Is Oxidation Really the Villain? (An Intro to Lipid Oxidation)
October 12, 2025

The Good, the Bad… and the Useful

    When you hear the word “oxidation,” phrases like “Aging is the rusting of the body” or “Avoid oxidized foods and eat more antioxidants!” might come to mind.
    It’s true that extreme oxidation can cause health problems, but our bodies have strong homeostatic mechanisms that finely regulate the amount of lipid oxidation products. In fact, this moderate oxidation plays a surprisingly important role in maintaining our health.
    The same applies to food. Severely oxidized foods can upset your stomach, but in reality, most of the foods we eat naturally contain lipid oxidation products. The appetizing aroma of grilled steak, the fragrance of tempura, and even the unique scent of olive oil—all of these are thanks to lipid oxidation compounds.
    Did you know? Olive oil, often regarded as one of the most oxidation-resistant oils, actually contains higher levels of lipid oxidation products than other oils (such as canola oil) even right after purchase. In other words, lipid oxidation products aren’t necessarily bad. If we completely eliminated them, our meals would become rather dull and flavorless.

    In this Latest Science series, We’ll be introducing the fundamentals of lipid oxidation—and exploring how it connects to both food and health—in a way that’s as simple and approachable as possible.