172. How to Quit Seed Oils and Heal Your Gut in 30 Days

0.089 - 18.021 Gary Brecka

You're cutting sugar, you're eating more protein, maybe even hitting the gym, but you still feel inflamed. What if the real issue is what your food is cooked in? Today, we're talking about one of the most damaging, deceptive, and underrated root causes of modern disease, seed oils. Seed oils are also referred to as vegetable oils.

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Originally used as machine lubricants, these oils were never designed for human consumption. They're engineered, oxidized, and toxic by design. They're metabolic disruptors, and removing them can radically transform your biology. This isn't a fad. It's not fearmongering. This is about removing the most inflammatory ingredient in the modern diet and watching your biology come back online.

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So what happens when you quit seed oils for 30 days? Let's break it down system by system. You're doing everything right. You're cutting sugar, you're eating more protein, maybe even hitting the gym, but you still feel inflamed. Your skin won't clear up, your brain is foggy, you're tired after eating. What if the real issue is what your food is cooked in?

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I'm your host, human biologist, Gary Brekka, and today we're doing a deep dive into a topic that's exploding across TikTok, YouTube, and the wellness world at large. Seed oils and how removing them from your diet for just 30 days could reduce inflammation, heal your gut, boost cognition, and even balance your hormones. Let's start with the basics. Seed oils are also referred to as vegetable oils.

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They include canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil. cotton seed, grape seed, often called rapeseed, and rice bran oil. These aren't cold-pressed oils like olive or coconut oil. They are chemically extracted using high-heat industrial processes, bleaching agents, and petroleum-based solvents like hexane.

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Originally used as machine lubricants, these oils were never designed for human consumption. They're a byproduct of industrial agriculture, cheap to produce, subsidized, and now they're in everything. We've gone from eating virtually zero seed oils in 1900 to consuming 30 pounds per person per year in the United States. That's not a dietary shift, it's a metabolic experiment.

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According to the Cleveland Clinic, these oxidized fat form toxic byproducts like 4-hydroxynonanol, linked to neurodegeneration and cancer, acrolein, a pro-inflammatory compound that damages endothelial cells, the lining of your blood vessels. Advanced lipid peroxidation end products, ALEs, which impair mitochondrial function.

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The oxidative stress from these byproducts directly correlates with insulin resistance, leaky gut, neuroinflammation, hormonal dysregulation, and accelerated aging. So what happens when you quit seed oils for 30 days? Let's break it down system by system. Number one, inflammation drops fast.

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Seed oils fuel a chronic low-grade inflammatory state in the body, and linoleic acid is converted into arachidonic acid, which is a precursor to the pro-inflammatory cytokines like prostaglandins and leukotrienes. In a 2020 study published in Nutrients, found that excessive omega-6 fatty acid intake creates an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio imbalance, and this leads to systemic inflammation.

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Once seed oils are removed, inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein begin to drop within weeks. Many people report improved joint pain, reduced bloating, and relief from conditions like rosacea, psoriasis, and even migraines. Your skin starts healing from the inside out. That's the second thing that you'll see.

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Seed oils damage the phospholipid bilayer, the outer membrane of your skin cells, causing dryness, acne, and impaired barrier function. In a 2017 dermatology review, high linoleic acid intake was linked to oxidative damage in the skin, delayed wound healing, and increased sebum production.

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By removing seed oils and replacing them with saturated or monounsaturated fats like tallow or olive oil, your skin begins to rehydrate, restore its elasticity, and repair itself. And number three, your mitochondria begin to breathe again. PUFAs impair mitochondrial beta-oxidation. They slow fat burning and ATP production.

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A landmark study in the Journal of Lipid Research showed that omega-6 overload inhibits mitochondrial efficiency, increasing ROS, which is reactive oxygen species, and oxidative stress. Within 30 days of removing seed oils, many people reported improved energy, better workouts, and more metabolic flexibility, the ability to burn fat and glucose efficiently.

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And number four, your hormones begin to normalize. Linoleic acid has been shown to alter estrogen metabolism, suppress testosterone, and affect thyroid conversion. Chronic inflammation from seed oils also drives cortisol resistance, which disrupts sleep and adrenal function. So after 30 days, here's what it's common to see. Improved libido, more stable energy levels, easier fat loss,

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better menstrual cycle regularity, and enhanced thyroid output. When these fats are made from oxidized omega-6 fatty acids, neural communication suffers. A 2023 review in Neurobiology of Aging showed that diets high in linoleic acid were associated with lower BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor. and impaired synaptic plasticity.

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These fats are heat stable, rich in fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K, and actually support hormonal health. And step three, try cooking at home more often. Restaurants cook in cheap oxidized oil 99% of the time, especially fast food and takeout. Ask your server what oil they use. If they don't know, it's probably canola or soybean.

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Eating out less for 30 days makes this process so much easier. Step four, support your own detox pathways. As your body begins mobilizing stored PUFAs, support your detox channels. Hydrate with minerals. I use Baja Gold Sea Salt in water. Eat cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, and Brussels sprouts.

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And support liver function with milk thistle, turmeric, or NAC, N-acetylcysteine. Easy, over-the-counter supplements that you can pick up anywhere. Sweat daily if you can. Movement, sauna, hot yoga, walks, these are all excellent ways to move your lymph and to eliminate waste from the body. And step five, track how you feel. Keep a 30-day journal.

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And that's just science.