The Study
Increase in adipose tissue linoleic acid of US adults in the last half century.
This study looked at old fat samples from people and found that the amount of a certain fat called LA went up a lot over 50 years — and it also found that people ate more of it. But it doesn’t prove that eating more LA caused any health problems — just that the two things happened together.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review.
Where the score came from
People in the U.S. started eating a lot more soybean and other seed oils, and your body stored that oil in fat tissue.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 543 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this is one of the biggest changes ever seen in a single fat type in human bodies, and it matches exactly how much oil people ate.
- 2Adipose tissue linoleic acid went from 9.1% in 1959 to 21.5% in 2008 — more than double.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Advances in nutrition
Year
2015
Authors
Stephan J Guyenet, S. Carlson
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.