Industrial Seed Oils: A Silent Killer
The prevalence of industrial seed oils continues to grow day by day. Packaged foods almost always contain one or more seed oils within the ingredient list. Although seed oils continue to be a staple food ingredient in American culture, many individuals do not question the oil’s silent uprising alongside a downward trend of good health among individuals.
History of Industrial Seed Oils
The infamous industrial seed oils emerged in the late 1800s as a less expensive version of animal fats to cut costs for increased profit and spread production to sizeable lengths. The endosperm of the plant is the source of the oil. Examples of seed oils include vegetable, canola, corn, soybean, palm, and many more.
At first, soap manufacturers held total control of seed oil consumption. Procter and Gamble solidified their spot as the most prominent contributor to paving the way for the future of seed oils by igniting the trend of seed oils in soaps. The reasoning behind the incorporation of seed oils was the fact that cotton farming actively produced a byproduct of cottonseed oil. Procter and Gamble saw the byproduct as a simple business opportunity.
In the early 1900s, Procter and Gamble received information that their new ingredient in soap could be used in food. The monumental discovery of a new food ingredient directly created the Crisco commodity. To spread the new invention, many marketing tactics such as widespread advertising, free Crisco cooking guides, and samples offered to nearly everyone led to a change in society.
Years later, Procter & Gamble gave a small group of cardiologists (members of the American Heart Association) $1.5 million. As a result of the generous donation, the AHA pushed a new perception of an organization focused on improving heart health. With this, the AHA was eager to support industrial seed oils, rebranding them as “vegetable oils”.
Prior to Procter and Gambles’s donation, the first heart attack was documented in a medical journal in 1912. The birth of a new risk imposed on the American people led to the creation of the American Heart Association in 1924. The AHA was poorly funded and did not receive much traction until Procter and Gamble’s donation. As the AHA began to become more well known nationally, especially with President Eisenhower’s heart attack in the mid-1950s, the AHA recommended that everyone replace saturated fats (animal fats) with polyunsaturated fats. The association’s reasoning behind this statement was the increase in cardiovascular issues. However, before the introduction of polyunsaturated fats, heart disease was not even thought about or required any medical or societal attention.
Ironically, the consumption of saturated fats stayed consistent decades later despite the AHA’s misinformed statement.
The Governments Push
Business did not only contribute to the transfer of animal fats to seed oils; the government heavily pushed the idea of seed oils onto society.
The government began to subsidize crops such as corn and soybeans. As subsidies enabled the mass production of crops, prices dropped. As prices dropped, manufacturers began to incorporate the crops in everything to save money and reduce the supply of over-produced commodities.
One of the direct effects of the increased production was the furthering of the byproduct market. Farmers and business owners began to understand the potential of oil, similar to Procter and Gamble with cottonseed oil.
Prior to Oil Extraction
To start, the grains from some of the seed oils prove to be a health risk before the process of oil extraction.
Numerous sources and clear collections of data point away from the majority of the subsidized crops. The cheap prices entice consumers away from the non-subsidized foods, which prove to be healthier (fruits and some vegetables).
The government subsidies naturally affect humans, but also additionally affect the livestock. For example, cattle are often fed corn and soybean mixtures despite the numerous benefits of grass-fed beef. Not only does grass-fed beef contain more nutrients, grass-fed beef cancels out the bioaccumulation (organisms accumulating a higher concentration of a chemical found in nature) of pesticides often sprayed onto grain-emphasized feeds. Eggs have a similar effect when the carriers are fed varying diets.
The Start of Oil Extraction
To get back on track with the analysis and discussion of seed oils, each oil presents a plethora of concerns. The process of oil extraction starts off with the heating of the seeds to extreme degrees of temperature. A direct effect of this is oxidation (seed oils contain linoleic acid which is known for its quick oxidation nature unlike oleic acid (found in olive oil) which is 40x less susceptible to oxidation).
For years, scientists were stumped over the reasoning behind why humans and naked mole rats lived longer than they should have. A.J. Hulbert concluded that the more fatty acids an animal’s membrane composition contained, the longer the animal lived. The fatty acids contributed to helping the cell resist cell oxidation. A naked mole rat presents a membrane rich in fatty acids which explains why naked mole rats live longer than expected. Membrane composition relates back to seed oils in that seed oils oxidize quickly. When one consumes seed oils, they are changing their membrane composition and weakening their membrane’s defense of oxidation (aging).
The 4-HNE Aldehyde
Seed oils are made up of polyunsaturated fats which offer a quicker oxidation process than saturated fats. As the polyunsaturated fats oxidize, they leave an aldehyde referred to by 4-HNE.
Aldehydes expose the human body to toxins (the human body contains aldehyde metabolization systems to convert aldehydes to less problematic chemicals).
A medical study demonstrated the risk of 4-HNE by illustrating how 4-HNE is associated with “cancer, Alzheimer, diabetes, and cardiovascular and inflammatory complications.”
Seed Oils Connection to Alzheimer’s
The correlation between seed oils and Alzheimer's further proved to be a possible connection with the medical work of Tetsumori Yamashima’s. Temple University took research a step further with an analysis of mice when fed a tablespoon of canola oil over a span of 12 months. After 12 months, Temple University found that the mice lost a sense of awareness and began to forget memorization of mazes.
Although the Alzheimer's to seed oils connection has limited medical understanding, there is a direct correlation that must be recognized.
The Minnesota Coronary Survey
Moreover, a rigorous clinical trial was executed by Ivan Frantz called the “Minnesota Coronary Survey.”
The trial consisted of over 9000 individuals who were fed different diets. One group was fed a diet consisting of polyunsaturated fats while the other group was fed a diet consisting of saturated fats.
Over the course of almost 5 years, Ivan Frantz learned that while the group that was fed saturated fats had higher cholesterol, they were outliving the group of individuals that was fed polyunsaturated fats.
While the general public believes cholesterol to generally be a “negative thing,” good cholesterol and bad cholesterol exist. Trans fat (which is also present in industrial seed oils) exercises this existence by: “increases your “bad” cholesterol and lowers your “good” cholesterol.”
Prevalence Today
Today, consumers are challenged with the conflict of trying to eat without the consumption of seed oils. One can take a stroll through any grocery store to find that 99% of packaged goods relate back to the use of seed oils. The difficulty of finding affordable food that’s easily accessible to everyone leads to a sense of laziness among the American population.
With the continuation of nutrition and wellness moving away from the traditional “heart healthy” diet, individuals must also move away from traditional practices to truly maximize lifespan and health. Heart disease, obesity, and other salient maladies are becoming more and more normalized as society becomes less and less interested in understanding the nature of the typical American diet. Society must come together to end the uprise of illness.
