On a popular episode of Dr. Oz show, the good doctor shared two of his “best-kept health secrets”. While I did not watch the show myself (I’ve only watched 2 of his shows ever), several readers emailed me about it and I confirmed the topic selection by checking his blog post of the same day. Apparently, Dr. Oz is now a big fan of pumpkin seed oil.
In fact, he is so taken with this supposed “health secret” that he described pumpkin seed oil as being in the same league with coconut oil and olive oil.
Not sure what planet Dr. Oz is coming from with that statement, but he sure isn’t in Kansas anymore!
Here’s what he had to say about pumpkin seed oil in his blog post:
“My next health secret can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. It’s a cooling oil that has joined the ranks of olive and coconut oil at promoting longevity. It’s pumpkin seed oil. It has a nice nutty flavor with earthy tones. Not only is it a great source of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, it’s also been shown to lower blood pressure and increase HDL or good cholesterol. The essential fatty acids also work with the HDL to lower cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart disease.
Use pumpkin seed oil with some fresh lemon, ginger and garlic to make your own salad dressing. You can also use it as a garnish for starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes or use as a substitute for butter.”
Dr. Oz clearly does none of his own research before putting out this type of confusing and extremely misleading health information. Lower blood pressure, cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease? Talk about being stuck in a 1950’s mental time warp.
Cholesterol level is not a good indicator of heart disease risk and many doctors and researchers are now actually warning people about the dangers of lowering cholesterol. In fact, it is a complete MYTH that people with high cholesterol are more prone to heart attacks!
The truth is that young and middle-aged men with cholesterol levels over 350 are only slightly more at risk for heart attacks. Those who have cholesterol levels just below 350 are at no greater risk than those whose cholesterol is very low. For elderly men and for women of all ages, high cholesterol is associated with a longer lifespan.
Pumpkin Seed Oil Full of “Good” Fats? Not So
Regarding Dr. Oz’s assertion that pumpkin seed oil is a good source of omega-3 fats – I found very conflicting information on this. Some sources claimed that there were hardly any omega-3 fats in pumpkin seed oil and others claimed up to 15%.
No doubt the truth depends on the type of pumpkin seeds the oil comes from, but the bottom line is that you really can’t be sure how much omega-3 is in pumpkin seed oil. Most of the sources I checked claimed that there was little to none.
The label isn’t going to help you either as omega-3 and omega-6 fats are lumped together and listed as “polyunsaturated”. In addition, if the pumpkin seed oil is not cold-pressed, any omega-3 fats present will be rancid and dangerous to consume anyway!
Relying on pumpkin seed oil as a source for your critically important omega-3 fats is not a good idea, Dr. Oz!
Now for the real sticking point.
Pumpkin Seed Oil is NOT as Good as Olive Oil and Coconut Oil
Dr. Oz’s claim that pumpkin seed oil has “joined the ranks” of olive oil and coconut oil is nothing short of completely ludicrous. The reason is that both olive oil and coconut oil are extremely low in inflammation triggering and backside building omega-6 fats. Moreover, coconut oil is loaded with incredibly healthy and beneficial medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that help you lose weight and fuel your brain optimally.
Pumpkin seed oil has no MCT’s at all!
Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats are those fats that are used everywhere in processed foods (think chips, cookies, crackers, muffins – the stuff most people eat way too much of) and when these types of fats are consumed to excess, they contribute to inflammation and chronic illness.
Additionally, while a very small amount of omega-6 fats are necessary for health, when excessively consumed as happens in the Western diet, vegetable oils contribute to the overproduction of neuromodulatory lipids called endocannabinoids that are responsible for signaling hunger to the brain.
Guess what these little guys do? They give you the munchies!
You may wonder why the word endocannabinoid sounds a bit like cannabis (weed). Weed is famous for giving people the munchies too so you can consider omega-6 vegetable oils the marijuana of fatty acids and pumpkin seed oil is loaded with it.
Omega-6 Fats in Pumpkin Seed Oil are the Ones to Avoid
Omega-6 fats are the type of fats that health-conscious people want to avoid with their oils of choice. Why? They are already getting plenty of it in their diet and only a small amount is needed for health, so no need to get more with the oils they are choosing to cook and make salad dressing with at home.
How much omega-6 does pumpkin seed oil actually have? How about up to a whopping 64%!
According to the Australian Pumpkin Seed Company, pumpkin seed oil has the following lipid breakdown (note that there are no omega-3 fats listed):
Fatty acid profile of Pure Pumpkin Oil
- Linoleic Acid (Omega 6 PUFAs) 64.2%
- Oleic Acid (Omega 9) 11.3%
- Palmitic Acid (saturated) 14.6%
- Stearic Acid (saturated) 9.9%
Even more conservative estimates of the omega-6 composition of pumpkin seed oil list anywhere from 42-57% which is still far too high for this oil to even be considered for home use. Next to the very unhealthy fatty acid profile of grapeseed oil which clocks in at 65+% linoleic acid, pumpkin seed oil has the most unbalanced fatty acid profile of omega-6 fats I’ve ever examined.
By comparison, olive oil has 3-21% omega-6 fats, canola has about 20%, and coconut oil has about 2%.
Should you follow Dr. Oz’s advice and use pumpkin seed oil? Or, another one of his favorites – CLA safflower oil supplements for weight loss. Seriously? Sure, do as he says if inflammation, chronic illness, and metabolic syndrome are your goals.
Pumpkin seed oil is no way, no how in the same league as olive oil and coconut oil!
I will say one positive thing about Dr. Oz and his love of pumpkin seed oil. At least he doesn’t suggest that people cook with it. He suggests to use it for salad dressing which would be the least damaging way to use it as a polyunsaturated fat like pumpkin seed oil should not be heated or used for cooking.
On the other hand, he doesn’t say not to cook with it either! Maybe he made that clarification in the actual show. I hope so!
Let me suggest a piece of friendly advice. Skip the Dr. Oz Show. While he seems to be a really nice guy and does give out good information once in a while (and has had some good guests on in the past like Dr. Mercola and Dr. Kaayla Daniel), when it comes to listening to him for consistently correct health information, his advice does nothing but confuse and ultimately harm his viewers.
He is obviously trying to please both the health community and his Big Food, Big Pharma sponsors by sitting on the fence. A tough spot to be in to keep your job, so make sure your health isn’t a casualty of this back and forth battle.
Want to Know the Real Skinny About Fats?
If learning more about fats is of interest to you, my book Get Your Fats Straight, gives you the lowdown so you know which ones to eat and which ones to avoid.
References
Pumpkin Seed Oil Analysis
Why Women Need Fat, William Lassek MD
The Oiling of America
My Best Kept Health Secrets
More Information
Myths and Truths about Cholesterol
Is Rice Bran Oil Healthy?
How Argan Oil Benefits Health
Red Palm Oil Benefits Rival Coconut Oil
Walnut Oil: Healthy Sub for Flax Oil
Palm Oil
Dr. Oz has gone down the shitter ever since he believed that GMO’s are not harmful. He’s a sell out. He’s got character, that’s why people like him and he gives away free prizes.
America loves sell outs
Betwixt us here, I’ll point out that seed oils should be avoided generally for cooking–keep it minimal. Think of flax oil: you get linseed oil (paint thinner) if it sits in the wrong conditions for the wrong amount of time. Grind your own flax for the benefits.
But also, I’ll point out that there’s 2 kinds of omega-6 fatty acid, one shows up regularly in food, and what the studies show is that the IMBALANCE leaning towards too much omega-6 and not enough balancing omega-3 is what is causing the health issues. Look at the nutritional profile of celery for instance: it has omega-6 in it, but it also has omega-9 and omega-3 to balance it out. But, the point is: it’s whole, unadulterated (from seed to picking) and therefore balanced food. Modern genetically modified, non-grass-fed meat? Not so much the case. It’s not meat that kills, it’s toxic meat eaten beyond moderation.
Dr Oz isn’t alone on this. Check out these links http://www.livestrong.com/article/179871-health-benefits-of-pumpkin-seed-oil/ and also http://www.ehow.com/about_5106341_health-benefits-pumpkin-seed-oil.html and also http://healthandenergyfoods.com/pumpkin-seed-oil-benefits just to list a few. So I think it is each person’s responsibility to do their own research from a number of sources and then form their own conclusion. Native Americans have used Pumpkin Seed Oil for medicinal purposes, long before the white man came along. And now Chinese research reported on OrganicFoodie.com found that pumpkin seeds appear to benefit people with acute schistosomiasis—a severe parasitic disease. So do your own in depth research.
If you don’t watch Dr. Oz, how do you know what he said, any way you sound jealous to me!! Calm down and listen No one has all the answers but God and you are not HIM!!
yah i watch him some. cold winter months because I find his stupidity so entertaining. also a lot of people I know take his word as gospel so I like to know what he says so I can show people truth from Mercola and others like him…like your site I like to know what he said if friends are going to believe it.. and when Oz has Mercola on he is really trying to bash him more then get the word out!! sad he misses it.
Dr. Oz says whatever his sponsors tell him to say.
Oh, Sarah! You are amazing. I could tell by the omega-6 content that this was something to stay away from. There was a guy a few months ago who MAKES pumpkin seed oil, giving out samples at the local health food store.
Didn’t strike my fancy at the time, but didn’t look into it until now. THANKS!! 🙂
Though I was not aware of Dr. Oz’s recommendation, I want to thank you for taking the time to put out such informative and well-researched articles!
Thanks for the info (and research to go along w/it)…is it still safe to eat pumpkin seeds?
I can’t remember ever seeing Dr. Oz shows and I definitely have no interest in the man after reading these comments… He says there’s no difference between eating organic and pesticide food? What planet is he living on!? That right there is enough to make me close the door on his face. He claims to be a health expert and advocate and seems to be pushing garbage around…. no bueno Dr. Oz!
I enjoyed going to his Facebook page after his infamous statement on organic versus pesticides and reading the REAMS of indignant comments. How did he think he could get away with that? The genie is out of the bottle…….