Cooking Oil-Derived Aldehydes: Overlooked Components of the Western Diet with the Potential to Disrupt Fetal Brain Development
- 1Leicester School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Abstract
Dietitians routinely recommend refined high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content culinary oils such as soybean, corn, canola, rapeseed and sunflower oils to pregnant women. Unfortunately, these PUFAs readily undergo peroxidation (especially at high frying or cooking temperatures), generating toxic lipid oxidation products, including reactive aldehydes and oxidized lipid mediators with established biological activities that may negatively impact fetal brain development. This hypothesis-driven perspective paper proposes a conceptual framework linking the maternal consumption of oils contaminated with lipid oxidation products to fetal neurodevelopmental vulnerability. We also identify key research priorities, including improved exposure assessments, the development of reliable aldehyde and other oxylipin biomarkers, and controlled dietary intervention studies. Such investigations will help clarify whether these commonly consumed culinary oils meaningfully contribute to the increasing rates of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
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BibTeX
@article{shanahan2026cooking,
title = {{Cooking Oil-Derived Aldehydes: Overlooked Components of the Western Diet with the Potential to Disrupt Fetal Brain Development}},
author = {Catherine Shanahan and Martin Grootveld},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31193530},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/19/3530},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Cooking Oil-Derived Aldehydes: Overlooked Components of the Western Diet with the Potential to Disrupt Fetal Brain Development
AU - Catherine Shanahan
AU - Martin Grootveld
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/03
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31193530
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/19/3530
AB - Dietitians routinely recommend refined high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content culinary oils such as soybean, corn, canola, rapeseed and sunflower oils to pregnant women. Unfortunately, these PUFAs readily undergo peroxidation (especially at high frying or cooking temperatures), generating toxic lipid oxidation products, including reactive aldehydes and oxidized lipid mediators with established biological activities that may negatively impact fetal brain development. This hypothesis-driven perspective paper proposes a conceptual framework linking the maternal consumption of oils contaminated with lipid oxidation products to fetal neurodevelopmental vulnerability. We also identify key research priorities, including improved exposure assessments, the development of reliable aldehyde and other oxylipin biomarkers, and controlled dietary intervention studies. Such investigations will help clarify whether these commonly consumed culinary oils meaningfully contribute to the increasing rates of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -