Social media suggests seed oils — like canola — are bad for you. More science is saying otherwise

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There's a sizzling debate on social media over seed oils, with some people adamantly claiming they are unhealthy.

But new research, which expands on previous studies in this area, finds that they could reduce your risk of an early death. 

Adding fuel to the social media controversy is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who has also taken aim at seed oils.

In October, he posted on social media platform X, claiming that seed oils are poisoning Americans and are a driving cause of obesity. 

Health experts continue to push back, saying seed oils are, in fact, not toxic. And they say it's processed foods, not the oils themselves, that are the problem. 

According to a vast majority of research, says Robert Bazinet, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, seed oils "aren't as bad as everyone is saying that they are." 

And he points to an extensive new study as another example of research that says plant-based oils are linked to better long-term health. But before diving into that, let's break down some of the controversy. 

Often known as cooking or vegetable oils, seed oils come from the seeds of plants such as canola, corn, soybeans or sunflowers. 

The oils have a high concentration of omega-6 fatty acids and low concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids. Both are polyunsaturated fats, which can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in blood — reducing the risk for heart disease and stroke.

In comparison, animal-based oils or fats have saturated fats, which can raise your bad cholesterol levels.

In a TikTok video, a man stands in the middle of a grocery store aisle holding a bottle of canola oil and says that if you want to be healthier, you need to "completely remove seed oils" from your diet. 

He's not the only one. A quick search pulls up dozens of similar videos, one with several clips cut together of a person in grocery store aisles, grabbing food from shelves and naming the type of seed oil it contains.

All these posts come with a similar message: seed or plant-based oils are toxic and can cause varying health issues.