Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet

by Hannah Ritchie

They say we should be eating alternatives such as coconut, avocado or olive oil instead. I’ve seen no credible evidence to support this. The basic argument for why seed oils are bad is that they contain a lot of omega-6s, which people argue are linked to inflammation.ii But many studies point to the opposite: that higher consumption of omega-6s is associated with a lower risk of disease. Researchers at Harvard University have loudly pushed against this backlash.29 A meta-analysis covering 30 studies found that omega-6s lowered the risk of heart disease: those with more in their bloodstream were 7% less likely to develop it.30 Another study followed around 2,500 men for an average of 22 years, and found that those with the highest blood levels of omega-6s had a much lower risk of dying from any disease. Studies show that they lower cholesterol and blood sugar.31