EDITOR’S SUMMARY: If you’re shopping at your local grocery store, you have many options to choose from—some might argue too many. This is also the case when eating at restaurants. There’s no question that loading up on processed foods, including the likes of soybean oil, can wreak havoc on your physical ecosystem, and alter the direction of your mood.
Written by Kathryn West
Edited by Nicki Steinberger, Ph.D.
In the 1980s, soy products became extremely popular. They were touted as healthy alternatives to consuming dairy, meat, and animal fats, which perpetuated the saturated fat myth. If you drank soymilk, you may have thought you had a leg up when it came to smart nutrition. Fast forward to the present day, and soy might not be on the top of your list. Soybean oil in particular has been deemed harmful for many reasons, and as it turns out, consuming soy oil regularly is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, ulcerative colitis, depression, heart disease, and likely, autism.
What’s worse, this highly-refined oil (neutralized, bleached, and deodorized) is easy to miss. It’s lurking everywhere—ubiquitous on the American food scene—and hidden in plain sight. It’s frequently found in the vague ingredient “vegetable oil (palm, soybean and/or canola).” This oil is also one of the main ingredients found in multiple food products, from less-than-healthy snacks, including cookies, chips, and candy, to so-called “healthy” items like granola bars, bean dips, protein drinks, and even vitamins. You’ll find it among the following foods, and this is a short list:
- Pet foods
- Mayonnaise
- Salad dressings and sauces
- Non-dairy coffee creamers
- Microwave popcorn
- Crackers and other snackables
- Frozen pies and desserts
- freshly-made bakery items
- Frozen breakfasts, lunches, and dinners
- Refrigerated dough products
- Ready-to-use frostings
- School lunches
The Johnny Cash of Oils
Soybean is by far the most widely produced and consumed edible oil in the United States. In fact, America is the world’s leading soybean producer, and soybeans comprise about 90% of all seed oil production. Consumers and food manufacturers can’t get enough apparently, as U.S. per capita consumption of soybean oil increased more than 1,000-fold during the 20th century. In 2022 alone, Americans consumed 11.56 million metric tons of this liquid.
There are multiple reasons for its popularity. Soybean oil is inexpensive and lasts longer than other oils, for starters. That fact makes it appealing to restaurants and fast food chains that use it for deep frying, because the oil doesn’t need to be changed as often. Junk food manufacturers, meanwhile, prefer its ability to stay solid, and not leak from their products. It also has a neutral flavor profile alongside the lengthy shelf life.
This oil isn’t making its mark on food alone; soybean oil, which is produced by crushing the soybean and extracting the oil (typically using the solvent, hexane), can also be found in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Industrial product production, including animal feeds and biofuel, use soybean oil as well.
Poison Process
What makes this plant so unhealthy when consumed in its oil form? As is often the case, processing is to blame. Some point to non-hydrogenated soybean oil (oil that has not undergone a chemical process to add hydrogen) as healthfully acceptable for cooking and consumption, especially if it’s organic. The labeling can admittedly be confusing. Organic means not genetically modified aka non-GMO, but unrefined (cold-pressed; not heated) is still susceptible to oxidation and rancidity. And non-hydrogenated soybean oil (rare) in processed foods can be genetically modified. While fully-hydrogenated soy oil doesn’t carry the same health risks as partially-hydrogenated oil (trans fats), that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
Almost all of the soybean oil used in “foods” today, GMO or not, is hydrogenated (removing essential fatty acids). The process of hydrogenation involves adding hydrogen to the oil in order to raise the oil’s melting point so that it becomes solid. This technique helps hold the food product together and prolongs shelf life. Without hydrogenation, the product would be too unstable, causing it to turn liquid at room temperature.
The hydrogenation of soybean oil results in the formation of artificially-created trans fatty acids, or trans fats. This is a type of unsaturated fat that has garnered much attention due to its hazardous health effects. And yes, in 2015 the FDA ruled that partially-hydrogenated oils were no longer “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), and food manufacturers would not be allowed to sell foods containing them. By the way, that was not to be put into effect until 2020—5 long years to add to the chronic illness in the U.S.
However, and this is important, if the trans fat quantity in the product was half a gram or less per serving, that was allowed, and could be labeled as “0 grams trans fats.” Considering you might eat more than one serving of chips for example, all those ½ gram handfuls add up. Not to mention, with a listing of “zero,” how would you even know?
“Consuming artificial trans fat has been shown to be connected to a range of concerns. Most notably, they can do a number on your heart health.
‘“When consumed in large quantities, trans fats can build up in your bloodstream,” [Anthony] DiMarino [registered and licenced dietician] further explains. “They increase your LDL cholesterol, which is the cholesterol that brings about heart disease [dependent on particle size; not often tested]. They also lower your HDL, which is the heart-protective cholesterol.”’
Additionally, trans fats in your bloodstream can lead to blocked arteries, coronary artery disease and inflammation.”
Trans fats have also been linked to depression and changes in emotional outputs, including irritability and aggression. From “Trans fatty acid intake is related to emotional affect in the Adventist Health Study-2”:
“In addition to evidence linking trans fatty acids to depression, some data suggest an association between trans fatty acids and behavioral irritability and aggression. The potential role of trans fatty acids appears to be independent of the source of the fat. Our study population consumed trans fatty acid intakes largely from sources that contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, typical of Western diets.”
LA, Phytoestrogens, and GMOs
Soybean oil is rich in linoleic acid (LA). Excessive linoleic acid intake is associated with chronic inflammation, obesity, heart disease, and other conditions. In a study on inflammation, mice fed a diet high in soybean oil were more at risk of developing colitis, an inflammation of the lining of the colon. In addition, soybean oil can lead to an unhealthy gut, driving conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and leaky gut.
High LA means a lot of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which in disproportionate amounts is linked to chronic illness. From Open Heart journal, “Omega-6 vegetable oils as a driver of coronary heart disease: the oxidized linoleic acid hypothesis”:
“In summary, numerous lines of evidence show that the omega-6 polyunsaturated fat linoleic acid promotes oxidative stress, oxidized LDL, chronic low-grade inflammation and atherosclerosis, and is likely a major dietary culprit for causing CHD [coronary heart disease], especially when consumed in the form of industrial seed oils commonly referred to as ‘vegetable oils’.”
Interestingly, soybean oil is not without its fans (and not just the food manufacturing industry). Some health organizations and experts recommend soybean oil for consumers, which they claim has a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In 2017, the FDA approved a claim that soybean oil is good for your heart. Some say soybean oil is a good source of polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E.
The issue and cause for concern, however, is the overload of omega-6, primarily from industrial oils like soybean. This equates to the consumption of unnaturally large quantities of PUFAs. Soybean oil is composed of 5-7% alpha-linolenic acid (essential omega-3 fatty acid) and 50% linoleic acid (LA)—omega-6 fatty acid—making it very high in LA. From “Linoleic Acid: A Narrative Review of the Effects of Increased Intake in the Standard American Diet and Associations with Chronic Disease,” Drs. Joseph Mercola and Christopher R. D’Adamo state:
“LA intake has become increasingly controversial considering its widespread promotion as a healthy fat despite a growing body of evidence suggesting that the current consumption, being exponentially higher than historical norms, may be harmful and a contributor to chronic diseases. This narrative review evaluates the evidence that gave rise to the consideration of LA as an essential fatty acid, the mechanisms of activity of LA in the human diet, and the hypothesis that there is a deleterious impact on human health when LA is consumed in amounts that are typical in the standard American diet today, far exceeding recommended amounts.”
According to the Arthritis Foundation:
“Excess consumption of omega-6’s can trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals, and the American diet tends to be high in omega-6’s.”
A study published in 2021 highlights the importance of maintaining a low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio for the risk of autoimmune diseases, asthma, and allergies. Yet the American food industry keeps plugging away, even switching out previously-clean(er) ingredients for PUFAs. One recent example is Nestle secretly changing the ingredients in their Natural Bliss Coffee Creamer. What used to be sweetened with cream and milk now has added soybean oil. It’s cheaper than cream, so more profits for Nestle. Watch carefully, as you’ll see this in other brands and products as well. The fact that it’s worse for consumer health doesn’t seem to matter.
And it just keeps getting worse because soybeans create weight gain, and are loaded with phytoestrogens. In a 2020 study published in the journal Endocrinology, researchers discovered that soybean oil had pronounced effects on the hypothalamus, a small region of the brain that regulates weight, body temperature, and metabolism. Interestingly, coconut oil produced very few changes. From Plos One, “Soybean Oil Is More Obesogenic and Diabetogenic than Coconut Oil and Fructose in Mouse: Potential Role for the Liver”:
“Taken together, our results indicate that in mice a diet high in soybean oil is more detrimental for metabolic health than a diet high in fructose or coconut oil.”
Phytoestrogens, meanwhile, are naturally-occurring estrogens in legumes like soybeans. According to the Canadian Animal Health Institute, one tablespoon of soybean oil contains 28,370 ng of estrogen; that’s almost 7,500 times the amount of estrogen present in a six-ounce piece of meat from treated cattle (beef treated with natural and synthetic hormones, which is most all cattle used for beef production). Not only are you consuming extra phytoestrogens when ingesting food products with soybean oil, so are the animals you eat. And research shows that consuming large quantities of phytoestrogens from soy can negatively affect fertility, sexual development, and behavior.
Genetically-modified organisms: If you have a problem with eating GMO food, soybeans will surely be on your no-no list. According to the Department of Agriculture, more than 90% of soybeans are genetically modified. These modifications are used to make the soybeans resistant to herbicides.
The most commonly used one is Monsanto’s RoundUp weedkiller. Fields of soybeans are crop dusted, killing everything except the soybean that has been engineered not to die. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Roundup. In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen.
One more red flag to consider with soybean oil is the toxicity from aflatoxin—a type of mycotoxin derived from mold. Taken from “Is Soybean Oil Bad For You? Pros, Cons & How It Compares To Other Cooking Oils”:
“Like with peanuts, there’s also a concern about aflatoxins with soy. Aflatoxins are a type of mycotoxin—or toxic compound produced by certain types of molds. In fact, aflatoxins are one of the most toxic mycotoxins, and soybean oil can be pretty loaded with them.
Overexposure to aflatoxins can have a number of negative health effects, including immunosuppression, impaired growth, and even cancer. In fact, aflatoxins are recognized as a global food safety concern by the World Health Organization.”
So Long, Soybeans
Given the multiple concerns and health risks associated with soybeans, it might be an opportune time to step away. How might you eat in alignment with nature, without the toxic burden of heavily-processed soybean oil permeating everything you consume? Thankfully, there are many options. Consider using avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil for making cold sauces, or drizzled over veggies. For cooking, excellent fat choices that can withstand high heat include organic grass-fed butter, tallow, ghee (clarified butter), and organic coconut oil. As Weston A. Price (1870–1948), world-renowned dentist and author who researched the connection between nutrition, dental decay, and physical health said, “Nutrient-rich, traditional fats have nourished healthy population groups for thousands of years.”
Avoid soy oil in food products you purchase, and always check the list of ingredients. It doesn’t take as long as you might think, especially once you get in the habit. Look for substitutions. Love your coffee creamer? Try coconut cream, sweetened condensed milk, raw whole milk, or heavy whipping cream—all organic if possible. Eat lots of salads? Make your own dressing using extra virgin olive oil as a base. Squeeze in half a lemon, or a spoon or two of apple cider vinegar. Add a pinch of sea salt and pepper to taste, and you have a simple, delicious recipe. And if you need grab ‘n go foods, look for soybean oil-free rotisserie chicken, baby formula, frozen pizza, peanut butter, and canned albacore tuna, etc.
Some food manufacturers offer products with alternatives to soybean oil, such as mayonnaise made with avocado oil or potato chips with olive oil. Unfortunately, these options are few and far between, but you can also make them yourself. Dining out? Ask your server if the kitchen uses real butter, extra virgin olive oil (some will answer yes to this when in fact they’re really using a blend with other low-quality oils—soy or canola), or tallow to cook your food. Have a fridge and pantry clean out day. Toss away everything that has soybean oil in it. You’d be surprised at the pile you might accumulate! Eat grass fed meat. Chickens and pigs retain much of the inflammatory polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) from the corn and soy slop they’re fed.
Tortillas, cough drops, fake meat, oatmilk, frozen foods, barbeque sauce, ranch dressing … The soybean oil net spread across the standard Western diet is wide, but you can make wise choices to reduce the negative impact on yourself and those you prepare food for. If you eliminate even a portion of the soybean oil you might typically consume, that’s an improvement. Take the research to heart, and consider adjusting your eating and food shopping habits accordingly.
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Published on March 21, 2024.
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