Nicolette: 0:01

Welcome to the Health Pulse, your go-to source for quick, actionable insights on health, wellness and diagnostics. Whether you're looking to optimize your well-being or stay informed about the latest in medical testing, we've got you covered. Join us as we break down key health topics in just minutes. Let's dive in.

Mark: 0:20

You know, when people think about eating healthier, the focus is often on sugar right or maybe cutting carbs, avoiding saturated fat.

Rachel: 0:31

Yeah, those are the usual suspects.

Mark: 0:32

But there's this other kind of fat, these polyunsaturated fats, specifically from seed oils like soybean, corn, sunflower oil, that have just well exploded in our diets over the last century or so.

Rachel: 0:44

Exactly, and often without much fanfare or discussion. Really.

Mark: 0:49

So for this deep dive, we really want to unpack that for you Understand this big shift.

Rachel: 0:53

We're going to look into these seed oils the common ones you see in those big plastic bottles in the supermarket you know and explore what the science is suggesting about their links to potential health issues.

Mark: 1:03

Things like soybean corn canola Right. They're very high in a type of omega-6 fat, specifically something called linoleic acid, and our mission here really is to help you understand the science. Is there a connection between these oils and things like obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, maybe even heart problems?

Rachel: 1:21

And why might that be happening? We'll get into the biology a bit.

Mark: 1:24

Yeah, and, importantly, offer some practical ways you can think about reducing any potential risks without suggesting anything too extreme.

Rachel: 1:31

It's worth asking why they became so common in the first place. A big part of it is cost. They are really cheap to produce. Plus, they have a long shelf life and a pretty neutral taste, which makes them very useful for food manufacturers.

Mark: 1:45

So they end up in tons of processed foods.

Rachel: 1:48

Tons and restaurant cooking too. They're kind of everywhere.

Mark: 1:50

And get this statistic. I saw in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that our intake of this linoleic acid has apparently jumped by over 200 percent since the early 1900s.

Rachel: 2:01

Wow, that's a staggering increase Really highlights how much our food environment has changed. It really does, and you know, for a long time these oils were actually promoted as heart healthy because they can lower LDL cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol.

Mark: 2:16

Right, I remember hearing that.

Rachel: 2:18

But that might not be the full story. We need to consider other factors like oxidation, damage to the fats themselves and inflammation, and how they affect our overall metabolic health, especially when we're consuming them in such huge quantities and potentially out of balance with other fats.

Mark: 2:35

It's almost shocking when you start reading labels. These oils pop up in places you wouldn't expect.

Rachel: 2:39

Oh, absolutely Packaged snacks, cookies, crackers.

Mark: 2:43

Salad dressings, mayonnaise, pretty much anything fried.

Rachel: 2:46

Even things that sound healthy, like some granola bars or breakfast cereals and a lot of those processed foods marketed as healthy alternatives.

Mark: 2:55

They can be really hidden, can't they?

Rachel: 2:56

Very much, so you really have to look for them.

Mark: 2:58

OK, so let's define them clearly. What exactly are we talking about when we say seed oils?

Rachel: 3:04

Basically, these are vegetable oils that have been extracted from seeds. I think soybeans, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, canola or rapeseed.

Mark: 3:15

And the key is, they're refined using industrial methods.

Rachel: 3:18

Yes, typically involving heat chemicals, bleaching, deodorizing. It's quite a process and, as we said, they're relatively new in the human diet on this scale. A century ago they just weren't a major factor.

Mark: 3:32

People used more traditional fats.

Rachel: 3:33

Things like butter, lard, tallow, olive oil, fats that have been around for much, much longer.

Mark: 3:40

Got it Now. You mentioned omega-6 fats and linoleic acid. Let's break that down. Are omega-6 fats bad?

Rachel: 3:47

Not inherently. No. Linoleic acid, the main omega-6 in these oils, is actually an essential fatty acid.

Mark: 3:52

Meaning our bodies can't make it.

Rachel: 3:54

Correct. We need to get some from our diet. It's important for things like cell membranes, skin health, producing certain hormone-like substances. We need some.

Mark: 4:01

Okay, so the problem isn't the omega-6 itself.

Rachel: 4:05

It substances. We need some, okay. So the problem isn't the omega-6 itself. It's the excess, the sheer quantity we're getting now and, crucially, the imbalance it creates with another type of essential fat, the omega-3s.

Mark: 4:11

Ah, the omega-3s, like from fish oil.

Rachel: 4:13

Exactly. The problem is too much omega-6, especially linoleic acid, and often not enough omega-3 to counterbalance it.

Mark: 4:20

Okay, let's dive into that mechanism. You eat linoleic acid. What happens next?

Rachel: 4:24

Your body can convert some of that linoleic acid into another fatty acid called arachidonic acid, and arachidonic acid is then used to create compounds called eicosanoids. Now, some of these eicosanoids are pro-inflammatory.

Mark: 4:38

Pro-inflammatory, so they promote inflammation.

Rachel: 4:40

Yes, think of inflammation. Like your body's first response team, it rushes to the site of an injury or infection. That's acute inflammation and it's good. It's necessary for healing.

Mark: 4:51

Like when you get a cut and it gets red and swollen for a bit.

Rachel: 4:53

Precisely, that's your immune system doing its job, but the issue is when that inflammatory response doesn't switch off properly, when it becomes chronic, simmering away at a low level all the time.

Mark: 5:06

And that's linked to health problems.

Rachel: 5:08

That chronic low-grade inflammation is implicated in a whole host of modern diseases Heart disease, metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, various autoimmune conditions, even non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD.

Mark: 5:25

And research suggests that getting too much linoleic acid might fuel this chronic inflammation.

Rachel: 5:29

Yes, studies like those published in journals such as Prostaglandins, leukotrinis and Essential Fatty Acids suggest that excessive linoleic acid can increase markers of oxidative stress.

Mark: 5:41

Oxidative stress like internal resting.

Rachel: 5:44

That's a decent analogy. Yeah, cellular damage it can also disrupt signaling within our cells and promote inflammation, specifically within our fat tissue, and this seems to be particularly problematic if omega-3 intake is low.

Mark: 5:57

Okay, that makes sense. You also mentioned oxidation of the fats themselves.

Rachel: 6:01

Right, this is another key point that makes sense. You also mentioned oxidation of the fats themselves, right, this is another key point. Polyunsaturated fats, by their chemical nature, are less stable than saturated or monounsaturated fats. They're more prone to reacting with oxygen.

Mark: 6:11

Especially with heat, light or air.

Rachel: 6:13

Exactly During industrial processing, storage, and particularly during high-heat cooking like frying, these oils can oxidize.

Mark: 6:20

And when they oxidize, they form. What was it? Ox-lams.

Rachel: 6:23

Oxidized linoleic acid metabolites yes, ox-lams for short. Think of things like 4-HNE or 9-Hanitin. These are specific examples.

Mark: 6:30

And these OX-LAMs? They're not good.

Rachel: 6:33

No, they're considered quite problematic. They can damage the lining of our blood vessels, the endothelium. They're implicated in the development of atherosclerosis, which is hardening of the arteries, and they generally ramp up inflammation.

Mark: 6:46

Wow. So it's not just the amount, but also the quality and stability of these fats.

Rachel: 6:51

That's a huge part of the concern. Yes, especially with processed oils and fried foods.

Mark: 6:56

Okay, let's circle back to that omega-6 to omega-3 ratio you mentioned.

Rachel: 7:03

Why is that balance so important? Because both omega and omega three fatty acids compete for the same enzymes and pathways in our body, particularly those involved in managing inflammation.

Mark: 7:11

They use the same machinery.

Rachel: 7:12

Essentially yes. When they're in a healthy balance, they work together. Omega six derived signals can turn inflammation on when needed, and omega three derived signals tend to help resolve it, turn it off. It's a regulated system.

Mark: 7:24

Like a thermostat for inflammation.

Rachel: 7:25

Kind of yeah, but what's happened in our modern diets? Ancestral diets, or diets before the industrial food revolution, are estimated to have had an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio somewhere between, say, 1 to 1 and maybe 4 to 1.

Mark: 7:40

Much more balanced.

Rachel: 7:41

Absolutely Now. The typical Western diet loaded with seed oils often has a ratio estimated at 15 to one, 20 to one, sometimes even higher.

Mark: 7:48

That's dramatic shift.

Rachel: 7:50

It's huge, and the concern is that this massive imbalance skews the system heavily towards producing more pro-inflammatory signals.

Mark: 7:59

So the on switch is jammed.

Rachel: 8:01

That's one way to think about it. This imbalance is linked to that increased risk of metabolic issues. We talked about problems with insulin sensitivity, heart disease and potentially making conditions like autoimmune diseases or even brain inflammation worse.

Mark: 8:14

I remember reading a review I think it was his biomedicine and pharmacotherapy suggesting that simply improving this ratio, primarily by lowering omega-6 intake, could be a key strategy for reducing chronic disease risk.

Rachel: 8:27

That's the idea by reducing the overall inflammatory burden and allowing cells to function more optimally. It's a powerful concept for people to consider.

Mark: 8:35

And you mentioned just adding more omega-3s might not be enough.

Rachel: 8:38

It might not be the whole solution if the omega-6 intake remains extremely high. It might not be the whole solution if the omega-6 intake remains extremely high, that linoleic acid can accumulate in our cell membranes and body fat over time.

Mark: 8:48

So it sticks around.

Rachel: 8:49

It can for months or even years. So even if you add omega-3s, if you're constantly flooding the system with linoleic acid, especially the oxidized forms, you might still have issues. It's like trying to clean up a spill while the tap is still running full blast.

Mark: 9:05

So maybe focusing on reducing the source of the excess omega-6, the seed oils, is a more effective starting point for many people.

Rachel: 9:13

That seems to be a growing perspective. Yes, address the overload first.

Mark: 9:16

This could be relevant for people whose standard blood tests look okay. Maybe cholesterol is fine, but they're still struggling with, say, visceral belly fat or have inflammatory conditions popping up.

Rachel: 9:26

Exactly Things like certain thyroid conditions, lupus, sarcoidosis. These conditions often have an inflammatory component.

Mark: 9:33

And the idea is that these dietary fats, maybe the seed oils, could act as a trigger.

Rachel: 9:38

They could be an environmental factor. Yes, especially in individuals who might already have a genetic predisposition, Diet seems to play a significant role in modulating that underlying susceptibility through inflammation.

Mark: 9:50

OK, let's talk more directly about the links to specific chronic diseases. You mentioned the parallel rise of seed oil consumption and chronic illness over the last century illness over the last century?

Rachel: 10:04

Yes, specifically oils like soybean, corn, cotton seeds, sunflower have seen massive increases in consumption, coinciding with rises in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

Mark: 10:11

But correlation isn't causation right.

Rachel: 10:13

Absolutely Crucial point. Yeah, just because two trends happen together doesn't prove one caused the other. However, there is a growing amount of mechanistic research suggesting plausible biological links.

Mark: 10:24

Okay, let's start with metabolic dysfunction, things like insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, NEFLD. What's the proposed connection?

Rachel: 10:30

As we've touched on, excess linoleic acid is a link to inflammation in the fat tissue itself. This can interfere with insulin signaling, making cells less responsive to insulin.

Mark: 10:40

Leading towards insulin resistance.

Rachel: 10:42

Potentially, yes, less responsive to insulin, leading towards insulin resistance. Potentially, yes, there's also the buildup of those OX lambs, those oxidized byproducts. They've been directly implicated in the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. They seem to be quite toxic to liver and pancreatic cells.

Mark: 10:56

And this isn't just theoretical.

Rachel: 10:58

No Animal studies have shown high linoleic acid diets can promote adiposity fat gain, especially around the organs, and metabolic inflexibility, meaning the body struggles to switch between burning carbs and fats efficiently, even if the animals aren't overeating calories.

Mark: 11:13

What about human studies?

Rachel: 11:14

Human observational studies have linked higher linoleic acid intake, or higher levels in tissues, with markers like higher fasting insulin, higher triglycerides in the blood and increased fat accumulation in the liver.

Mark: 11:27

Okay, what about cardiovascular disease, Heart health you mentioned? This story is more complex than just lowering LDL.

Rachel: 11:34

Right. While replacing saturated fats with PUFAs often lowers LDL cholesterol, the focus is shifting. Newer research looks at LDL oxidation. Is that LDL becoming damaged? And also endothelial function? How healthy is the lining of our blood vessels and overall inflammation? High omega-6 intake might negatively affect these aspects.

Mark: 11:55

So lower LDL might not matter if it's damaged LDL or if your arteries aren't working well.

Rachel: 11:59

That's the concern. Some studies find higher levels of oxidized LDL and impaired artery function in people with high linoleic acid consumption, especially if their omega-3 levels are low.

Mark: 12:10

And you mentioned that Minnesota Coronary Experiment reanalysis.

Rachel: 12:13

Yes, that was quite striking. It was a randomized controlled trial from the late 60s and early 70s. They replaced saturated fat with corn oil high in linoleic acid and cholesterol. They replaced saturated fat with corn oil high in linoleic acid. Lean cholesterol went down. It did LDL cholesterol levels decreased in the corn oil group. But when researchers reanalyzed the data years later, including unpublished data, they found that despite lower cholesterol, the corn oil group actually had a higher risk of death overall, and specifically from coronary heart disease, compared to the control group eating more saturated fat.

Mark: 12:42

Wow, that definitely challenges the simple lower cholesterol is always better idea.

Rachel: 12:46

It certainly adds significant nuance and raises questions about the potential downsides of very high linoleic acid intake, even if it lowers LDL.

Mark: 12:55

Okay and quickly, on autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.

Rachel: 12:59

The connection there is mainly through that chronic inflammation pathway. High omega-6 intake, especially from processed oils, is linked to higher levels of pro-inflammatory signaling molecules in the body, things like IL-6, tnf-alpha and those pro-inflammatory eicosanoids we discussed. Creating a more inflammatory internal environment and this constantly heightened inflammatory state is thought to potentially contribute to the initiation or worsening of autoimmune diseases, where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues.

Mark: 13:34

Think rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ibd, thyroiditis, so again, well, genetics are important.

Rachel: 13:37

Diet and environment, particularly factors that drive systemic inflammation like potentially excessive seed oil intake, are likely key modulators in determining who develops these conditions and how severe they become.

Mark: 13:49

So the overall picture, while needing more human trials, points towards high intake of omega-6 rich seed oils, potentially contributing to chronic inflammation and long-term disease risk.

Rachel: 13:59

Especially within the context of the modern, often unbalanced diet that seems to be where the evidence is heading.

Mark: 14:05

Let's zoom in even closer on that inflammation pathway. How does it work at the cell level? How do these fats interact with our immune system and maybe even our genes?

Rachel: 14:13

Okay, so we start with linoleic acid from the diet. Step one, as we said, is conversion to arachidonic acid.

Nicolette: 14:19

Right.

Rachel: 14:19

This AA gets incorporated into the membranes, the outer layers of our cells. It's stored there Just waiting Pretty much. Then, when there's a trigger stress, injury, infection the immune system signals for this AA to be released from the membrane.

Mark: 14:34

Okay.

Rachel: 14:35

Once released, enzymes act on the AA to convert it into those signaling molecules. The eicosanoids Examples include certain prostaglandins like PGE2, leukotrienes and thromboxanes.

Mark: 14:47

And these are the molecules that drive the acute inflammatory response.

Rachel: 14:50

Yes, they orchestrate things like blood vessel dilation, pain signaling, clotting, attracting immune cells to the area, all crucial for short-term healing.

Mark: 14:58

But the problem is the chronic oversupply.

Rachel: 15:00

Precisely when you have chronically high levels of AA in your cell membranes due to constant high linoleic acid intake, this whole pathway can become overactive. It's like the system is always primed to react, leading to that low-grade systemic inflammation which contributes to endothelial dysfunction, altered immune responses, insulin resistance and general metabolic stress.

Mark: 15:20

Okay, that pathway makes sense. Now bring in those AUCXLAMs again. How do they contribute to the inflammation?

Rachel: 15:27

Remember, these OXXLAMs like 4-HNE-9-HO, are formed when the seed oils themselves oxidize, during processing, storage or especially heating, like frying Got it. These compounds are directly toxic and pro-inflammatory. They are known to damage cell membranes, impair mitochondrial function, the energy factories in our cells, and they actively promote atherosclerosis and liver damage.

Mark: 15:50

So they add insult to injury, basically.

Rachel: 15:52

You could say that they also activate a key genetic switch called NFKB.

Mark: 15:57

NFKB.

Rachel: 15:58

It's a transcription factor, essentially a master controller that turns on a wide range of inflammatory genes. So Auk-X-LAMs directly fuel the fire at a genetic level.

Mark: 16:07

And you mentioned, they've actually been found in disease tissues.

Rachel: 16:10

Yes, Resurfers have detected Auk-X-LAMs within atherosclerotic plaques in arteries, in fatty liver tissue and in inflamed adipose fat tissue. This strongly supports their role in the disease process itself.

Mark: 16:21

And lastly, this idea of epigenetic activation triggering genes.

Rachel: 16:25

Yeah, this is another layer the overall cellular stress caused by this chronic inflammation, the oxidative stress, the presence of AugX lambs all of this can influence epigenetics.

Mark: 16:36

Which isn't changing the genes themselves, but how they're expressed.

Rachel: 16:39

Exactly. It's about turning genes on or off or dialing their activity up or down, without altering the underlying DNA sequence. So, in individuals who might be genetically susceptible to autoimmunity, certain inflammatory disorders or even some cancers, this chronic inflammatory environment, driven partly by excess linoleic acid and its byproducts, might act as an environmental trigger.

Mark: 17:02

Pushing a predisposition over the edge, potentially.

Rachel: 17:05

That's the hypothesis. It could initiate or accelerate disease processes that might have otherwise remained dormant or developed much later or less severely.

Mark: 17:13

Okay, that paints a pretty detailed picture of the potential mechanisms. It's complex, but it seems to center around inflammation and oxidation.

Rachel: 17:20

Largely yes.

Mark: 17:21

So, acknowledging all this, what do we do? It sounds like avoiding these oils completely is really hard.

Rachel: 17:27

It is. They're incredibly pervasive in the modern food supply, but the goal doesn't have to be complete avoidance for most people.

Mark: 17:34

Just reducing exposure.

Rachel: 17:35

Exactly Minimizing exposure, especially from the biggest sources like heavily processed foods and restaurant meals, can significantly lower your overall omega-6 intake and help nudge your body back towards a better inflammatory balance.

Mark: 17:49

Okay, practical step number one.

Rachel: 17:51

Cut back significantly on ultra-processed foods. This is probably the single biggest impact move.

Mark: 17:57

Because that's where most of it is hiding.

Rachel: 17:58

Yes, far more comes from packaged snacks, frozen dinners, commercial baked goods, fast foods, sauces, dressings, margarines, than from the oil you constantly add in your own kitchen.

Mark: 18:10

So rule one is read the ingredients. Yeah, Look for soybean, canola, corn, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed or just vegetable oil.

Rachel: 18:17

Absolutely Be a detective and try to shift towards eating more whole single ingredient foods whenever possible. Cooking more at home gives you control.

Mark: 18:26

Right. So step two if we are cooking at home, what should we use?

Rachel: 18:30

Opt for more stable fats. Extra virgin olive oil is great for lower heat cooking and dressings For higher heat. Things like cold pressed avocado oil, ghee, clarified butter, Butter itself, especially from grass fed cows, if possible, coconut oil, ghee, clarified butter, butter itself especially from grass fed cows, if possible, coconut oil or even traditional animal fats like beef, tallow or duck fat are good options.

Mark: 18:50

Why are those better?

Rachel: 18:52

They are generally richer in monounsaturated or saturated fats, which are more chemically stable and less prone to oxidizing when heated, compared to the polyunsaturated fats dominant in seed oils.

Mark: 19:03

Plus, they might help with feeling full.

Rachel: 19:05

Yes, they can contribute to satiety and potentially support metabolic flexibility too.

Mark: 19:10

Okay, any other strategies to support our bodies in handling these fats?

Rachel: 19:14

Ensuring adequate intake of certain nutrients can help. Magnesium is important. Vitamin E is a key antioxidant that protects fats, and getting plenty of polyphenols those colorful compounds in fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices can also support healthy inflammatory responses.

Mark: 19:28

And omega three still matter Definitely.

Rachel: 19:31

A moderate intake of omega threes from fatty fish like salmon or sardines, or from chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts or an algae oil supplement is still beneficial for balance and the basics still apply right Sleep, movement Absolutely. Don't forget the foundations Good sleep, regular physical activity, managing stress, supporting gut health. These all profoundly influence inflammation, independent of your fat intake.

Mark: 19:56

And it's crucial not to swing to another extreme, isn't it Not to start fearing all fat?

Rachel: 20:00

Precisely. The goal isn't fat phobia or eliminating every last milligram of omega-6. Linoleic acid is essential in small amounts. The focus is on reducing the chronic overexposure from highly processed sources.

Mark: 20:13

And recognizing nuances like maybe cold-pressed unrefined oils are different from reused deep fryer oil.

Rachel: 20:19

There are likely differences. Yes, context matters Ultimately, use your own health markers and how you feel as guides, rather than just following rigid dogma.

Mark: 20:26

So it's about thoughtful swaps and awareness, not a total diet revolution overnight.

Rachel: 20:31

Exactly Small, consistent changes. Being more mindful of processed food ingredients, choosing more stable cooking fats can lead cumulatively to lower inflammation, better metabolic health and improve long-term prospects inflammation, better metabolic health and improve long-term prospects.

Mark: 20:48

Okay, so to wrap this up, for everyone listening, the big takeaway seems to be that these common seed oils have become a huge source of omega-6 fats in our diets, way more than our bodies likely evolved to handle comfortably.

Rachel: 20:56

Right, and while some linoleic acid is necessary, this constant flood, particularly from processed and fried foods, appears to be contributing significantly to a pro-inflammatory state in the body.

Mark: 21:09

And that underlying inflammation is linked to so many chronic health issues.

Rachel: 21:12

Yes, the research is ongoing, of course, but the current body of evidence points towards excess seed oil intake contributing to oxidative stress, immune system dysregulation and metabolic problems, especially when combined with other lifestyle factors.

Mark: 21:25

And the message isn't fat is bad, but rather let's understand how modern food processing has changed the types and amounts of fats we eat and how they interact with our biology.

Rachel: 21:34

Well put. It's about finding a better balance that aligns more closely with our physiological needs.

Mark: 21:40

If someone listening is curious about their own status, are there ways to check?

Rachel: 21:44

You could potentially talk to your doctor about tests. Markers like high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, hscrp, can give an indication of general inflammation. Some labs can even measure the fatty acid profile in your blood cells, looking directly at the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio or levels of oxidized lipids, interesting, so there are ways to get a3 ratio or levels of oxidized lipids.

Mark: 22:04

Interesting, so there are ways to get a more personalized picture.

Rachel: 22:07

There can be yes.

Mark: 22:08

So a final thought for you listening, small, consistent changes really can make a difference. Being more aware of those hidden seed oils in processed foods, choosing healthier fats when you cook at home, prioritizing whole, unprocessed foods these actions can genuinely help lower your body's inflammatory burden and support better health from the inside out.

Rachel: 22:29

It really empowers you to take control. Consider how this information fits into your own life and eating patterns. Maybe start by just reading a few more labels this week.

Mark: 22:37

Great advice. It's definitely food for thought.

Nicolette: 22:44

Thanks for tuning into the health pulse. If you found this episode helpful, don't forget to subscribe and share it with someone who might benefit. For more health insights and diagnostics, visit us online at wwwquicklabmobilecom. Stay informed, stay healthy and we'll catch you in the next episode.