The Truth About Seed Oils, Protein & What’s Actually Making Us Sick | Simon Hill

Mark Hyman

Aug 13, 2025

Episode description

With so much conflicting health advice online, it’s no wonder people feel overwhelmed by food choices. Is saturated fat really the enemy? Are seed oils as harmful as some headlines claim? And how do we know what’s actually true? In this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I sit down with nutrition researcher and author Simon Hill to make sense of the latest science and help you cut through the confusion.

You can watch our full conversation on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

We discuss:

• The real story behind seed oils, saturated fat, and inflammation—and what to do about it

• What your lab work can tell you about your unique nutrition needs

• How to spot nutrition misinformation and think critically about food trends

• Why cutting back on ultra-processed foods may be more important than obsessing over any single nutrient

In a world full of nutrition noise, this episode helps you tune into what really matters—science, and your own body.

View Show Notes From This Episode

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Mindsip insights from this episode:

Pair protein intake with resistance training for strength gains

Increasing your protein intake without also doing resistance training will do virtually nothing to increase your strength.

#protein

#strength-training

Prioritize total daily protein intake for muscle synthesis

Recent data suggests that total daily protein intake is far more important for muscle protein synthesis than how it is distributed throughout the day.

#muscle

#protein

Prioritize strength training to prevent falls with aging

As you age, you lose strength and power at a faster rate than you lose muscle mass, which is critical for preventing falls.

#aging

#strength

Rethink protein RDA for optimal muscle health

The recommended daily allowance for protein (0.8g/kg) is set to prevent deficiency, not to optimize muscle health, which requires 1.2 to 1.6g/kg.

#muscle

#protein

Build muscle with plant protein at adequate intake levels

When total protein intake is high enough (around 1.6g/kg), recent studies show no difference in muscle or strength gains between animal and plant-based diets.

#muscle

#protein

Address hyper-palatable foods to combat chronic disease

The rise in chronic disease is better explained by the increased consumption of hyper-palatable, ultra-processed foods rather than by seed oils alone.

#chronic-disease

#processed-food

Incorporate seed oils to lower heart disease risk

Biomarker studies show that higher levels of linoleic acid from seed oils in your tissue are associated with a lower risk of heart disease and total mortality.

#heart

#seed-oil

Avoid replacing seed oils with butter in junk food for better health outcomes

Replacing seed oils with butter in ultra-processed foods would likely make health outcomes worse due to the interaction between saturated fat and a high-sugar diet.