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rocessed seed and vegetable oils – such as soy, canola, sunflower, corn, peanut, grapeseed and safflower – are ubiquitous in the American diet. These oils have also been linked to various health issues, with a growing body of research backing it up.
Ophthalmologist Dr. Chris Knobbe expounded on the dangers of these oils in a presentation he delivered at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Colorado. According to Knobbe, the founder of the nonprofit Cure AMD Foundation, the proliferation of seed and vegetable oils in Western diets is nothing short of a “global human experiment … without informed consent.”
First, he cited that the high consumption of omega-6 fatty acid, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), can negate the positive effect of the healthier omega-3 fatty acids. The latter can be found in fatty fish, walnuts and chia seeds. Meanwhile, seed oils are abundant sources of omega-6.
A review published in Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes & Essential Fatty Acids noted that a diet high in omega-6 “inhibits the anti-inflammatory and inflammation-resolving effect of the omega-3 fatty acids.” Knobbe’s presentation also touched on inflammation, saying that it is “the body’s healing response” and that “it is the consequence, not the cause, of disease.”
Second, Knobbe mentioned that the fats in seed and vegetable oils tend to oxidize very easily. This can promote the spread of free radicals, molecules that damage DNA in the body.
