Linoleic Acid In Eggs
I wanted to weigh in on the Vital Farms findings and the 23% higher Linoleic acid (LA) that was found in their eggs, making it just as high as Canola oil, which at this point im sure, we’re all aware is terrible for you.
If you were to get our eggs and our milk (which we plan to get into) WE TOO would probably score high on the map- but THIS IS WHERE CONTEXT MATTERS
We use a good amount of Black Seed Oil on this farm for all of the animals. If you are unaware of what Black seed oil (Nigella sativa) it is a traditional medicinal oil made from the cold-pressed seeds of Nigella sativa, used for thousands of years across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia as a broad-spectrum healing remedy. It’s rich in linoleic acid alongside unique bioactive compounds—especially thymoquinone—that give it anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects, supporting everything from metabolic and immune health to skin, gut, and respiratory function.
First - L I N O L E I C A C I D I S N O T T H E V I L A N
Linoleic acid is an essential omega-6 fat. Your body cannot make it. You need it for: Cell membrane structure •
Skin barrier integrity
Immune signaling
Hormone production
Mitochondrial membranes
The problem isn’t LA existing — it’s how much, in what form, and in what biochemical context it enters the body.
Modern seed oils (soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, etc.) are:
1. Highly processed
High heat
Solvents (hexane)
Deodorization
Bleaching
This oxidizes linoleic acid before you even eat it.
Oxidized LA → lipid peroxides → aldehydes (like 4-HNE)
These directly damage:
Mitochondria
Thyroid signaling
Insulin sensitivity
Endothelial lining
Your body reacts to these as toxic stressors, not nutrients. Historically, omega-6 intake was ~2–4% of calories.
Now it’s often 10–20%+.
That overwhelms:
Delta-6 desaturase
Antioxidant systems
Omega-3 balance
This pushes inflammation by volume alone. Industrial oils are essentially:
“Naked linoleic acid with no bodyguards”
No polyphenols
No antioxidants
No enzyme modulators
So the LA is free to oxidize and signal inflammation. why black seed oil is different 🌿
Black seed oil (Nigella sativa) is a completely different biological package, even though LA is the dominant fat.
1. It’s cold-pressed and intact
High-quality black seed oil is:
Unrefined
Low heat
Minimally exposed to oxygen
That means the linoleic acid arrives structurally intact, not already oxidized.
2. It contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds
This is the key difference.
Black seed oil isn’t just fat — it’s medicine dissolved in fat.
Major compounds include:
Thymoquinone
Nigellone
Carvacrol
Polyphenols
Alkaloids
Thymoquinone specifically:
Suppresses NF-κB (master inflammation switch)
Protects mitochondria from lipid peroxidation
Increases glutathione
Modulates immune response rather than stimulating it
So the LA is buffered, guided, and protected.
3. It changes how linoleic acid is metabolized
In black seed oil, LA is more likely to:
Be incorporated into cell membranes
Support tissue repair
Convert into anti-inflammatory metabolites
Rather than being shunted into:
Arachidonic acid overload
Pro-inflammatory eicosanoids
Why? Because the accompanying compounds downregulate COX-2 and LOX pathways that normally turn omega-6 into inflammatory messengers. Same fatty acid — totally different signaling outcome.
4. Dose and intention matter
No one is:
Cooking with black seed oil
Consuming tablespoons multiple times daily
Eating it hidden in every processed food
It’s taken:
In small, intentional doses
Often therapeutically
With awareness
That alone radically changes physiological impact.
Bottom line
Linoleic acid is:
❌ harmful when oxidized, excessive, isolated, and industrial
✅ healing when whole, protected, balanced, and intentional
Black seed oil works despite its linoleic acid — and partly because that LA is delivered in the right biological context.
And lest we remember that God gave us all that we need to vitalize our lives and keep ourselves (and ironically our animals) and loved ones healthy through many elements of the earth, we simply need to have the clarity in making the right decisions in how to use them.
