By Sophia Sackleh, National Oilseed Processors Association
We use vegetable oils every day—whether we are cooking dinner, preparing snacks, or feeding infants with formula. Also known as seed oils, this group includes soybean, canola, sunflower, cottonseed, and others. Despite the recent attention they’ve received, vegetable oils are hardly new to our diets. Archeological evidence shows that humans have used oils such as soy, sesame, and sunflower for thousands of years. Soy oil, for example, was produced by East Asian cultures as early as 1,000 A.D. From the ancient world to today’s kitchens, vegetable oils have played an essential role in human diets, and science continues to highlight their benefits.
Nutritionally, vegetable oils are prized for their high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs. These include omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids—both deemed “essential” because our bodies can’t make them on their own and therefore must get them from our diets. Their benefits to human health are both wide-ranging and vital to improving rates of chronic disease.
Omega-6 fatty acids, for instance, are critical for neural and visual development in infants and children, which is why vegetable oils are a common ingredient
in infant formula. In adults, omega-6 fatty acids are crucial to lowering harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, raise protective high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and improve insulin sensitivity—all which help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type-2 diabetes.
Decades of research back up these findings. For example, a 2019 American Heart Association analysis of 30 prospective studies from 13 different countries found that higher levels of linoleic acid, the main fatty acid in omega-6s, were strongly associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality, and ischemic stroke. Similarly, a 2018 study found that higher intake of linoleic acid was linked with lower cardiovascular mortality, reinforcing dietary recommendations to include more PUFAs in the diet.
The health benefits are especially clear when vegetable oils replace dietary saturated fat sources, such as butter or tallow. For example, according to an article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology titled “Saturated Fats Compared With Unsaturated Fats and Sources of Carbohydrates in Relation to Risk of Coronary Heart Disease,” replacing just 5% of daily energy intake from saturated fats with PUFAs is associated with a 25% reduction in risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Another long-term cohort study of 200,000 adults performed over the course of 33 years found that those who replaced a tablespoon of butter a day with a tablespoon of vegetable oil had a 17% lower risk of death from cancer.
This shift from animal-based fats to vegetable oils has been one of the most impactful dietary changes of the past century. When products like Crisco were introduced in the 1930s, Americans began swapping out butter and lard for heart healthy oils. The result was striking: between 1940 and 1996, U.S. deaths from heart disease fell by 56%, as published in the article “Decline in Cardiovascular Mortality” from Circulation Research.
The reason for this change in health outcomes comes down to basic chemistry. Saturated fat molecules are straight, allowing them to pack tightly in the bloodstream and contribute to cholesterol plaque buildup—a major driver of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes. Unsaturated fats, by contrast, are kinked and move more freely through the bloodstream, reducing plaque formation and supporting heart health.
Still, vegetable oils face criticism. Some claim that eating too many omega-6 fatty acids can interfere with omega-3 absorption. Yet research shows that omega-6 consumption does not inhibit the body’s ability to absorb omega-3s, and the real issue is that the American diet is chronically low in omega-3s. Rather than cutting back on omega-6s, nutrition experts recommend adding more omega-3s to the diet to reach the daily recommended intake.
Another concern involves arachidonic acid (ARA), which some argue is inflammatory. While linoleic acid can convert to ARA in the body, studies show the amount converted is minimal. In fact, according to Harvard Health, ARA has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, and overall, omega-6 consumption has been shown to reduce—not increase—markers of inflammation.
Nutrition can sometimes feel overwhelming, with new trends and advice popping up all the time. Yet one takeaway remains clear: balance matters. Choosing vegetable oils in place of saturated fats is one of the easiest ways to support long-term health—helping our hearts, reducing risk of chronic disease, and giving our bodies the essential nutrients they need. It’s a simple swap that makes a lasting difference, proving that everyday choices in the kitchen really can add up.
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