Study links America's favorite cooking oil to obesity

[erronis]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-links-america-favorite-cooking-oil.html
by Jules Bernstein, University of California - Riverside

Soybean oil, the most widely consumed cooking oil in the United States and a staple of processed foods, contributes to obesity, at least in mice, through a mechanism scientists are now beginning to understand.

In an experiment conducted at UC Riverside, most mice on a high-fat diet rich in soybean oil gained significant weight. However, a group of genetically engineered mice did not. These mice produced a slightly different form of a liver protein that influences hundreds of genes linked to fat metabolism. This protein also appears to change how the body processes linoleic acid, a major component of soybean oil.

"This may be the first step toward understanding why some people gain weight more easily than others on a diet high in soybean oil," said Sonia Deol, a UCR biomedical scientist and corresponding author of the study published in the Journal of Lipid Research.

In humans, both versions of the liver protein HNF4α exist, but the alternative form is typically produced only under certain conditions, such as chronic illness or metabolic stress from fasting or alcoholic fatty liver. This variation, along with differences in age, sex, medications, and genetics, may help explain why some people are more susceptible than others to the metabolic effects of soybean oil.

. . .

[samplegirl]

1. Glad I never use it!

That nasty crap is in all kinds of stuff though cookies cereals snacks. Soy is bad for your thyroid too.

[erronis]

3. I also try to stay clear of emulsifiers (guar gum, lecithin, etc.)

However I do use egg yolks when needed (Caesar dressings). Almost all yoghurts have emulsifiers (except Fage), and ice-creams (except Haagan-Dazs).

(I do have lots of other dietary and other sins, however...)

[Bayard]

2. My first thought--I've never seen soybean oil on a grocery shelf

But, Google says:

Soybean oil is found in a wide variety of foods because it is a common and inexpensive cooking oil and is often listed as "vegetable oil". Common products that may contain soybean oil include baked goods, breakfast cereals, processed meats, and salad dressings. It is also used in margarine, shortening, and many fried foods.
Processed and packaged foods
Baked goods (breads, cookies, cakes, crackers)
Breakfast cereals and bars
Canned goods like soups, broths, and tuna
Deli meats, hot dogs, and hamburgers
Candy and chocolate
Condiments and sauces
Salad dressings and mayonnaise
Sauces (like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce)
Margarine and shortening
Cooking and frying
Many fried foods, like french fries and chicken nuggets
Vegetable oil blends, which may primarily be soybean oil
Fats used in baking
Other common items
Peanut butter (some brands)
Soy products like tofu and tempeh, which are made directly from soybeans

[Akakoji]

4. Typically labeled vegetable oil

Probably something the oil is processed with anyway. Real cold pressed soybean oil is amazing. But it stinks when burnt for fuel.

[hlthe2b]

6. In tofu and tempeh--take note vegetarians/vegans... Chinese food is frequently stir fried or otherwise prepared using

soybean oil (although peanut oil is also used). All the processed food--well, read labels, but it is hard to avoid.

My favorite butter-alternative spread is original Earth Balance, which unfortunately contains it among its blend. I guess I will have to hunt, it's hard to find soybean oil-free products, though I'm guessing it will not taste similar. I would note that canola oil is questionable now, too, so...

[multigraincracker]

5. They use to toss it out. Then big business found out

they could get richer throwing into to our food.
Follow the money.

[Nigrum Cattus]

7. men & hormone + breast cancer survivors should limit

soy foods - fermented soy like soy sauce, & miso are
more healthful than raw soybean products

[IbogaProject]

8. correlation does not imply causation

[erronis]

10. I hope no one was thinking that because Americans were getting fatter that farmers planted more soybeans.

Good point!

[fargone]

9. How many other food related products would produce the same graph?

[erronis]

11. Interesting. I can think of non-food variables such as sedentary life-styles.

And the increased use of artificial sweeteners which, perversely were supposed to help counter weight gain, and may have contributed to it.