What MAHA’s crusade against seed oils reveals about flaws in America’s food system Critics of corn, canola, and similar oils find fertile ground in a nation beset by chronic disease and rising distrust

https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/12/are-seed-oils-bad-for-you-examining-science-behind-claims-maha-movement-rfk/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_gGpBXmtHyt8i7KDtec9WszsLEqV7CbCM_4jmWGmUW4phD6JZGPdafesAPS70uJDcz42bsywtBOmT1a-bTfIzGpUOYuw&_hsmi=346888503&utm_content=346888503&utm_source=hs_email You’ve probably heard of seed oils by now. It’s a new term to describe old products — think corn or canola oil — derived from the fats squeezed from vegetable seeds, which are then refined with heat and chemical solvents. “Seed oils are one of the most unhealthy ingredients that we have in foods,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asserted in an interview with Fox News last fall. A number of leaders within the MAHA movement have warned about the health effects of seed oils. But scientific consensus is that there’s no clear evidence that these oils are harmful. And in fact, switching to alternatives like butter or lard, as those folks often recommend, is likely worse. But there’s something more to be learned from this backlash, STAT’s Sarah Todd writes. These fears have taken root amid rising concerns about possible links between industrial food processes and chronic disease, as the public grows more distrustful about everything from how their food is produced to the government’s ability to ensure its safety. Read more from Sarah about the history of seed oils, their skeptics, and the crisis of trust we find ourselves in. https://www.statnews.com/2024/09/11/ultra-processed-foods-health-nih-research-kevin-hall-controlled-trials/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--IChKT_AyDK5rQnzF6Q5j1NmEy63qQnsaBZT_6351gzgKNF6OuX4k4-PEXHn-vJqtjNPUdEpqWhUnmJ60DeWsQmosSsQ&_hsmi=346888503&utm_content=346888503&utm_source=hs_email