A prominent doctor is shedding light on the controversy surrounding seed oils — and highlighting some unexpected dietary culprits that may pose even greater health risks.
Oils derived from seeds like canola, sunflower, corn, and grapeseed have become a flashpoint in global nutrition debates, with many experts raising red flags about their potential to trigger inflammation — a key factor in serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, and mood disorders.
During his brief run for the presidency, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who also served as Health Secretary, denounced seed oils as a hidden danger in the American diet, urging the public to switch to traditional fats like lard and tallow.
But according to Dr Mark Hyman, a respected family doctor, the reality is more nuanced. In a conversation with Dr Andrew Huberman on the Huberman Lab podcast, Dr Hyman explained that the evidence around seed oils is far from conclusive, and that using them in cooking may actually be less harmful than commonly used animal fats such as butter or bacon grease.
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He said: “The theory behind seed oils is that it’s Omega 6 rich. It’s imbalanced with Omega 3. It causes inflammation. The way they’re produced and grown is problematic. They’re usually GMO crops.
“Would I want to eat an industrial food product? Probably not. Do we know for sure that it’s a problem? I think the data is mixed.”
He added: “Don’t eat butter with a bagel, put it on your broccoli because the saturated fat-refined starch combo is what’s killing us.”
Dr Hyman recommends incorporating nutrient-rich whole-food fats into your diet to maintain optimal health. These include avocados, coconut, fish, olive oil, and nuts, all key elements of the renowned Mediterranean eating pattern.
A study from Harvard University, released in March 2025, followed over 200,000 adults for three decades and uncovered significant findings.
The research revealed that individuals who opted to cook with seed oils instead of butter had a lower overall risk of death, including from conditions like heart disease and cancer.
In contrast, those who regularly used butter had a heightened risk of dying from cancer or other causes.
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Researchers were shocked to learn that simply replacing less than one tablespoon of butter with an equivalent amount of seed oil led to a 17% reduction in death risk — a finding they described as a “remarkable impact on health.”
The study’s authors believe this could be due to the lower saturated fat content in seed oils compared to butter.
Saturated fat has long been associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and certain cancers.
Author Dr Daniel Wang said: “People might want to consider that a simple dietary swap — replacing butter with soybean or olive oil — can lead to significant long-term health benefits.
“From a public health perspective, this is a substantial number of deaths from cancer or from other chronic diseases that could be prevented.”
