Why Your Body Fat Has More Vegetable Oil Than Before
Increase in adipose tissue linoleic acid of US adults in the last half century.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Adipose LA increased more than any other fatty acid in human history over a 50-year span.
People assume omega-3s or trans fats changed the most — but this study shows LA, a common 'healthy' polyunsaturated fat, had the biggest biological footprint.
Practical Takeaways
Check ingredient labels — if you see soybean, corn, canola, or sunflower oil, you’re consuming LA. Swap for olive oil, avocado oil, or butter in cooking.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Adipose LA increased more than any other fatty acid in human history over a 50-year span.
People assume omega-3s or trans fats changed the most — but this study shows LA, a common 'healthy' polyunsaturated fat, had the biggest biological footprint.
Practical Takeaways
Check ingredient labels — if you see soybean, corn, canola, or sunflower oil, you’re consuming LA. Swap for olive oil, avocado oil, or butter in cooking.
Publication
Journal
Advances in nutrition
Year
2015
Authors
Stephan J Guyenet, S. Carlson
Related Content
Claims (6)
Eating a lot of seed oils over a long time causes a type of fat called linoleic acid to build up in your body fat, which then triggers ongoing internal damage to your cells.
Scientists can tell how much of a certain fat (linoleic acid) you've eaten over many years by testing the fat under your skin — it acts like a living record of your diet.
Over the last 50 years, the amount of a specific fat called linoleic acid in people’s body fat in the U.S. more than doubled, probably because we started eating more foods like vegetable oils and processed snacks.
When people in the U.S. ate more linoleic acid (a type of fat) between 1959 and 1999, their body fat showed higher levels of that same fat—roughly 2% more for every extra kilogram of it they consumed each year.
Over the last 50 years, Americans have been eating more soybean oil and other seed oils, and as a result, more of the fatty acid called linoleic acid has built up in our body fat.