting ultraprocessed snacks and fast foods. “That’s where most of our consumption of seed oils is coming from in the US. It’s all about convenience for people — we are way overscheduled, and we are way too busy. It’s more convenient.”