Seed oils have been the focus of fiery critics from internet influencers to high-profile politicians like HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They claim that these oils pressed from the seeds of certain plants are toxic to human health and fueling high rates of chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. Kennedy has called for a return to the use of fats such as beef tallow for frying. Such claims have exasperated nutrition scientists, who say decades of research have confirmed the health benefits of consuming such oils, especially when compared to sources such as butter or lard.

Kennedy and influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists

'I don't know where it came from that seed oils are bad,' says one nutrition researcher