Seed Oil Makes Sunburn Worse and Ages Your Skin

A Seed Oil Diet Makes Sun Exposure Potentially Hazardous

Everyone gets too much sun from time to time. Many people notice their skin burns easily and almost never tans. In this article I’m going to help you see how a high seed-oil diet causes makes sunburns worse, ages your skin faster, and can even promote skin cancer.

The image below comes from a section in Deep Nutrition called “The Sun Can Damage Skin But It Doesn’t Have To.” When I wrote it, I wanted to show folks that there’s a place for sensible sun exposure, and how your diet can impact your skin’s reaction to potentially damaging UV rays.

At that time, around 2009, Americans had taken a huge pendulum swing from the sun-worshipping 1970s to a near-total eclipse of sun exposure. Children were getting rickets due to vitamin D deficiency from lack of sunlight. I wrote this section to show that a high-seed oil diet makes sun exposure hazardous to our skin health. The point is, rather than completely avoiding the sun, we’d all do well to avoid toxic vegetable seed oils.

This article is continued below...(scroll down)

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Dr. Shanahan has had a significant impact on my practice of medicine. I am known as a Low Carb Doctor, but I never really appreciated the negative effects of processed seed oils on the health of my patients. I highly recommend The Fatburn Fix to my patients and have a loaner copy in my waiting room. It is amazing how quickly blood sugars and overall health improves with cutting seed oils. It is not just about the carbs!

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Lauren Smith

Saved my life

I would like to thank you for literally saving my life. Back in February, I had to be hospitalized while on vacation in Phoenix with an A1C of 11% and had to start taking 2 types of insulin and 2 other meds. I read the Fatburn Fix in April, and followed the program to a tee, and I’m down by 15 pounds, 6.8 A1C, and only one once weekly diabetes medicine. 

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A High-Seed Oil Diet Magnifies UV Damage

To understand how diet affects our ability to tan and our tendency to burn, as well as wrinkle, we need to know that skin has several layers.

The outermost layer of skin is composed of dead skin cells. These dead cells came from living cells, called epidermal cells. This outer layer of skin is called the epidermal layer.

The deeper layer of skin is made mostly of supportive collagen. The collagen is shown as black wavey stripes, and it gives our skin strength. As we age, the collagen weakens and loses flexibility and we get wrinkles. The lozenge-shaped cells with eyeballs are called fibroblasts. They make collagen, and they also can play a role in destroying collagen, as we’ll see.

The image doesn’t show the deepest layer, which is made of our body fat. Most of our body fat sits right below this collagen-rich layer, and our diet influences its chemistry. On a high-seed oil diet, our body fat has a different chemistry than on a low-seed oil diet, and it magnifies the inflammatory effect, as we’ll see.

Let’s compare a seed oil eater to a seed oil avoider.

The yellow (left) panels represent a seed oil eater’s skin. The beige (right) represents a die-hard seed oil avoider.

Let’s compare the sunburning processes in a seed oil eater shown on the left to a seed oil avoider on a Deep Nutrition eating plan, shown on the right. Panel A (the top two images) shows these layers before experiencing too much sun. Panel B (the bottom two images) shows excessive UV rays starting to impact fibroblasts in the dermal layer of the skin.

Looking at Panel B, above, we see the sun’s UV radiation striking the dermal layer, causing inflammation in both the seed oil eater and the seed oil avoider. The difference is the amount of inflammation. The seed oil eater experiences more inflammation, and the seed oil avoider experiences very little.

Inflammation is supposed to trigger tanning. Excessive inflammation can block tanning.

A little bit of inflammation is a good thing. Inflammation triggers the skin cells to release a protective, darkening pigment called melanin. This is what makes us look tan. But too much inflammation can be bad for our tanning goals. When our skin cells experience way too much inflammation it may be so damaging that our skin is also unable to manufacture the tanning melanins. This varies by our genetics. Some people tell me that they never could develop a tan until after they eliminated dietary seed oils.

Why Do Seed Oil Eaters Experience More Inflammation?

It has to do with chemistry. When UV strikes our skin it can actually damage the polyunsaturated fatty acids in our fibroblast cell membranes. Unsaturated bonds are weak, and UV break can break them. When this happens, the fatty acid becomes a dangerous free radical.

Free radicals can rapidly break more polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and form many more free radicals. These free radicals promote a state of cellular disarray known as oxidative stress. Oxidative stress, in turn, triggers the body’s inflammatory response.  When we get a sunburn, that red color is not “cooked” skin. It is just from the increased blood flow to the skin, which is there due to the inflammation. If you press your finger into sunburned skin it will blanche lighter, as you squish the blood out of the inflamed tissue.

The more oxidative stress our cells experience, the more powerful the inflammatory response. The only things that can reign in damaging free radicals and oxidative stress are antioxidants. However, a high-seed oil diet depletes our body’s cells of antioxidants. (If you want to know how that happens, read chapters 1 and 2 of Dark Calories. It takes a lot of science to support that simple claim.) So that’s how seed oils in our diet make us prone to red skin and sunburns.

Next, let’s take a look at how UV-induced inflammation affects collagen.

Sunburns Can Damage Skin Collagen

Inflammation Damages Collagen

Regardless of your skin color, your use of sunscreen, and your intentions to not fall asleep and bake past well-done on the beach, we all have our moments where we end up overexposing ourselves to UV. When this happens, we develop the red, hot, inflamed skin that is the hallmark of a sunburn.

In panel C, above, we see that inflammation triggers enzyme release (shown as bubbles). These enzymes break down your skin’s collagen. The more inflammation you experience, the more enzyme gets released, and the more collagen gets damaged. Collagen makes or breaks how well you age. When your dermis has been doused in seed oils, you’re doomed to degenerate more of your precious, skin-supporting collagen. This brings us to panel D.

Damaged Collagen Needs to Be Repaired

Panel D shows the after-effects of sun exposure on your collagen. As you can see, the more seed oils in our skin, the more that enzymes chew up more collagen–and the more repairs your body needs to make.

The body chews up its own collagen because usually inflammation means there’s an infection somewhere and chewing away the collagen enables the immune system to shove the invading bacteria out of our bodies.

But these new collagen fibers are less well aligned than the original. Poorly aligned collagen is weaker, and more prone to wrinkling compared to well-aligned collagen. This effect is much worse in the seed oil eater.

Sunscreen is Never Going to Be As Good as a Natural Tan

Well-meaning skin specialists have terrified us into believing one or two sunburns are all it takes and we’re going to get melanoma and probably die. Melanoma can strike us in our teens, and it’s the most dangerous form of skin cancer. For decades, dermatologists advocated the incessant use of suntan lotion to prevent skin cancer. But I’ve long thought those lotions are probably toxic or bad for our skin. That’s why, way back in 2008 I wrote that whole big section about using traditional foods to keep your skin healthy, and advocated for sensible sun exposure. What I mean by sensible sun exposure is simply slowly building up a natural tan. That’s the best possible method of getting your D and being able to enjoy the outdoors without relying on so much sunscreen.

Of course, going against the grain like that is basically asking to get massively criticized. That’s just human nature. One of the early reviewers of Deep Nutrition went on the attack, “I’m a big believer in eating traditional foods but a lot of the ‘science’ in this book is anything but and in cases such as claiming eating traditional foods prevents sun damage to the skin, it is just plain dangerous.”

But the fact is, sunscreens are not the miracle we thought they were.

Sunscreens May Promote Skin Cancer

Most sunscreen lotions not only contain chemicals shown to be mildly carcinogenic, they’re also cytotoxic. The cytotoxicity explains why many people have reactions to sunscreens. So boo on the negative reviewer. And yay for all of us, because we now have more research showing sensible sun exposure has lots of benefits over using skin-damaging sunscreens. Even reducing melanoma risk.

A Base Tan Also Blocks Wrinkle-Inducing UVA

Not all UV light is the same. There’s UVA, which penetrates deeply and promotes wrinkles. And UV B, which penetrates less deeply and triggers the inflammation that triggers protective tanning.

Getting a tan also blocks the deeper penetrating kind of UV light (UVA) that causes wrinkles. No sunscreen can do that, only sunblocks like zinc oxide can. But there again, we run into trouble relying on chemicals to protect us from the sun because chlorine plus UV plus zinc oxide forms a new compound, called zinc chloride—albeit highly diluted in the swimming pool. Still, as a writer for the new health cycle points out, zinc chloride “has its own hazardous substance fact sheet.”

Does Omega-3 Supplementation Help Reduce Sunburns?

If you’re someone who is considering omega-3 supplementation to reduce inflammation, that might help if you’re malnourished. If you’re not a big protein eater, if you don’t eat seafood, fish, nuts, or grass-fed dairy, then omega-3 supplementation may help. But otherwise, it’s not likely to work. This is true because omega-3 is also a PUFA and will be damaged by UV light.

In fact, omega-3 is more easily destroyed by UV than omega-6. So if you are a seed oil eater you will, unfortunately, experience more inflammation than your ‘crazy’ friend who won’t eat McDonald’s fries with you anymore. This holds even if you’re supplementing with omega-3.

The Root Cause of Inflammation is Oxidation, Not Omega-6

Seed oils are higher in omega-6 than omega-3. One popular idea floating around the web is this idea that omega-6 to 3 ratio imbalances are the root of the inflammatory problem. This is based on the belief that most inflammation is driven by anti- and pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. But as someone who has been studying this topic for over 2 decades, I can tell you that most inflammation is driven by oxidative stress. Not by omega-6.

This is a common point of confusion and it’s wrong. Focusing on omega-6 instead of oxidative stress has made it easy for folks who have no idea they’ve been miseducated about saturated fat to debunk the idea that seed oils are toxic!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I need to be avoiding seed oils before I notice a difference in my skin?

The oils actually stay in your body fat for years after you stop eating them, but for a variety of reasons, we experience many benefits long before they’re all gone.

Most people living in climates where they’re outdoors mostly in summer say that from one year to the next they notice a big difference.

Those living in constantly sunny climates say six months.

Do I have to avoid all seed oils?

The more diligent of a seed oil avoided you become, the more benefits you get. Most folks just swapping out home cooking oils but living a normal life otherwise do get some benefits. But nowhere near what you have waiting for you once you commit to reading labels and being that special person in your group of friends.  Celebrity Dr. Drew Pinsky who has generously invited me onto his shows several times is now a full-on seed-oil avoider. But he was in that first group for several years before deciding to commit. He puts it into stark perspective this way, “If you had told me that two weeks into it I would feel this good, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Where can I find seed oil-free foods?

I created a handy dandy list for you right here. 

Is seed oil the same thing as vegetable oil?

Yes and no. The terms are confusing and I believe that’s intentional so that people think there’s no clear answer and just give up the whole endeavor. Don’t fall into that trap, the answer is clear, but it takes quite a lot of technical chemistry and insights into refining, human metabolism, physiology, yadda, yadda. Please see my reply to the next frequently asked question for the list of 8 oils that you want to avoid.

What constitutes a seed oil?

That depends on who you ask. There are many more voices in the seed-oils-are-toxic conversation than there were when I first started talking about their toxicity over 20 years ago now, which is gratifying. Still, it’s a highly technical subject so I’d recommend asking me. LOL. My list contains 8, which I call the Hateful 8. There are 3Cs: Corn, Canola, and Cottonseed. 3Ss: Soy, Sunflower, Safflower. And 2 mostly in restaurants: Ricebran, and Grapeseed. More info on these 8 toxic oils here.

Why isn’t olive oil a seed oil?

Olive oil is technically a fruit oil because it’s made from the pulp of the olive, not the seed.

What can I substitute for seed oil when baking?

I answer that here.

What else can I do to improve my skin health besides avoiding seed oils?

I thought you’d never ask. My first book, Deep Nutrition, gives you a complete picture of a healthy human diet. Folks call it the nutrition bible. Please help me continue my work by considering buying yourself a copy. I *deeply* appreciate your support!

Please visit HERE and HERE for more FAQs!

Twitter Testimonials to the Skin-Protective, Sunburn-Minimizing Benefits of Seed Oil Avoidance

(Click here to join the conversation!)

@Noor9241

There is a vast difference with my skin since last year. I was eating seed oils and went to Puerto Rico. My skin had bumps that fried spring rolls have. Literally being fried by the Caribbean sun. This year with no seed oils, I have a beautiful tan. No burning or frying.

@Cori__P

Not something I *sell* to others but I haven’t had a sunburn since going animal-based over 4 years ago. Regardless of how much time I haven’t been in the sun autumn–>spring, I won’t burn. Most of those oils aggravate my stomach and skin so compliance isn’t really a choice.

@firstgentrekkie

I used to sunburn every summer. Now I walk for an hour or more each day & have a nice light tan, no burning. I credited cutting sugar & starch, but certainly the quality of fats in my diet can be a factor, too.

@mwjeepster1

I haven’t consumed seed oils in years.  I used to burn up in 15 minutes, but now, I’m out in the sun all day, no burns – just a great tan!

@yawnenthusiast

In my experience, after three months of complete elimination, you’ll have noticeably softer skin, reduced blemishes, and sun “burns” don’t feel tight and are much less painful when showering. After six months, no burns, right to tan.

Scientific References & Further reading

Title: The Skin Epilipidome in Stress, Aging, and Inflammation

Link

Key Segment:

“ The long-wavelength UVA (320–400 nm) oxidizes lipids in absence of enzymes but also shorter wavelength radiation can non-enzymatically generate oxidized lipids via free radical mechanisms. Cholesterol, phospholipids, free fatty acids, and squalene are targets for non-enzymatic lipid oxidation and yield bioactive products. Enzymatic synthesis of oxidized lipids, most prominently eicosanoids and related oxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) results from UV activation of phospholipases, lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases. Most of the work on enzymatic generation of eicosanoids has been done on the response to clinically relevant short wavelength UVB irradiation. This may lead to an underestimation of non-enzymatic effects to solar UV exposure which are mostly elicited by longer wavelength radiation. “

Title: Mechanisms of UV-Induced Inflammation

Link

Key Segment

“Oxygen radical-induced peroxidation of membrane lipids caused by irradiation may contribute to increased phospholipase activity. Oxygen-free radicals also participate in sunburn cell formation and in UV-induced decreases in Langerhans cell numbers. Several enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms are present in skin for reducing these highly reactive oxygen species.”

Title: Short-time UVA exposure to human keratinocytes instigated polyunsaturated fatty acid without inducing lipid peroxidation

Link

Key Segment

“short-term UVA exposure to HaCaT cells appears not as deleterious as anticipated. HaCaT cells may have a certain level of defense mechanism, e.g. elevation of DHA when exposed to UVA thereby assisting them to recover from potential damage. Nonetheless, in our study, UVA received from 1 h duration of sunlight exposure can modify PUFA composition and its metabolism in skin cells. However, the effect on extensive exposure requires elucidation as it may be detrimental and pose a risk to skin health”

The short term in this study was 15 minutes. Minimal effects are seen, as they say, but all effects seen are mediated by PUFA oxidation. Longer term was 1 hour. Significant delterroius effects are seen.

Title: Dietary Fish-Oil Supplementation in Humans Reduces UVB-Erythemal Sensitivity but Increases Epidermal Lipid Peroxidation

Link

Key Segment

“Hence dietary w-3 fatty acids produce a pronounced reduction in UVB-erythemal sensitivity, although susceptibility of skin to lipid peroxidation is increased.” This makes sense because the increased omega3 blunts the vasodilatory response but at the same time increases lipid peroxidation, which is more damaging than increased blood flow. In the next sentence, they hypothesize that:

“Thus, ?-3 fatty acids may act as an oxidizable buffer, protecting more vital structures from free radical damage.” This is not likely and actually contradicts their own findings of increased lipid peroxidation.

According to a PUFA researcher I’ve spoken with, authors are pressured to find something positive to say about omega-3 or they won’t get published!

Further Reading on PUFA and Oxidative Stress

https://drcate.com/pufa-project/#mechanism-oxidative-stress

Photo of Sunburned Skin Image Credit: Photo by Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash