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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Seed oil misinformation

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mellis (talk | contribs) at 02:57, 2 October 2024 (Research articles.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Seed oil misinformation (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) – (View log | edits since nomination)
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I am nominating the article Seed oil misinformation for deletion due to significant violations of Wikipedia’s Neutral Point of View (NPOV) policy, particularly in the title and the overall tone of the article.

  1. Title Bias: The title itself, "Seed oil misinformation," is particularly problematic and presupposes that any concerns or criticisms about the oils are automatically "misinformation." This is inherently biased and frames the entire article in a way that dismisses opposing views. A more neutral title would not take a definitive stance on the issue before even addressing the content of the article.
  2. One-Sided Arguments: The article is primarily focused on discrediting the health concerns surrounding the oils and conveys the message that opposition to the oils is part of a conspiracy. This fails to acknowledge that there may be legitimate health concerns raised by some experts or individuals regarding the oils, including their potential role in inflammation and metabolic issues. This one-sided perspective also neglects to address concerns that industry or food processors may be putting the interest of profits above public health.
  3. Dismissal of Legitimate Health Concerns: While the article casts doubt on health claims against the oils, it does not provide balanced coverage of the scientific debate. By labeling all criticisms as "misinformation," in the very title, the article skews heavily in favor of defending one side, ignoring the fact that some health professionals and researchers have raised legitimate concerns about the high omega-6 content, the harms of consuming easily oxidized oils, and the potential negative effects of consuming certain vegetable oils in excess.
  4. Not a Neutral Presentation of Information: A neutral article would present the arguments for and against these oils without taking sides. Instead, this article seems intent on portraying the entire opposition as 'misinformation' or conspiracy-driven, especially considering the title, without giving due weight to evidence or legitimate concerns raised by those on the other side of the debate.

In conclusion, the title and content are both so heavily biased that simple editing may not be sufficient to bring this article in line with Wikipedia’s standards. For these reasons, I propose deleting this article. If editors believe the topic is worthy of coverage, it should be rebuilt from the ground up starting with a neutral title and perspective that fairly represents all viewpoints. ~ Mellis (talk) 00:26, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. This article is so one sided and created with an agenda. It should be deleted. Sydpresscott (talk) 01:08, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

For context, this article was initially PRODed by User:69.123.64.3(1 October 2024), for the following reason: Neutral Point of View. See Discussion at Talk:Seed_oil_misinformation~ Mellis (talk) 01:02, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  • Comment I think the premise of this AfD is strongly flawed. ignoring the fact that some health professionals and researchers by this logic, HIV/AIDS denialism, should be called "HIV/AIDS controversy" because some health professionals and researchers supported this position when the majority of the scientific community didn't. During COVID misinformation was widely spread by medical professionals like Peter A. McCullough. That didn't mean it wasn't misinformation. This the appeal to authority fallacy which ignores the sources in the article which say that the expert consensus is that "seed oils" (as nebulous as that category is) are largely safe and that the current claims are misinformation. Hemiauchenia (talk) 01:17, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
    • Here's another source from the American Heart Association calling the claims bunk [1]. Hemiauchenia (talk) 01:19, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
      • @User:Hemiauchenia Its very important to point out that the credibility of the AHA is significantly questioned and doubted in this topic due to its significant corporate funding, particularly from processed vegetable oil producers. The American Heart Association receives incredibly significant funding from corporate interests, for this reason the AHA is a biased 'authority' due to their source of funding. The American Heart Association (AHA) has received funding from processed vegetable oil producers, including Procter & Gamble, the maker of Crisco and other processed oils, in 1948: The AHA received $1.75 million from Proctor & Gamble.[2][3], The AHA then recommended that people replace butter with vegetable oil or Crisco. More recently Bayer, the owner of LibertyLink soybeans, pledged up to $500,000 to the AHA. [4] Food manufactures pay the American Heart Association to show the AHA logo on their packaging. The food manufacturers push profits into the AHA every single day though this mechanism. The AHA is not credible source of information on this topic as they are significantly financed by these corporate mechanisms where the food industry pays AHA to endorse their processed foods.~ Mellis (talk) 02:35, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
        "Its [sic] very important to point out that the credibility of the AHA is significantly questioned and doubted in this topic due to its significant corporate funding" ← this is just howling conspiracism of the type that infects the antiscience movement, and any sources (if there actually are any) 'questioning and doubting' the AHA for this reason are from fools. While Wikipedia might report on stuff like this (see Big Pharma conspiracy theories) its policies prevent it from indulging them, Instead we reflect what reputable WP:MEDORGS like the AHA say as accepted knowedlege. Bon courage (talk) 02:44, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment Regarding the title, Seed oil controversy was changed to Seed oil misinformation per this diff. Also, remember that WP:WEIGHT is part of WP:NPOV, meaning that the weight given to viewpoints are to be reflective of their overall ratio among reliable sources, not simply fifty-fifty coverage.
This article looks like it intends to describe a fad diet (see its inclusion in the Fad Diets template as a high-carb diet), but doesn't have very much information on the rules or rationale for it to be a diet, even as it goes about rebutting them. The section on hexane is a good example. It says, without a citation, that proponents call the oils hazardous because of solvents, and then has four citations debunking that vaguely summarized claim. The article on the Paleolithic diet is a good example of NPOV for a fad diet, laying out the principles, health claims, and medical research around it. An article titled Paleo diet controversy or Paleo diet misinformation would be better served as a subsection in a main article, such as at Paleolithic_diet#Health_effects.
A follow-up question is whether the seed oil claims (or diet) are cohesive and notable enough to have a page dedicated to them. It's hard to confirm notability when what is being argued against is unclear. Azn bookworm10 (talk) 01:45, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]