September 9, 2021
Andreas Wecker, my guest on today's podcast, is a former German gymnast who had a long and successful career.
A European, World, and Olympic champion, Andreas's greatest achievement was the gold medal on the high bar at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. There, he beat gymnasts of such caliber as Vitaly Scherbo and Alexei Nemov.
In 1989, Andreas was named the last East German Sportsman of the Year. He also competed for the SC Dynamo Berlin/Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo. Andreas qualified for the German team for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Just days before his events, he suffered a serious shoulder injury where he tore a bicep muscle in his shoulder. Injured and processing the revelation that his career was on indefinite hold, Andreas followed a rigid six-week recovery plan before pushing ahead to tour as a professional gymnastics exhibitionist. Like many other athletes, he found himself dependent on a combination of painkillers, aspirin, and coffee to cope with the lingering pain and get him through practices and performances.
In what has become an all-too-familiar story of drug dependence, Andreas's dependence on painkillers went on for 14 years—until he finally stepped away from his athletic pursuits in 2004. When he tried to stop taking the pills, Andreas noted an immediate, rapid deterioration in his health and well-being.
Over a six-week period in 2006, Andreas lost 45 pounds and 80 percent of his blood supply. Soon admitted to the hospital, doctors diagnosed Andreas with Crohn’s Disease (CD). In the following weeks, he received eight blood transfusions and immediately began a treatment plan, with hopes of reversing his body’s decline. After nearly two months in the hospital, Andreas realized that the 33 pills he was taking every single day were not improving his condition. Defeated, he acknowledged that the pills only temporarily alleviated some of the most severe symptoms.
Despite struggling with feelings of defeat, Andreas knew this could not be the only cure. The treatment plan was causing his body to rapidly change and progressively weaken. Without some sort of miracle, the next step would be major surgery to remove large portions of his digestive tract.
As Andreas saw it, he had three options:
-Die from Crohn’s Disease
-Die from the medications
-Find another option entirely
Andreas confided in a friend whose family member was also suffering from Crohn’s, and this friend mentioned an alternative that involved using fresh-pressed flaxseed oil. Intrigued and desperate, Andreas decided to try it. He began supplementing his prescribed medications with fresh-pressed flaxseed oil. Within a short period of time, he was surprised to find the pain and inflammation notably relieved.
He decided to take a chance. At the age of 36, Andreas made the brave choice to check himself out of the hospital and do something drastic to change his life. Armed with flax seeds, coriander, and a five-seed blend, Andreas began taking this combination of supplements daily. Over the next weeks, as he reduced the number of pharmaceutical pills he took every day and continued taking the flaxseed oils, the side effects from the medications wore off. After three months of supplementing, he stopped taking the prescribed medications for Crohn’s Disease entirely. Changes to his diet, combined with the fresh-pressed flaxseed oil, changed Andreas’s approach to managing his health problems. The improvements in his condition testified to the flaxseed oil’s successful repair work on his body.
Today, Andreas is the chairman and founder of Andreas Seed Oils, headquartered in Bend, Oregon, and distributed through his office in Germany. Andreas has now been pressing the world’s purest oils for over 11 years. Through his proprietary German Cold-Press technology, these oils are pressed at ultra-low temperatures to eliminate oxidation and maintain their molecular integrity. This technology is so delicate yet powerful that each seed’s nutritional molecules remain undamaged and intact, resulting in the purest and most effective oils instantly absorbed by the body. Andreas Seed Oils are entirely free of any metals, solvents, pesticides, or preservatives.
In today's podcast, we take a deep dive into Andreas's oils, how they are different, how to use them, the difference between seed oils and vegetable oils, and much more!
During our discussion, you'll discover:
-How Andreas was “slowly dying” due to a mysterious CO₂ leak in his home…05:40
- There was a gas leak in his home for 3.5 years
- The flame looked funny on the stove; the landlord had the wrong gas burners installed
- 8.6 level (usually 0-0.2)
- Get a gas leak detector in your home
-How a gymnastics injury led Andreas onto the path of consuming seed oils…08:20
- Podcasts with Joe Distefano:
- Top two sports to prepare for fitness: gymnastics and soccer
- Gymnastics is incredibly hard on the body
- Andreas took painkillers for 14+ years; pain always associated with inflammation
- Stopped painkillers in 2004 cold turkey, which resulted in serious gut problems
- Lost 45 pounds and lost 80% of his blood in 4-6 weeks
-Problems with the seed expeller at your local Whole Foods…14:30
- An expeller press uses friction and pressure
- Higher temperatures that result destroy enzymes in the seeds that are being pressed
- Metal from the machine gets ground down, ends up in the pressed seeds that are consumed
- Friction causes oxidation
-How a mechanic (not an engineer) literally changed Andreas's health for the better forever…19:45
- The oils from Andreas's presser actually taste like the seeds they come from
- Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil club
- Podcast with T.J. Robinson, “the olive oil guy”
- Andreas holds patents on the specific technology for this type of presser
- The patents were granted just a few weeks ago, now he can make them commercially available
- Soon after taking flaxseed oil, Andreas was able to get off his extensive meds
- The medical system is not able to give natural ways to solve problems in the body
-Healing properties of Andreas's flaxseed oil on the gut…25:05
- “Insanely inflammatory”
- 4x more Omega-3 than Omega-6
- Doesn't require refrigeration when it's stored in Miron glass
- A 4-year-old bottle tasted as fresh as when it was new
- Produce can be labeled “fresh” for as long as 5 years after it's harvested
- Flax seeds come from Kazakhstan
- Soviet bloc countries never had money to spray chemicals on their crops, so their soil is cleaner than other parts of the world
- Kion Omega
- KavaPlex by Andreas Seed Oils
-Why Andreas's products are not labeled “certified organic”…36:05
- No one from the USDA wants to fly to the locales where the seeds are grown to certify the soil as organic
- Even Certified Organic crops are allowed to use certain pesticides (or be grown near crops that are sprayed)
- Filtering oils can damage the molecular structure of the oil
- Immense pressure from pressing tons of seeds affects the efficacy of the oils
- Strained, but not filtered oils
-Benefits of cooking with seed oils…42:00
- Sunflower seed oil is the best cooking oil in the world
- Sesame seed oil is great for stir-fries
- Most Asian women enter menopause later due to eating foods cooked in sesame oil
- Some of the non-cooking oils are great on salads
- Pumpkin seed oil
- Hemp seed oil
- Fennel seed oil
- Five-seed oil
- Trigger the body to heal itself with the right information, i.e. putting the right stuff in it
-The research behind Andreas's oils…46:37
- The only cold-pressed, certified organic hemp oil on the market
- Pumpkin seed oil is a great parasite killer
- CBD oil that is also good for pets
- Tech exists to press even mushrooms
-What's coming down the pike seed oil wise…50:36
- Avocado oil and coconut oils are coming in the future
-The best oils to begin with if you're unfamiliar with oils…53:10
- Black cumin oil in water builds ATP
- Five-seed oil
- 100 Reasons Why Black Seed Oil Is The Remedy For Everything But Death
- Milk thistle oil is great for the liver
- Any black seeds protect organs
-And much more…
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources from this episode:
– Andreas Wecker:
- Andreas Seed Oils
- Sunflower Seed Oil
- Sesame Seed Oil
- Pumpkin Seed Oil
- Hemp Seed Oil
- Fennel Seed Oil
- Five Seed Oil
- Black Cumin Oil
- Milk Thistle Oil
- KavaPlex
- PrestOrganics CBD Hemp Oil
– Podcasts And Articles:
- Kettlebell Yoga, The Best 5 Cardio Machines You Can Use, How To “Reset” Your Body With An Adventure & Much More!, with Joe DiStefano.
- Digital Detoxing, Travel-Proofing Your Immune System, Underground Body Weight Workouts & More With Joe DiStefano.
- What Olive Oil Should Taste Like, The Scary Truth About Olive Oil, Can You Cook With Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Much More!, with T. J. Robinson.
– Other Resources:
- Kion Omega
- Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Expeller Press
- Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming > Conventional Agriculture
- 100 Reasons Why Black Seed Oil Is The Remedy For Everything But Death
Upcoming Events:
- Join me and my wife Jessa at Runga for The Gathering. Click here to grab one of the very limited spots we have open to the public for The Gathering at Runga (October 7-9, 2021).
- Las Vegas Keto Expo (October 15-16, 2021). Ben will be speaking at the Las Vegas Keto Expo along with 13 other keto experts. The first 300 guests to register here will get a free drink chip for the poolside party and a free t-shirt.
- Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar
Episode sponsors:
–Kion Flex: The ultimate recovery formula, Kion Flex is a bioavailable blend to support joint comfort, mobility and flexibility, and bone health.
–The Boundless Cookbook: Optimize your physical and mental performance with nutritious and delicious Greenfield family recipes.
–Paleo Valley Beef Sticks: 100% grass-fed AND grass-finished. Keto friendly and higher levels of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Receive a 15% discount off your order when you go to paleovalley.com/ben
–Water and Wellness: The best solution for clean and safe drinking water. Water and Wellness also offers an amazing line of essential water additives such as Quinton Marine plasma which contains over 78 trace minerals and elements from the ocean to help restore your biological-terrain. Get 15% off your order when you use discount code GREENFIELD.
–Seed Daily Synbiotic: A formulation of 24 unique strains, each of which included at their clinically verified dose, to deliver systemic benefits in the body. Save 15% off your first month's subscription when you use discount code BEN15.
Hello Ben,
I just found this old episode and I’m intrigued by these products. But given that almost all biohackers/functional medicine practitioners I’ve read or listened to say to stay away from seed oils, will you please provide an update? Yes, I know this was addressed in the episode as far as how much better and advanced Wecker’s process is, but it seem strange that I have not run across him in other places (i.e., Dave Asprey, Mark Hyman, et al.).
Have you been using these oils since this episode came out in 2021? If so, with what results? If not, why not?
Thank you!
Hi Ben, I just heard your latest podcast, Q&A 469 on 3/16/24, and thank you so much for answering my above question! I’ve been using all of Andreas Wecker’s seed oils for several weeks. After consulting with his colleague, Katja, I’ve been using the Flaxseed Oil before bed for better sleep; and after seeing Andreas on a podcast with Brian Peskin, I’ve stopped using fish oil capsules (which they state are actually counterproductive) and now rely on the flaxseed oil the same benefits. I’ll test my levels in a few months to check the results, but it would be great if you would interview Peskin–he makes quite a compelling case for the harms of fish oil (but to continue eating good fish/seafood).
Thanks again!
On one hand we say oils are awful … and here we are advancing oils… .appears to be very abnormal to me. Likewise USDA didn’t support… ..dont see the association referenced!
Thank you for telling us about this story and for recording this informative interview. In fact, I was very surprised when I read this article. I am more surprised at how little our knowledge of even plants is, and perhaps because of this, many people cannot find a suitable treatment for themselves. As in the story with cannabidiol oil, we did not even have a clue about its excellent properties. Therefore, I hope that we are still on the way to huge and beneficial plant discoveries.
Ben, your content is really going downhill in pursuit of padding your wallet. It’s very clear from the comments section that you are only interested in addressing issues with the discount codes (which make you money) and that you don’t intend to address any of you audience’s concerns about the safety/efficacy of the products you’re shilling for. Most of us can’t afford expensive stem cell treatments at Swedish Health clinics to undo the damage caused by toxic products like these oils.
Your astute listeners have already come forward with a number of excellent questions and concerns:
-Why consume processed oils instead of the whole-food seeds?
-Why consume seed oils when these plant fats are not well converted into long chain fats like DHA?
-Don’t these oils spontaneously oxidize when exposed to oxygen, much less heat?
To these concerns I would add that:
-Seed oils disrupt insulin signaling and impair mitochondrial function
-Seeds oils produce inflammatory prostaglandins
-Seeds oils produce toxic byproducts like 4HNE
-Seed oils increase OxLDL a causative factor in heart disease
Seed oils are widely condemned in the alternative health sphere. Everywhere from carnivore to high carb circles and everywhere in between, you will see the dangers of these fats exposed.
For those interested in high quality data/research based information on seed oils:
Tucker Goodrich – Yelling Stop (keto)
Brad Marshall – Fire in a Bottle (mix diet)
Paul Saladino – Carnivore MD (carnivore)
Peter Dobromolskyj – Hyperlipid (keto)
Ray Peat – Raypeat.com (high carb)
Ben, you’ve interviewed many of these people, so I know you’re not ignorant to these concerns. It’s baffling that you’d be more interested in a quick buck off discount codes than maintaining the quality of your brand… truly short sighted and disappointing.
Replying to myself to add:
Ben clearly knows the dangers of the products he’s shilling for, a simple search of his own website reveals many episodes discussing this. HIGHLY DISHONEST!!!!
Interview with Dr. Cate Shanahan (a DOCTOR who actually looks healthy enough to be giving advice)
https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/nutritio…
I have been doing a lot of research on Seed Oils recently and would love to hear Ben’s reply to your comments. Thank you Matt for the list of other sources of information and alternative points of view.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but omega 3 from plants (ALA) is pretty much worthless to humans. Not saying there is not some benefit from the whole matrix of flax seed, but I really think this selling point is misleading.
Hi Ben, and Andreas,
Great podcast! Do have any thoughts, and/or are there any studies/research as to which of these oils are effective for lowing high blood pressure?
Thanks!
John R.
Why don’t you address the concerns that everyone expressing about the seed oil debate, instead of being concerned about the discount code?
Dont understnd, why not just consume Flax Seeds or Cumin or Coriander? why do we need oils as the medium to consume?
Good question Jack!
On one hand we say oils are bad …and here we are promoting oils….seems quite weird to me. Also USDA did not approve…..dont see the connection mentioned!
Can you advise the discount code for oils
The discount for Andreas was auto applied since they were having a labor day sale for 30% off the whole site, so our code currently doesn't work. We´ll hopefully get this resolved ASAP!
You should address the criticisms of this episode ASAP instead of just the discount codes!!!
Can you please advise the difference from this brand to the other you also interviewed ACTIVATION oils
thanks
Andreas Wecker is 51 years old and looks at least 70 years old. Probably because he takes in a lot of toxic seed oils. Eating seed and vegetable oils is about the worst thing you can do to your health and part of the main cause so many people are sick and fat. These kinds of oil oxidize and become toxic almost immediately.
Hi there,
None of Andreas oils are oxidized and they are not heated like Traditional oils. My husband and I use his oils for over 7 years and we feel and look amazing. Thanks Mary
Mary,
Unfortunately these oils are highly prone to auto-oxidation as soon as they are exposed to oxygen. The claims that these oils have a 5 year shelf life is downright pseudoscience.
Additionally, these oils oxidize quite easily once inside the body wreaking havoc at every level: mitochondrial, insulin signaling, inflammatory cascade, toxic breakdown products.
Unsaturated oils are found in nature in deep water fish (cold) and the seeds of plants in colder climates. Warm blooded mammals (humans) function optimally with saturated fat, which is why that is the form we naturally store our fat in.
I’m glad you look and feel amazing, but I’d suggest doing some research and switching to grass fed butter before you end up looking like the GRIM REAPER (Andreas).
Best wishes!!
Perhaps looking old has something to do with:
He was i retraining for the Olympics
He got injured
He had Crohn’s disease
He almost died
I don’t know whether his products are effective or not. I plan to try the milk thistle one since I have HepB that damaged my liver. But I want to make a comment that we need to be a bit more kind passing comments on the internet. Andreas is a real person who may be reading these comments.
*overtraining for the Olympics
Great point made when it comes to the importance of kindness Aimy!
i”m confused…
mail from ben greenfield “healing with seed oils…” immediately followed by mail from paul saladino “seed oil dangers (GRAPHIC PICS)”…..
:(
same here, that was odd!
Isn’t sunflower seed oil’s omega 3 to 6 ratio not good?
I am also curious and confused by this. From my understanding, the black cumin is also very high in Omega 6 with little Omega 3. Did I miss something or was this discussed?
Black Cumin Seed is very high in Omega-9
dump fish oil..per brian peskin,,.com….,,,andreas seed oils been taking for 2 years
thanks dr mark
is there a promo code?
WONDERING THIS AS WELL!
For which product specifically?
It doesn’t look like there is a code for the discount you discussed for the products on Andreas’ site
The discount for Andreas was auto applied since they were having a labor day sale for 30% off the whole site, so our code currently doesn't work. My team is working on it and should have one for you soon!
It would be nice if you could address the issues that have been raised against seed oils! Not in integrity to give mixed messages
Try BEN. Worked for me