Food scientists and dietitians have been rigorously studying the health consequences of cooking oils to establish how various types of vegetable oils can impact our health. Vegetable oils are found in almost every kitchen in America, and on top of that, many of the foods we purchase at the grocery store and in restaurants also contain high concentrations of these oils. 

What is alarming to think about is that these various types of vegetable oils, such as corn, soybean, and canola oil, have only been introduced to humans within the last 100 years, and now, these types of oils make up almost 20% of the average American’s daily caloric intake.  

One of the main reasons for the prominence of vegetable oils in the American diet is that these types of oils can be found in almost everything people consume on a daily basis. From everything like oat milk, tortilla chips, mayonnaise, and margarine to foods from Subway, Domino’s, and Chipotle. So, if you eat at restaurants or purchase processed foods at the grocery store, it is pretty much impossible to avoid consuming these oils in one form or another.

But, why is this a bad thing? What have food scientists and dietitians discovered about cooking oils through their research?

One of the most interesting findings that food scientists have discovered is that although the consumption of saturated fats, sodium, red meat, carbohydrates, and sugar has decreased over the last several decades, the consumption of vegetable oils has increased dramatically. This increase in vegetable oil consumption has correlated with an increase in obesity, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease.

So, what are some of the consequences of consuming vegetable oils, which oils are the worst for our health, and what are the most effective ways to avoid them? 

Let’s take a deep dive into the harmful effects of vegetable oils as we reveal the number one most effective way to reduce oil consumption. Read on to find out how you can protect yourself and your family from early death.

There have been many studies conducted analyzing the health consequences of consuming various products that use vegetable oil as a fat base. Many of these studies were specifically looking at individuals who used margarine or vegetable oils for cooking at home rather than butter or olive oil. 

The results of these studies mostly demonstrated that individuals who used more margarine and vegetable oils had an increased chance of suffering from one or several of the following short and long-term consequences compared or individuals who used butter or olive oil.

• Cardiovascular disease: In a study conducted over four years by the Minnesota Coronary Experiment, participants who increased their consumption of corn oil and margarine had 86% more heart attacks, and for participants who were older than 65, there was a much higher risk of death as well. 
• Cancer: In a study conducted over eight years by the Los Angeles Veterans Administration, a group of participants who increased their fat consumption from vegetable oils while keeping total fat consumption the same were 82% more likely to die from cancer compared to the control group. 
• Weight gain: In a study conducted on laboratory rats, two groups of rats were fed identical diets when it came to fat, protein, and carbohydrate calories, except one group’s diet received its fat content from safflower oil while the other from traditional sources of fat. The rats in the group receiving fat from safflower oil had a 12.3% increase in total body weight.
  

• Dementia, Alzheimers, Depression: In a study conducted in 2020 that saw mice consuming soybean oil, the mice used in the study not only experienced a higher rate of weight gain, but also experienced a form of gene dysregulation that is typically associated with neurological conditions like autism, Alzheimer’s, anxiety, depression, and dementia.
  

Chronic low-grade inflammation is the root cause of many diseases common in Western societies. Many times, inflammation can partially be the result of an imbalance in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in your diet. Both omega-3 and omega-6s are essential fatty acids, however, omega-6s can become highly inflammatory when they greatly outnumber omega-3s.

This imbalance of omega-3s and omega-6s is often found in many of the cooking oils we use or that are used in many of the foods we purchase at the store or in restaurants. 

Here are the seven worst types of cooking oil that you should avoid at all costs. 

• Corn oil: 57% omega-6s and 29% omega-3s, with saturated fat and omega-9s making up the rest. Can lead to inflammation and liver damage.
• Soybean oil: Extracting soybean oil requires an extensive process involving numerous chemicals. Also, when soybean oil is produced, the process can lead to oxidization. Too many oxidized compounds in our bodies can lead to various diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
• Sunflower oil: Sunflower oil is another type of cooking oil that has a disproportionally high amount of Omega-6 fatty acids. This unhealthy ratio of Omega-6s to Omega-3s can lead to cardiovascular disease and various types of cancer.
• Partly hydrogenated oil: Party hydrogenated oil is a principal source of trans fats. Trans fats are known to raise your LDL cholesterol levels while lowering your HDL levels. This increase in LDL cholesterol levels can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease or having a stroke. Party hydrogenated oils are mostly found in processed foods such as microwave popcorn, frozen pizza, and commercial baked goods like cakes, cookies, and pies. 
  

• Palm oil: Palm oil is loaded with trans and saturated fats that can boost unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels in our bodies which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Additionally, palm oil is a major driver of deforestation in some of the world’s most biodiverse forests. 
• Canola oil: Most of the canola oil you buy is chemically extracted using a solvent called hexane, and when heat is applied during the process, it can destroy the Omega-3 fatty acids and create trans fats. Trans fats are known to raise your LDL cholesterol levels while lowering your HDL levels leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. 
• Mixed vegetable oils: Mixed vegetable oils can create inflammation in the body and damage the arterial walls of the heart leading to cardiovascular disease. Additionally, mixed vegetable oils have been shown to not only create inflammation, but also have been shown to disrupt hormone signaling that can lead to cancer, depression, neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and dementia, and impaired fertility.
  

There are many things you can do to avoid using and consuming vegetable oils. Although it is almost impossible to completely eliminate these oils from your diet, any way that you can reduce the amount you consume can have tremendous benefits to your health. Here are a few examples.

Make your own sauces, salad dressings, and condiments

Many of your favorite sauces, salad dressings, and condiments use high concentrations of vegetable oils to provide their fat content and flavor. You can avoid this by looking up healthier alternatives to your favorite sauces, dressings, and condiments and making them at home. 

Avoid restaurants that use excessive amounts of oil

We all look forward to enjoying a nice meal at a restaurant now and then, however, many restaurants like Chinese restaurants, sports bars, and pizza places use large amounts of oil to deep fry foods, and make breads and pizza dough.

Using non-stick cookware is essential

The most critical way you can avoid oils is to cook using non-stick pots and pans like the high-performance Emura 8-in-1 non-stick pan. The Emura pan is made from an aluminum alloy body with a three-layer Peek non-stick coating that allows you to cook all your favorite meals at home without needing to oil the pan. 

Let’s look at some of the most beneficial features of the Emura non-stick pan.

This special coating will allow you to cook with little to no oil - helping you maintain your health, save money, and prepare more nutritious dishes.

Free of PFOAs and other cancer-causing chemicals that are commonly used in Teflon and other non-stick pans. Because of it’s patented 6-layer technology, you will easily remove a major threat to your health.

The 8-in-1 Emura can be used to simmer, roast, braise, bake, sauté, sear, boil, and fry your favorite foods. This means that not only can you make any elaborate meal with just one pan - you won’t need any other pans at all! Enjoy all the additional storage space you’ll have by replacing all your different pans for different meals with one pan that does it all!

More scratch-resistant than ceramic and 9 times more durable than regular non-stick pans. This pan will probably outlast any pan you have in your kitchen.

Nothing sticks to the pan, making it incredibly easy to clean without the need for deep scrubbing. Whether it’s overcooked eggs, melted cheese, or even caramel, it will easily glide right off of the surface of Emura.

So, if you are sincere about taking the health of you and your family seriously, then reducing your consumption of vegetable oils is essential. Reducing your consumption of vegetables can be easy if you cook more at home, make your own homemade sauces, dressings, and condiments, and use the Emura non-stick pan to cook your meals.