Ghee, butter, coconut oil bad for liver? Doctor recommends switching to seed oils

Most kitchens use ghee, butter, or coconut oil but could these beloved fats be harming your liver? A liver expert now recommends switching to refined and cold-pressed seed oils for improved liver health. His advice challenges many of our long-held beliefs about "traditional fats."

The liver specialists reportedly warn that using ghee, coconut oil, and butter on a regular basis can harm liver health, particularly in people who are predisposed to fatty liver disease.

Doctors now recommend using refined seed oils for cooking and cold-pressed oils for raw consumption to improve liver function and reduce internal inflammation.


Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, a hepatologist who goes by TheLiverDoc on social media, presents a completely different viewpoint on liver health. He wrote on X, "Switch from saturated fats like coconut oil, clarified butter (ghee), lard and butter to refined (for cooking), unrefined and cold pressed (for direct use) seed oils rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated to experience improved liver tests and reduce liver fat,” as per a report by The Indian Express.

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Why are saturated fats being flagged by liver doctors?

“Increasing clinical research supports this claim," says Dr. Manoj Gupta, head of PSRI Hospital's Liver Transplant and Surgical Gastroenterology department, in an interview with The Indian Express.

It is well known that saturated fats, such as those in ghee, butter, coconut oil, and lard, can lead to the accumulation of liver fat, particularly in those who are either at risk for or have been diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

High consumption of saturated fats has been shown to worsen insulin resistance, raise hepatic triglyceride levels, and activate inflammatory pathways in the liver, according to studies published in journals such as Hepatology and The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"While traditional fats like ghee and coconut oil are culturally significant and consumed in moderation in many households, excessive and regular intake, especially in the context of a sedentary lifestyle and calorie-dense diet, can worsen metabolic health, including liver function," continues Dr. Jagadish Hiremath, a public health intellectual.

Individual responses, he says, can differ, and the total dietary pattern, lifestyle, and pre-existing metabolic risk factors are more important than any one food.

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How should you actually use seed oils in daily cooking?

Processing methods have an impact on the healthfulness of seed oils. Safer for deep-frying and sautéing, refined seed oils, such as canola, rice bran, or sunflower oil, are treated to eliminate impurities and tolerate high cooking temperatures without degrading.

In contrast, cold-pressed or unrefined oils are extracted by mechanical pressure without the use of heat or chemicals, preserving antioxidants, phytosterols, and vitamin E, all of which are good for the liver and heart but are heat-sensitive and best eaten raw.

Can changing oil alone really improve liver test results?

In people with fatty liver disease, substituting monounsaturated and polyunsaturated seed oils for saturated fats has demonstrated encouraging outcomes in terms of lowering liver fat and improving lipid profiles.

These advantages become even more noticeable when regular exercise and a lower sugar intake are added, making this one of the most affordable and easily accessible liver health interventions.

FAQs

Are ghee and coconut oil bad for the liver?
Yes, in excess, they can increase liver fat and inflammation—particularly if you already have a fatty liver or live a sedentary lifestyle.

Which oils should I use instead?
Doctors recommend refined seed oils for cooking and cold-pressed oils, such as flaxseed or sunflower, for raw use.