After eating soybean oil daily for a month, the level of a fatty acid called arachidonic acid went down in red blood cells — which is surprising because people thought it would go up.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Foods Fortified with Soybean or Palm Oil Show No Effect on Inflammation or Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Adults with Overweight or Obesity: a Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2026 Feb

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

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According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Foods Fortified with Soybean or Palm Oil Show No Effect on Inflammation or Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Adults with Overweight or Obesity: a Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial

Score: 58

DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.107635

Similar Assertions

Eating a lot of soybean oil for a month lowered levels of DHA — a healthy omega-3 fat — in red blood cells, possibly because the two types of fats compete to get into cell membranes.

79%

Even though soybean oil is full of linoleic acid, it didn’t make the body’s enzymes that turn it into other fatty acids work faster — so it doesn’t lead to more inflammation as some fear.

79%