Are Seed Oils Healthy? Toxic Facts and Falsehoods | Dr. Roxie Becker
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Release Date: 01/21/2025
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Are you struggling to lose weight and wondering if your metabolism is holding you back? In this episode of The Exam Room, host Chuck Carroll sits down with Dr. Neal Barnard to separate metabolism myths from science — and reveal how food choices can dramatically change how many calories your body burns every day. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why “slow metabolism” is often misunderstood — and how it really works - How high-fat diets can slow calorie burn at the cellular level - Why restrictive dieting backfires and leads to weight regain - How a low-fat, plant-based diet boosts the...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Why do so many people quit their New Year’s health goals—sometimes in just weeks? In this milestone 700th episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Chuck Carroll is joined by Dr. Neal Barnard to explain why lasting health has nothing to do with willpower—and everything to do with motivation. This conversation goes far beyond weight loss. You’ll learn how a low-fat, plant-based diet can: • Improve digestion and hormone balance • Reduce joint pain, migraines, and inflammation • Save hundreds of dollars each year • Protect animals and the environment • Improve long-term health and...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
What if the most-watched health topics of 2025 could help you live healthier, longer, and with more control over your body? This Best of The Exam Room Podcast 2025 compilation brings together the three pisodes that viewers couldn’t stop watching — because they tackled problems that affect nearly everyone: ✔️ High cholesterol ✔️ Low fiber intake ✔️ Exposure to microplastics This episode features highlights from separate interviews with Chuck Carroll and Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Danielle Belardo, and Dr. Hana Kahleova — the conversations that delivered the most practical,...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Are ultra-processed foods the hidden reason weight loss feels impossible? Chuck Carroll is joined by Dr. Jim Loomis, medical director at Barnard Medical Center, to break down the science behind ultra-processed foods and their powerful impact on weight gain, metabolism, hunger, and fat storage. From packaged snacks and fast food to so-called “healthy” convenience items, ultra-processed foods now make up a majority of the modern diet. Dr. Loomis explains how these foods affect appetite hormones, blood sugar, calorie intake, and the body’s ability to lose weight — and why simply “eating...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound are changing medicine — but at what cost? In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, host Chuck Carroll sits down with Ben Urich, PharmD, PhD, to break down the real-world data behind the GLP-1 explosion. You’ll learn: - How many people are actually using GLP-1 drugs - Why most users stop — and why that’s starting to change - The true cost of GLP-1 medications to employers and health plans - Common and serious side effects to be aware of - Why GLP-1s are now being studied for Alzheimer’s disease and addiction - What the future holds as...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Is cheese really addictive? According to Dr. Neal Barnard, the answer is a resounding YES. The brain reacts nearly identically to cheese as it does narcotics and alcohol. While it sounds shocking, these claims are backed by science. In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Chuck Carroll sits down with the author of The Cheese Trap to uncover how opioid-like compounds concentrated in cheese—activate powerful pleasure pathways, why U.S. cheese consumption has exploded to nearly 40 pounds per person per year, and how the dairy industry keeps us hooked. You’ll discover: • The opiate...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Discover the truth about omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in this eye-opening interview with Dr. Kaixiong (Calvin) Ye, one of the world’s leading genetic epidemiologists studying nutrition and chronic disease. Dr. Ye joins Chuck Carroll to explain new findings on: - Whether omega-6 is really inflammatory - How omega-3 and omega-6 impact cancer and mortality - Why the omega-6:omega-3 ratio is misleading - The controversy around omega-3 and prostate cancer - How genetics influence omega-3 metabolism - What precision nutrition will look like in the future You’ll learn what the latest science...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Can a streaming network help change the future of food, media, and the planet? Emmy-winning journalist and UnchainedTV founder Jane Velez-Mitchell sits down with Chuck Carroll to reveal why plant-based storytelling is exploding right now — and why mainstream media still resists the movement. Discover how UnchainedTV grew to more than 20 million views, what FAST channels mean for the future of television, and why the meat industry launched an all-out messaging war against veganism. Jane also shares behind-the-scenes insight into new documentaries, adorable rescued pigs, celeb cooking shows,...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Can your cholesterol drop more than 150 points in just 15 days without medication? Dr. Ted Barnett joins Chuck Carroll at the International Conference on Nutrition and Medicine to reveal the stunning results he’s seeing with patients who adopt a whole food plant-based diet. Inside Lifestyle Medicine Grand Rounds, Dr. Barnett has witnessed cholesterol levels fall by 150–200 points in two weeks, average drops of 64 points, and dramatic improvements in blood sugar, inflammation, and energy — often outperforming the results of statins. This episode dives deep into why...
info_outlineThe Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
New research shows that simply choosing plant-based foods can slash your environmental footprint — and dramatically improve your health at the same time. In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Chuck Carroll is joined by Dr. Hana Kahleova to uncover how different diets compare when it comes to land use, water use, greenhouse gases, and planetary health. The results are stunning: 🌱 Vegan diets use up to 8× less land 💧 Up to 85× less water 🔥 Up to 28× lower warming potential 💰 Cheaper and healthier overall 🏋️ Participants in clinical trials lost 14+ pounds while cutting...
info_outlineAre seed oils healthy?
The truth lies in the research. Dr. Roxie Becker does a deep dive into the data surrounding the controversial cooking oils. In a conversation with "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll, Dr. Becker highlights misinformation surrounding seed oils, particularly the claim that they are inflammatory. Critics often reference a systematic review showing no significant difference in arachidonic acid levels in the body, regardless of linoleic acid intake.
However, Dr. Becker also emphasizes that seed oils should not be the primary focus of a diet due to their high fat and caloric values, both of which contribute to obesity.
The interview concludes with personal anecdotes about their vegan diets and health outcomes, underscoring the importance of evidence-based nutrition.
In This Interview
- Seed oils vs non-seed oils
- Inflammatory seed oil science
- Least healthy seeds oils
- Does heating the oil make it worse?
- Fat from seed oils vs. fat from animal sources
- Fat sources, cholesterol and heart disease
— — SHOW LINKS — —
Join Chuck and Dr. Will Bulsiewicz in Miami
https://www.pcrm.org/events/bon-voyage-party-2025
— — —
Studies Referenced
Increasing linoleic acid in the diet doesn't change the amount of linoleic acid in the body
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3132704/#sec9
Increasing linoleic acid did not increase markers of inflammation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28752873/
Cooking with peanut oil or corn oil did not increase markers of inflammation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32756661/
Flaxseed oil did not increase markers of inflammation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26959052/
Canola oil did not increase markers of inflammation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33127255/
Sunflower oil may lower markers of inflammation compared with butter
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21430255/
Sesame seed oil may lower markers of inflammation compared to a control oil
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3683238/
Soybean oil did not increase markers of inflammation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22031659/
Safflower oil did not increase markers of inflammation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12818406/
Minnesota Coronary Experiment
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4836695/
American Heart Association core 4 trials on unsaturated fat vs saturated fat
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/cir.0000000000000510
— — —
Free Athlete Nutrition E-Book
— — BECOME AN EXAM ROOM VIP — —
https://www.pcrm.org/examroomvip
— — THIS IS US — —
The Exam Room Podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theexamroompodcast
— — —
Chuck Carroll
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChuckCarrollWLC
Facebook: http://wghtloss.cc/ChuckFacebook
X: https://www.twitter.com/ChuckCarrollWLC
— — —
Physicians Committee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/physicianscommittee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PCRM.org
X: https://www.twitter.com/pcrm
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PCRM
Jobs: https://www.pcrm.org/careers
— — SUBSCRIBE & SHARE — —
5-Star Success: Share Your Story
Apple: https://apple.co/2JXBkpy
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2pMLoY3
Please subscribe and give the show a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or many other podcast providers. Don’t forget to share it with a friend for inspiration!