Episode 67: Seed oils

Episode 67: Seed oils

Author: Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie March 11, 2025 Duration: 57:22

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. thinks that seed oils—like sunflower or soybean oil—are causing terrible damage to people’s health. And now he’s the US Health Secretary (wait, what?!) we should probably take him seriously.

In this episode of The Studies Show, Tom and Stuart trace the origins of the idea that seed oils are uniquely unhealthy, and look at all the best evidence from randomised trials on whether it’s remotely true.

The Studies Show is sponsored by Works in Progress magazine, where you can find detailed, beautifully-written essays on technology and progress. If you need something to read that’s full of unexpected and inspiring ideas about how science and technology can make the world better, you can be confident that you’ll find it at worksinprogress.co.

Show notes

* Joe Rogan’s interview with the aptly-named dietary influencer Paul Saladino

* A typical anonymous tweet about the supposed effects of seed oils

* Article about Ray Peat’s advice on how often to measure your temperature for optimum health

* Guardian article on RFK Jr. and his views on seed oils

* Dynomight on seed oils

* 2013 systematic review on linoleic acid and inflammation

* 2017 systematic review on randomised trials of linoleic acid

* 2015 meta-analysis of cohort studies looking at linoleic acid and coronary heart disease

* 2020 meta-analysis of saturated fat and health outcomes

* The safflower oil study beloved of seed oil worriers

* And the Minnesota Coronary Survey

Credits

We’re very grateful to Stevie Miller for helping us with the research for this episode. The Studies Show is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com/subscribe

Every week, Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie pull apart the biggest arguments and most confusing claims making headlines. Science Fictions isn't just about celebrating breakthroughs; it's a necessary dive into the messy, contested, and often surprising realities of how science actually works. You'll hear them unpack heated debates, examine questionable studies, and explore why even solid research can sometimes lead to public confusion. This podcast serves as a guide through the noise, separating compelling evidence from overblown narratives. Each episode feels like a conversation with two deeply informed friends who aren't afraid to ask tough questions, offering clarity on topics that matter. For anyone curious about the stories behind the science headlines, this is an essential listen. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that goes beyond the press release, grounded in a genuine fascination with how we know what we know.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Science Fictions
Podcast Episodes
Episode 99.5: Candidate genes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:09
Here’s another one for the annals of “entire scientific field becomes totally misguided for decades”. How could it have been possible that so many scientists fell for the idea of candidate genes—that there were individua…
Episode 99: Power posing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:01
For a while in the early-to-mid 2010s, the most prominent psychology research in the world was on power posing. Harvard’s Amy Cuddy did a TED talk that reached tens of millions; her exhortation to “fake it til you make i…
Paid-only episode 28: Tourette's syndrome [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:21
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.comHave you seen the award-winning film I Swear, about a Scottish man with Tourette’s? (The less said about what happened at the c…
Episode 98: Dark oxygen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
In 2024, researchers claimed to find something mysterious at the bottom of the ocean. It was “dark oxygen”—oxygen produced where there’s no chance of photosynthesis. So what could possibly be producing it?Natural batteri…
Episode 97: The 2D:4D digit ratio [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:23
The last few episodes have been pretty heavy. So here’s… well, here’s the 2D:4D ratio. Does the difference in length between your index finger and your ring finger reveal a huge amount about your personality (and much mo…
Paid-only episode 27: Antidepressants [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:06
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.comAnd now… following last week’s episode on ECT, here’s part two of our double episode on depression treatments. This time we’re…
Episode 96: Electroconvulsive therapy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:25
Open up some scientific papers, and you’ll hear electroconvulsive therapy described as the most effective treatment for depression (especially very severe depression). But open up others, and you’ll see it described as c…
Episode 95: Critical thinking [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:00
This episode is dedicated to Justin Eldridge.We like to think that, in often hamfisted ways, we’re applying critical thinking on this show. But what even is “critical thinking”? Can you measure it? Can you teach it to ki…
Episode 94: Medical marijuana [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:58
Here’s another episode that revists a topic we’ve covered before. A while back, we did an episode on the downsides of cannabis (for example, the risk of psychosis). But of course, a lot of people claim there are medical…
Paid-only episode 26: Microplastics redux [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:47
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.comIt’s rare that we return to a topic, but it’s also nice to have been right. In 2024 we did an episode on microplastics, and cas…