Talk:Linoleic acid

Negative health effects of linoleic acid

I see WP:UNDUEWEIGHT in this article, as in the "Health effects" section, only positive things are stated about linoleic acid, while there is a lot of high-quality evidence for negative effects of LA. Just for example, this reliable collection of information suggests an excessive intake of linoleic acid is associated with premature death, oxidative stress and a slower metabolism. Wikipedia is supposed to give an overview of existing information, this section simply is too one-sided. Obviously, the negative health effects of linoleic acid are notable, considering LA's extremely high presence in the modern western diet. Mondtaler (talk) 12:32, 22 November 2024 (UTC)

That is misinformation. Your source is an unreliable journal (MDPI) written by a noted alternative medicine promoter and anti-vaxxer Joseph Mercola. It has no chance of passing WP:RS. There is no good evidence that linoleic acid intake is associated with premature death. We have long term epidemiological studies and controlled trials done on LA intake, it is entirely safe and no consistent evidence for any negative effects. Psychologist Guy (talk) 15:26, 22 November 2024 (UTC)

This was recently published on linoleic acid and Mercola "Neither Mercola nor Axe is a credible source of information. Mercola is one of the worst pushers of health misinformation online, scaring his readers with nonsense ghost-written by unqualified employees, while selling every dietary supplement under the sun as an alternative to modern healthcare" [1] Psychologist Guy (talk) 13:52, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for correcting me on that. Yes there are definitely many high-quality papers stating that a high linoleic acid consumption is safe, but it's very certainly a controversial topic that has even entered the mainstream political discourse. Various papers stating negative effects undeniably exist, they should at least be mentioned (and possibly corrected if the info is inaccurate) in the article.

What do you think of this article and the cited sources? [2] It is a very comprehensive collection of evidence for negative effects of LA. Mondtaler (talk) 11:43, 24 November 2024 (UTC)

The website you are linking to Zero Acre is an anti-seed oil organization that claims incorrectly that all modern chronic diseases are caused by people consuming seed and vegetable oils. The website is also an WP:ADVOCACY group selling a non-seed oil product that it calls "ZERO ACRE OIL" made from sugarcane plants. It fails WP:RS and is a WP:FRINGE website. I could spend hours dismantling the nonsense on it but in a nutshell, the references on the link are not reliable or are totally misrepresented. The main reference that it cites many times is paper by James DiNicolantonio who claims that linoleic acid increases risk of atherosclerosis and other types of fatal cardiovascular disease. This is false. There is no good clinical evidence for this. James DiNicolantonio has co-authored a book with Joseph Mercola. It is the same group of alternative medicine researchers promoting this pseudoscience.

The link also cites in vitro and animal model studies in an attempt to associate cancer with linoleic acid. If you read WP:MEDASSESS and WP:MEDANIMAL you will see that mechanistic in vitro studies and animal model studies done on mice or rats are not considered good evidence, in vitro and animal-model findings do not translate consistently into clinical effects in human beings. There is no high-quality evidence for harmful effects of linoleic acid. Anti-seed oil conspiracy theorists never cite any valid reviews of clinical trials or long-term epidemiological data which is consistent on this topic. Instead they will cite things from the 1960s, a small-sampled study or animal models.

One of the worst claims on that link is "Because the eye is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), your linoleic acid intake can negatively affect your eye health". The reference they cite is an editorial that doesn't even mention linoleic acid [3]. So they misrepresent sources. If you want to learn about diet and health then look at content from a reputable organization that fact checks their content like the British Dietetic Association or Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics etc. Zero Acre is very much conspiracy theory and WP:Fringe territory. We have an article on seed oil misinformation. Psychologist Guy (talk) 12:59, 24 November 2024 (UTC)