Science vs. Community: Who Do We Trust on Seed Oils?

This week, Seed World ran a piece arguing that seed oils are unfairly demonized, insisting that “the science is clear” on their safety. But here’s the tension: while researchers like Kristina Petersen highlight controlled trials and nutrient breakdowns, communities worldwide are voicing real concerns about long-term health impacts. Today’s issue dives into that clash—science vs. perception—and why we believe lived experience matters just as much as published data.

Seed World’s August 26 article claims the consensus is still in favor of seed oils. Petersen (Penn State) points out that linoleic acid doesn’t automatically drive inflammation, and that newer variants like high-oleic soybean oil even contain more “heart-friendly” omega-9. Surveys from Purdue suggest only ~20% of Americans actively avoid seed oils, signaling limited consumer resistance—at least for now.

While mainstream outlets highlight the “scientific consensus” around seed oils, this week we’re shining a light on independent professionals and researchers who dare to question it.

Our latest carousel post introduces some of the key Voices of the Movement—engineers, doctors, and nutrition thinkers who are independently researching the long-term effects of seed oils on human health.

This stands in sharp contrast to the article featured earlier, which leaned on institutional science to defend seed oils. Our icons show that outside the walls of academia and industry-funded studies, there’s a growing body of experts uncovering a very different story.

👉 Explore more about these leaders in our new website section: Our Icons

🙌 Share the carousel on your socials to help amplify these voices—because independent science deserves to be heard.

The Seed World piece assumes clinical trials and metabolic studies are the ultimate measure of truth. But here’s the issue: these studies are often short-term, done on small populations, and rarely account for cumulative, generational effects. Meanwhile, everyday people are reporting skin issues, digestive problems, and metabolic disorders tied to industrial oils.

Science says: “Seed oils don’t raise inflammation markers in the lab.”
Communities say: “Seed oils make us sick over decades of real life.”

This isn’t an anti-science stance—it’s a call to broaden the lens. Controlled trials matter, but so does epidemiology, anthropology, and the wisdom of communities reconnecting with natural, unprocessed fats.

We’re building a community-driven database of research, resources, and stories. If you’ve come across a study, article, or even a personal experience worth sharing, send it our way—we’ll review it and add it to the hub. You can also join the conversation on Reddit: r/StopEatingSeedOils. Together, we can balance the scales between science and lived truth.

Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter) and share what resonates.

Thanks for showing up early. The food system won’t fix itself — but together, we might.

— The SeedOil.com Team