Are seed oils actually bad for you? Here’s what nutrionists and scientists have to say

Robert F. Kennedy jnr and others claim they’re harming our health, but the evidence suggests otherwise. To their many vocal detractors, they’re referred to as “the hateful eight”.

Canola oil, corn oil, sunflower oil and other refined oils made from the seeds of certain plants have become lightning rods for wellness influencers – and some politicians. Robert F. Kennedy jnr says Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by them.



Online forums, blogs and influencers say they’re “toxic”, “slowly killing you” and driving up rates of diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases. The claim that seed oils are ruining our health is especially rankling to nutrition scientists, who see them as a big step forward from butter and lard. Decades of research have shown that consuming seed oils is associated with better health, said Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University in the United States.

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