‘Health guru’ claims ingredient in almost ALL ultra-processed foods is SHRINKING our brains

A social media influencer who is popular for his videos about health wellness has claimed that a popular ingredient in almost every ultra-processed food could disrupt brain function. 

In a viral video published this week, YouTuber Joseph Everett shockingly claimed ‘totally new and unnatural vegetable oils’ could reduce a vital fatty acid found in the brain that protects it from inflammation.

Seed oils such as rapeseed, sunflower, soybean or corn have long been vilified for reportedly raising the risk of heart disease, obesity and other illnesses. 

But Everett, who has 2million subscribers to his YouTube channel, says they can also have a ‘negative effect’ on developing brains, even ‘shrinking’ them. 

Experts today, however, warned there was little evidence behind the ‘misleading’ claims and told MailOnline the video ‘risks scaremongering’. 

In a viral video published this week, popular YouTuber Joseph Everett also shockingly claimed these ‘totally new and unnatural vegetable oils’ could reduce an omega-3 fatty acid found in the brain, vital to help it function

The Nova system, developed by scientists in Brazil more than a decade ago, splits food into four groups based on the amount of processing it has gone through. Unprocessed foods include fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs and meat. Processed culinary ingredients — which are usually not eaten alone — include oils, butter, sugar and salt

In the video, Mr Everett said docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, was ‘critical for healthy brain function as an adult’. 

He added: ‘The best source of DHA is seafood — fish, shellfish, crustaceans, algae.

‘These totally new and unnatural vegetable oils have tonnes of linoleic acid that reduces DHA. 

‘But DHA is critical for brain function and even evolution of the brain.

‘Most restaurants use these seed based oils to cook with because it’s so cheap.

‘Most processed food and prepackaged food has plenty of vegetable oil. Fried foods are of course fried in vegetable oil.’

Is there any evidence to back up his claims? 

Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid. As the body cannot produce it itself, it must be consumed as part of our diet. 

According to the NHS, Brits should limit trans fats — found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil — to no more than 5g per day.

But omega-3 and omega-6 can also help lower the level of ‘bad’ low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in your blood, according to studies.

The health service says they are considered ‘healthy fats’.

Professor Chris Fox, a brain health researcher at the University of Exeter, also told MailOnline: ‘There’s no evidence form robust studies that could show that seed oils negatively impact the brain, so this is just speculation. 

‘We need to bear in mind that an observing a high amount of something and a negative effect does not necessarily mean that one causes the other.’

Registered nutritionist and author Rob Hobson said: While there are legitimate concerns about the impact of omega-6 fatty acids on health, the claims in this video are overstated and somewhat misleading.’

He told MailOnline: ‘There is no direct evidence that consuming linoleic acid alone significantly reduces DHA levels. 

‘The real issue is the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats in the diet. 

‘When you consume too many omega-6 fats, they can compete with omega-3 fats, like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), for the enzymes needed to convert them into DHA.

‘While this could potentially reduce DHA levels, the body primarily gets DHA from dietary sources like oily fish, and not from the conversion of ALA, which is an inefficient process to begin with.’

Limited pre-clinical evidence has suggested that excess linoleic acid could ‘increase the brain’s vulnerability to inflammation’. 

But no human studies proving a definite link between the two currently exist.

The Alzheimer’s Society also does not acknowledge any links between seed oils and brain function. 

Instead it advises people follow a Mediterranean diet to ‘maintain good brain function’. 

The UK is the worst in Europe for eating UPFs, which make up an estimated 57 per cent of the national diet

This includes ‘using vegetable and plant oils for cooking and dressing — for example, olive oil and rapeseed oil’.

While Mr Everett did acknowledge ‘linoleic acid is not a synethic poison like lead’ and a ‘small amount in the diet is totally normal’, he added: ‘But the problem is clearly, we are eating very unnaturally high amounts of it nowadays’.

He also cited research from Canadian scientists suggesting women eating too much linoleic acid ‘had not just lower DHA but lower levels of the brain boosting fats arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid’.

The 2010 study, which assessed 105 pregnant women, ‘suggested there was a competitive interaction of linoleic acid with arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA. 

‘This also suggests that linoleic acid shoves out DHA and other fats essential for brain function and development,’ Mr Everett said.

‘Then, five years later a 2015 study found that children with mothers who got too much linoleic acid experienced negative effects to their children’s brain development.’

But Mr Hobson told MailOnline: ‘Overstating the science in this way risks scaremongering, which can unnecessarily worry mothers. 

‘We need to promote positive messaging around improving diet as a whole, rather than focusing narrowly on individual nutrients. 

‘Reducing intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and cooking more from scratch is key, and including oily fish in the diet each week is a simple and effective way to achieve a better balance of omega-3 to omega-6. 

The umbrella term, UPFs, is used to cover anything edible made with colourings, sweeteners and preservatives that extend shelf life. 

Ready meals, ice cream and tomato ketchup are some of the best-loved examples of products that fall under the umbrella UPF term.

This is now synonymous with foods offering little nutritional value.

They are different to processed foods, which are tinkered to make them last longer or enhance their taste, such as cured meat, cheese and fresh bread.

The UK is the worst in Europe for eating UPFs, which make up an estimated 57 per cent of the national diet.

They are thought to be a key driver of obesity, which costs the NHS around £6.5billion a year.