05/23/2026
Seed Oils
There was a controversy on a recent post here about seed oils. Here is my encapsulated take. It is settled science that both omega-6 and omega-3 oils are essential, and since the 1990s that the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in the cell membranes is critical to health, and an elevated 6:3 ratio is pathological. A recent population study measuring tissue levels found that an elevated ratio (above 10:1) was associated with increased overall mortality, heart disease mortality, and cancer mortality. A study also found that the highest level of omega-6 seemed to be protective, and also the highest levels of omega-3, and this has led to the erronoeus conclusion that omega-6 is just fine, you only need to take more omega-3. The study advocated 1) taking more omega-3 and 2) correcting the imbalance of 6:3. These are seperate issues, seperate problems with seperate solutions. If you want to correct the ratio, you need to reduce the omega-6 and increase the omega-3. It is not like go ahead and have another cup of corn oil, everything's good.
Consider, from 1909 to 1999, the consumption of omega-6 linoneic acid rose from about 2.8% of calories to about 7.2% in 1999. This has been driven primarily through the refinement and introduction of soybean and corn oils. And a corresponding change occurs in the human body. Studies analyzing subcutaneous fat stores have shown a 2.5-fold increase in linoleic acid concentrations in US adults since the mid-10th century. There has been a decrease in omega-3 intake a well, but the main driver of the 16:1 ratio common in US adults is the bottled seed oils. The typical ratio now is 15:1 up to 20:1. Consider the anthropoligical norm for homo sapiens is 1:1 to 4:1, you can see the problem. The article above said to take more omega-3, great, AND to correct the ratio – you will not be able to do it without reducing the seed oil. They are not dangerous by nature, but by context they are as serious as a heart attack as they say, literally. In the famous Lyons Heart Health Study in France, the diet successful at reducing heart attacks had many elements, but one of the outcomes is that they reduced the 6:3 ratio from the typical 10:1 or more in France to 4:1.
I started working the insulin resistance in the late 1990s. It was known at the time that the 6:3 ratio in the cells, along with a deficiency of the specific omega-3 fat DHA, promoted insulin resistance in the cells. In our teaching clinic, we developed an intervention we call The Oil Change. Really simple. Consume your oils from extra virgin olive oil, high-oleic safflower oil, butter, ghee, coconut, avocado, supplement fish oil. Throw out all the bottled seed oils. Avopid processed food that contain them. This is exactly the intervention recommended in the study – increase the essential omega-3, reduce the excessive omega-6 toward a healthier ratio. We've been using this intervention continually in our student body and clinics since 1999. In my nutrition classes at Naropa University, I had about 40 students do this change and journal their experiences and symptom changes. We have had at least 500 students make this change in our community, and report results. Results are typical, clear and distinct in 7-10 days. Improved skin, reduced inflammation, and improved cognitive function, less brain fog. This intervention has been a critical piece for our cases of corrected insulin resistance and diabetes, and resolution of various autoimmune conditions. And essential intervention to wean off NSAID. One result that surprised us was the common resolution of keratosis pilaris, red inflamed bumps on the back of the upper arms, within the same 7-10 period. My comments here are not coming from something I've read on a blog or in a few clinical studies. I can't remember a case where this did not benefit the student or patient, though the could have slipped past.
Anthropologically, homosapiens is not dependent on nuts or seeds for omega-6 fatty acids, and certainly not on concenrated oils, they are contained in a highly usable form in the arachidonic acid portion of animals fats. We do advocate nuts as seeds as critical parts of a nutrient dense diet, for the vegetable fat, protein, and mineral content.
In my previous post where I unwisely forwarded a meme about processed vegan food, I should have simply said this – Omega-3 deficiency, and excessive omega-6 in processed health foods is a critical problem for vegans, and invites a solution.
