Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark
Episode: Everything You Need To Know About Seed Oils | Cate Shanahan, MD
Guest: Dr. Cate Shanahan, MD
Release Date: November 22, 2024

Introduction

In this enlightening episode of Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark, host Alex Clark engages in a deep dive into the controversial topic of seed oils with renowned physician-scientist Dr. Cate Shanahan. Dr. Shanahan, a Cornell-trained expert and bestselling author of Deep Nutrition and Dark Calories, brings over two decades of research to the table, challenging widely accepted nutritional guidelines and exposing the potentially harmful effects of vegetable oils on our health.

The Hidden Dangers of Seed Oils

[00:00] Dr. Shanahan: "The generation born today has less of a chance at optimal health than any generation in human history."

Dr. Shanahan opens the discussion by asserting that contemporary dietary habits, particularly the widespread use of seed oils, are undermining public health. She emphasizes that seed oils are prevalent in over 80% of foods and contribute about 30% of our daily caloric intake.

Key Points:

• Prevalence of Seed Oils: Found in various food products across all price ranges, from high-end to budget-friendly stores.
• Health Impact: Seed oils adversely affect major organs and tissues, including arteries, the brain, liver, and skin.

[01:00] Dr. Shanahan: "They are full of toxins when they leave the factory. ... vegetable oils are the most important toxin to avoid in the human diet."

Discussion: Dr. Shanahan explains that seed oils contain unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that oxidize, forming toxins that damage the body at multiple levels. She highlights the high concentration of toxic molecules generated during the extraction and refining processes, making these oils vastly more harmful than other environmental toxins like glyphosate.

Critique of the American Heart Association

[00:07] Host: "If we have all of this evidence about vegetable oils, why aren't they being banned from our food supply just like they did with trans fats?"

[00:14] Dr. Shanahan: "The problem is the American Heart association is controlling what doctors learn... absolutely corrupt organization that has no care or concern for human health."

Key Points:

• Influence on Medical Education: The American Heart Association (AHA) dictates nutritional guidelines, promoting vegetable oils as heart-healthy despite conflicting evidence.
• Historical Ties to Industry: Dr. Shanahan traces the promotion of seed oils back to the AHA's acceptance of funding from companies like Procter & Gamble, creators of hydrogenated cottonseed oil (e.g., Crisco).
• Consequences: The AHA's endorsement of seed oils led to their ubiquitous presence in the food supply, contributing to a surge in metabolic and inflammatory diseases.

Scientific Evidence Against Seed Oils

[03:29] Host: "Is there evidence to show that vegetable oils are really harmful to the body?"

[03:35] Dr. Shanahan: "There is so much evidence that this big fat book is only one of three equally big fat books that I've been filling with evidence over the past 20 years..."

Key Points:

• Comprehensive Research: Dr. Shanahan has amassed extensive evidence from toxicology, industry studies, and basic sciences illustrating the detrimental effects of seed oils.
• Oxidative Stress: Seed oils promote oxidative stress, leading to cellular damage and a host of chronic diseases.

[04:36] Dr. Shanahan: "They turn other chemicals in the bottle there called polyunsaturated fatty acids. They damage those and turn them into toxins... that's why I say vegetable oils are the most important toxin to avoid in the human diet."

Metabolic Damage and Chronic Diseases

[17:47] Dr. Shanahan: "Vegetable oils deplete our bodies of antioxidants... promoting all kinds of cellular imbalance and all diseases known to man."

Key Points:

• Antioxidant Depletion: Seed oils reduce the body's antioxidant defenses, leading to increased susceptibility to inflammatory and degenerative diseases.
• Insulin Resistance: Consumption of seed oils is linked to insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

[22:09] Dr. Shanahan: "Insulin resistance, and that's the known precursor to type 2 diabetes."

Debunking Common Myths

[07:24] Host: "Why would the American Heart Association promote seed oils as healthier than, say, beef tallow or butter?"

[07:44] Dr. Shanahan: "Is because of money, of course... the American Heart association runs the nutrition conversation."

Key Points:

• Economic Motivations: Financial incentives from the vegetable oil industry influenced the AHA's nutritional recommendations.
• Shift from Animal Fats to Seed Oils: Initially, trans fats like hydrogenated cottonseed oil replaced animal fats based on flawed health premises, only to later introduce even more toxic liquid seed oils.

[15:52] Host: "But the irony is that the vegetable oils that were created to curb heart attacks actually are causing heart attacks. Is that correct?"

[16:00] Dr. Shanahan: "Yes, they cause heart attacks. They contribute to every metabolic disease... every inflammatory disease, every degenerative disease that is known to medicine."

Alternative Cooking Oils and Recommendations

[27:32] Host: "So we know what seed oils we should not cook with or have as ingredients in our food. What are the things that we should be cooking our food in?"

[27:41] Dr. Shanahan: "Butter, olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil."

Key Points:

• Preferred Oils: Dr. Shanahan recommends using unrefined, virgin oils such as butter, extra virgin olive oil, and coconut oil for cooking.
• Smoke Point Myth: She challenges the commonly held belief that certain oils have limiting smoke points, arguing that this concept was manufactured by the vegetable oil industry to promote refined oils.

[28:22] Dr. Shanahan: "It's just a better quality. It has nutrients in it, and by golly, it's what people have always been eating."

Impact on Weight Loss and Metabolic Health

[31:16] Host: "We're told a calorie is a calorie. Calories in, calories out. Why is this some of the worst advice to give somebody who is trying to lose weight?"

[31:26] Dr. Shanahan: "Because... when your metabolism is damaged by vegetable oils and you have insulin resistance... your cells are deprived... forcing your cells to subsist on this body fat that doesn't give their cells energy."

Key Points:

• Caloric Quality Over Quantity: Dr. Shanahan emphasizes that not all calories are equal; the type of fat consumed affects metabolic health.
• Insulin Resistance and Weight Loss: Simply reducing calorie intake without addressing the underlying insulin resistance caused by seed oils can lead to further metabolic damage and unintended loss of muscle and essential tissues.

Call to Action: Educate and Reform

[56:38] Dr. Shanahan: "Appreciate those people who make food from scratch... Cherish tax breaks... learn how to cook it."

Key Points:

• Support Local Farmers and Cooks: Dr. Shanahan urges listeners to value and support individuals who prepare whole, unprocessed foods.
• Policy and Education Reform: She calls for systemic changes to promote traditional food practices and reduce dependency on harmful seed oils.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Alex Clark reinforcing the critical insights shared by Dr. Cate Shanahan. Listeners are encouraged to read her books, Deep Nutrition and Dark Calories, for a comprehensive understanding of the impact of seed oils on health and practical guidance on adopting a healthier diet. The conversation underscores the intersection of nutrition, politics, and public health, advocating for a collective effort to dismantle misleading dietary guidelines and embrace wholesome, traditional food sources.

Notable Quote:

[00:00] Dr. Shanahan:
"The generation born today has less of a chance at optimal health than any generation in human history."

Resources Mentioned:

• Deep Nutrition by Dr. Cate Shanahan
• Dark Calories: How Vegetable Oils Destroy Our Health and How We Can Get It Back by Dr. Cate Shanahan

Stay Connected: Subscribe to Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark on YouTube, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform. Follow us on Instagram for daily tips on healing a sick culture physically, mentally, and spiritually.