EP 277: Something Different | Dr. Cate Shanahan

June 2, 2025

Dr. Cate Shanahan, MD, has been studying vegetable oils since 2002. We talked about her background in biochemistry and what plastics have to do with seed oils, Henry Ford’s role in the history of seed oils, fatty acid chemistry and oxidation, how to avoid parkinsons and improve your mental health, her thoughts on sugar, fruit, and juice, the Hateful Eight, what Dr. Cate eats in a day, her new book Dark Calories, and more.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Patreon:

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patreon.com/somethingdiffpod

*Either Patreon supports both shows, but the perks are different

We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:

• Michael Roy and Mark and Julie Calhoun

Sponsors:

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Show Notes:

Related Podcast Episodes:

EP 274: Something Different | Justin Nault

EP 80: Robb Wolf

EP 56: Dave MacLeod

Follow-Up: Dave MacLeod

EP 255: Dave MacLeod Returns

Follow-Up: Dave MacLeod #2

References:

Dark Calories by Dr. Cate Shanahan

Deep Nutrition by Dr. Cate Shanahan

The Energy Model of Insulin Resistance (published paper)

New MAHA film featuring Dr. Cate

List of good fats & bad fats

Dr. Cate’s Links:

Instagram

drcate.com

Nuggets:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:03:56 – Dr. Cate’s education background

00:07:52 – Polymerization & seed oils

00:12:46 – Athletic background & health issues

00:15:04 – What a healthy diet really is

00:16:28 – Why do people defend seed oils?

00:27:19 – The smoking analogy

00:30:46 – A brief history of seed oils

00:42:40 – Edward Bernays

00:43:14 – Fatty acid chemistry & oxygen

00:49:30 – Oxidation & oxidative stress

00:56:55 – Rust, autophagy, & chronic disease

01:00:32 – Changing your diet to prevent Parkinson’s

01:02:11 – Sugar & refined flour

01:05:51 – Mental health

01:10:41 – Sugar continued

01:14:38 – Fruit, juice, & old food

01:20:56 – The Hateful Eight

01:24:22 – Clean Bite app

01:25:54 – Palm, olive, avocado, & coconut oil

01:27:34 – Adulterated food

01:31:00 – What Dr. Cate eats in a day

01:34:14 – Ancestral eating & Deep Nutrition

01:35:00 – Her next course

01:35:28 – Where to find Dr. Cate