Vegetable Oils are Bad: Tucker Goodrich, Peak Human podcast review (Part 1)

The Peak Human podcast with host Brian Sanders and guest Tucker Goodrich is my favorite health podcast episode of 2018. In the podcast, Goodrich makes a persuasive case as to what he believes is the primary cause of the diseases of civilization (diabetes, coronary heart disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, etc). In this 94 minute podcast, he strongly posits that one type of food is at the root of the health problems of our times.

What is the primary cause of these health issues? Vegetable oils. Or seed oils, as they are more accurately but less commonly known.

These seed oils are industrially-processed oils containing high levels of Omega-6 fatty acids, which break down into toxic products in our bodies. These vegetable oils (corn oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, etc.) are cheap and therefore ubiquitous in our modern food supply. Tucker Goodrich postulates that these oils, even more than refined carbohydrates, are driving the diseases that plague most of the civilized world.

Goodrich makes the case by looking at the effects of consuming vegetable oils from several valid perspectives. In my view, he approaches the modern disease problem from all the correct angles. Some of the perspectives from which he approaches the problem are:

• Evolutionary perspective
• Why are we now getting these diseases of civilization at greatly increased rates?
• The Weston A. Price perspective
• Did the healthy populations visited by Price eat these vegetable oils?
• Were the unhealthy populations visited by Price eating these vegetable oils?
• Epidemiological perspective
• What happens to disease rates when a population begins eating these oils?
• Engineering/"IT guy" perspective
• Populations have not always had high rates of these diseases. What changed?
• Mechanistic perspective
• Do we have a legitimate mechanism for why these oils would cause these problems?
• Have we seen this mechanism show up in animal models?
• Have we seen this mechanism show up in human interventions?
• Personal perspective
• What happens when an individual increases these oils in their diet?
• What happens when an individual cuts these oils out of their diet?

This podcast episode is intriguing to me because the idea that these oils are harmful unites many diverse dietary strategies. Paleo, Well-Formulated Keto, Whole Foods Plant Based, Carnivore, Ray Peat, Potato Hack, Weston A. Price Foundation: all of these ways of eating shun the consumption of vegetable oils. I think that commonality is a large part of why people can find success with such wildly different approaches.

This podcast (along with following Goodrich’s and dozens of others’ writings, podcasts, and research) helps convince me that seed oils are the worst part of the modern American diet. While I also think there are benefits to limiting carbohydrate intake, cutting down on consumption of linoleic acid (an Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid that is highly concentrated in vegetable oil) is potentially even more critical for health. Wheat products also seem to cause a lot of health issues, so limiting or completely removing them would be wise. This podcast with Goodrich touches on all of these points. It is a valuable listen for anyone who would like to improve their health or gain a better context as to why vegetable oils should be avoided.

In Part 2, I will post my takeaways from the podcast. And in Part 3, I will include a podcast listening companion post in which I provide notes and many of the citations referenced by Tucker in the episode.

Do yourself a favor and check out this podcast. And if you're feeling really generous, do yourself another favor and cut vegetable (seed) oils out of your diet.

Here is an incomplete list of oils you would be wise to avoid: soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, rice brain oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil. (Avoiding motor oil consumption is also a good choice.)

If you enjoy this episode, consider checking out all the rest of the episodes of Peak Human. It is a really terrific podcast. And after meeting host Brian at a conference a few months ago, I can vouch for him as a kind, sincere, passionate guy.