Plant Seed Oils Are Misunderstood by Professor Brian Peskin

There is a lot about plant-seed oils in the news. It is mostly WRONG and very misleading. I encourage you to read my report, “The Scientific Calculation of the Optimum PEO Ratio”, for a clear understanding of the proper diet to maximize your health. Additionally, I thought it important to separately address the erroneous assertion that Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs) are harmful to your health. It is quite the contrary; they are ESSENTAIL to good health—you NEED lots of Parent omega-6 (organic / unprocessed / fully functional). Those that attack PUFAs wholesale need to revisit foundational scientific work. (Provided in the “Scientific Support” section)

Let’s unpack the argument that PUFAs are harmful to humans. I am sympathetic when people e-mail me, utterly confused by seemingly contradictory statements where both sides claim science is on their side. One side will typically ridicule the other and, in the latest example, calling into question Harvard Universities’ recommendation to consume vegetable oil as part of a healthy diet. Who do you believe? For many years I have repeatedly said do not believe people, believe the science. Easy to say, hard to accomplish because many in the nutrition field have mastered the art of appearing to use science to bolster their case. When they rely on only poorly conducted studies—bypassing critical physiology or medical biochemistry. To make matter even worse, they often don’t control requiring only one variable to be changed. They are participating in sham science, which gives utter garbage-based “conclusions.”

To keep it simple and easy to follow, I will provide the assertion by those claiming to be on the side of science and then I will give my science-based / fact-based response. Ultimately, it is your decision, but choose wisely because your health depends on it. Please note that well-established science that is “not open to discussion” is the basis for the responses. Further, the “Scientific Support” section provides some of the established science relied upon in the responses. It also has slides from a few of my

presentations to medical conferences and groups over the last twenty years.

Assertion: Saturated fats are stable molecules and are protective. Unsaturated fats are unstable and can cause a lot of damage when consumed in excess.

Response: Professor A. J. Hulbert, PhD, explains saturated fats are extremely stable. Unsaturated fats such as Parent omega-6 (linoleic acid / LA) are used throughout your body’s 100 trillion cells without issue.

Assertion: Vegetable oils, high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), can disrupt your metabolic rate, increase gut permeability, and induce gut dysbiosis and inflammation. High PUFA intake also shifts your gut microbiome, which can affect your overall health.

Response: The entire lining of the gut is epithelial tissue (ALL PARENT omega-6). This is simple human physiology. In fact, the common “leaky gut” syndrome is caused by insufficient consumption of unprocessed / fully functional Parent omega-6 (LA).

Assertion: High PUFA intake can also have a detrimental impact on your thyroid and metabolic health by affecting cells’ use of thyroid hormones.

Response: This is inaccurate. One must have a fundamental understanding of the distinction between processed seed oils typically used as cooking oils and unprocessed fully functional plant seed oils. Both are PUFAs. Unprocessed / fully functional PUFAs are essential for good health. If one does not know the difference, the “Scientific Support” section is critical reading.

Assertion: For optimal health, eat real, whole foods, and prioritize animal fats that are rich in stable, protective saturated fats

Response: This statement is an example of partly getting to the scientifically correct answer. Unfortunately, the statement is also dangerously wrong. Excessive saturated fat will not cause heart disease, but it will unbalance the important delta-6 desaturase pathway and decrease your output of PGE1. PGE1 is critically important since one of its functions is to regulate inflammation in the body and chronic systemic inflammation is an element of many intractable illnesses. Chronic, long-term inflammation is caused by processed cooking oils. This major article was published if anyone would care to look. [Halbleib, K., et al., “Activation of the Unfolded Protein Response by Lipid Bilayer Stress,” Molecular Cell, Vol. 67, Issue 4, pp 673-684.e8, August 17, 2017; “Molecular biologists discover an active role of membrane lipids in health and disease,” August 4, 2017, in biology / cell & microbiology, phys.org.

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