SOCIAL MEDIA VERSUS SCIENCE

What used to be opinions that went nowhere except within a person’s social circle can now be posted online and claimed as the truth. But opinions remain only opinions when they are not evidence-based.

Uninformed opinions are rampant on social media. Take the recent news regarding so-called unhealthy seed oils. The misinformation includes seed oils being the root cause of many diseases, whereas scientific research continues to show seed oils have positive effects on health.

For example, a cohort study published in JAMA Internal Medicine (March 2025) revealed a higher intake of butter increases mortality, whereas a higher intake of plant-based oils (e.g., safflower, soybean and olive oil) lowers mortality.

Then there’s the use of seed oils in ultra-processed foods, in which case, it’s the source of poor nutrition that is unhealthy, not the seed oils alone. In other words, it’s how seed oils are used that determine their healthiness. Quantity also matters.

Common sense, which seems to be in short supply on social media, tells us that putting olive oil on a salad is much healthier than an ultra-processed salad dressing containing added sugars, artificial flavorings, preservatives and other additives. Common sense also tells us potato chips deep fried in seed oils do not create a healthy snack even though it is plant-based.

Misconceptions about seed oils being “inflammatory” are the result of people having far too much omega-6 in their dietary intake compared to omega-3. Estimates run as high as 20 times the amount of omega-6, mostly from processed and ultra-processed foods manufactured with the use of seed oils containing omega-6. That doesn’t make omega-6 unhealthy on its own. It’s how it is used and in what quantity.

Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential for the body, including for cellular member structure and function, cardiovascular health and inflammation regulation. These healthy fats can only come from nutritional intake because the human body lacks the ability to synthesize these healthy fats.

The supplemental seed oil sources of omega-3 and -6 in AIMega have a lot going for them because they address several concerns. You get twice the amount of omega-3 compared to omega-6 in each capsule. It’s a ratio that counteracts high intakes of omega-6 from unhealthy food sources. And the extracted organic oils from flax, sesame and sunflower seeds are cold-pressed so that no high temperatures destroy healthy phytonutrients present in the seeds. No chemicals are used. Just pure, clean seed oils that are healthy for the body. And that’s an AIM evidence-based opinion.