Good Fat, Bad Fat, and Deceptive Advertising

Our ancestors consumed about 3% more fat than present-day humans; however, the

type of fat consumed today can be a problem. Omega-3 fatty acids are great for you,

but omega-6 fatty acids are over consumed and cause health issues. The typical

Paleolithic-era man and woman ate 1–3 grams of omega-6 fatty acids for every 1 gram

of omega-3s. Today, humans consume as many as 15 grams of omega-6 fatty acids for

every 1 gram of omega-3s. This ratio is extremely problematic to our health and must

be addressed. Increasing omega-3 consumption and replacing sources of omega-6s

with medium-chain triglycerides (e.g., coconut oil and flaxseed oil), healthy

polyunsaturated fat (e.g., avocado oil), or monounsaturated olive oil will improve the

omega-6/omega-3 fat ratio.

Notice in the previous paragraph that I emphasized the use of “healthy” polyunsaturated

fats. That’s because polyunsaturated fats that are refined from seeds, which make up

most vegetable oils, are indeed unhealthy. I recently witnessed a TV commercial that

fraudulently compared the health benefits of corn oil with olive oil. Full shelves of olive

oil and corn oil were shown side-by-side. The narrator stated that corn oil contains four

times more cholesterol-blocking plant sterols and is two times better at lowering

cholesterol than olive oil. That is true. These statements were obviously intended to

dupe viewers to conclude that corn oil is more “heart healthy” than olive oil and a better

choice for overall wellness. It’s true that there are typically more total polyphenols in

vegetable oils. That fact doesn’t make them healthier. Vegetable oils like corn, canola,

cottonseed, safflower, and soybean oil, among others, are inflammatory. EVOO is anti-

inflammatory and known to reduce CHD, diabetes, and cancer. Regarding the

commercial, TOTAL cholesterol isn't the most important factor in the increased risk for

CHD. This commercial inferred that switching olive oil for corn oil would result in a

reduction in cardiovascular disease; in fact, the opposite is true. Corn oil has been

proven in clinical studies to reduce cholesterol, but, the clinical data do not support a

cause and effect relationship between lowering cholesterol and decreasing the risk of

CVD in this instance. The inflammatory effect of corn oil far outweighs the beneficial

effect of lowered total cholesterol, especial since much of the cholesterol type lowered

is the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) variety. Seed oils are also routinely

heated and processed using solvents like hexane to extract the oil. This extraction

process also compromises health and is why you should always seek oils that are cold

pressed. This commercial is an example of how an industry can manipulate good

science to support faulty conclusions to sell a product that possesses the opposite

health benefits that it promotes.

Wayne Coolidge Jr., M.Ed. is a scholar-practitioner, author, and speaker. He owns

Healthy Dynamic Living, an innovative health promotion consulting firm.