Is Canola Oil Bad for Your Health? Get the Facts Here

What is Canola Oil?

Canola oil is one of the most commonly used plant-based cooking oils in the United States, along with other vegetable oils such as corn oil, palm oil, and soybean oil. 

These vegetable oils are called RBD (refined, bleached, deodorized) oils, which describe the manufacturing process. The largest producer of canola in the world is Canada. In the U.S., 80% of canola production takes place in North Dakota.

Canola oil is made by crushing the seeds of the canola plant to extract the oil. Along with mechanical extraction, solvent extraction with solvents such as hexane is used to extract the remaining oil from the canola seed.

Is Canola Oil Healthy or Not?

Canola oil is generally considered healthy because it is low in saturated fat. In addition, canola oil is high in healthy fats, including monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids), and phytosterols. These compounds are linked to a lower risk of heart disease.

What is the Best Kind of Canola Oil?

Many nutrition experts recommend cold-pressed canola oil as the best kind of canola oil because it is not treated with heat or solvents. However, cold-pressed canola oil is more expensive and can be hard to find on supermarket shelves. You can find it by looking for words like “cold-pressed,” “virgin,” or “unrefined” on the label if you want to avoid RBD oils. 

Keep in mind that many canola oils sold as cold pressed may be adulterated or blended with RBD oils. Choose a canola oil made by a reputable manufacturer to ensure you are getting a high-quality cooking oil that meets quality standards.

Common Concerns

Hexane 

A highly volatile solvent called hexane is used for solvent extraction of canola oil from canola seeds. Animal studies have shown that chronic hexane exposure may be associated with neurotoxicity. However, there is no evidence that the use of hexane to extract the oil from canola seed poses any danger to human health. In fact, most people inhale more hexane through exposure to gasoline fumes than they would by ingesting trace amounts in canola oil.

Trans Fats

Trans fats are linked to a range of serious health conditions. Canola oil does in fact contain small amounts of trans fats that are created during the deodorizing process which converts some of the natural unsaturated fatty acids in canola oil to trans fat. This also results in a reduction in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. 

However, food manufacturers are allowed to label their products “zero trans fat” if the trans fat content is less than 0.5 grams per serving. Therefore, even though canola oil is commonly proclaimed as “zero trans fat,” it does, in fact, contain small amounts of trans fat, as do all vegetable oils. So, even though this qualified health claim isn’t completely false, it is not 100% accurate​​, and you should take quantity into consideration.

Is Canola Oil Banned in the U.S.?

No, canola oil is not banned in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has categorized canola oil as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe).

Nutritional Composition of Canola Oil

Fat and Fatty Acid Content

• Saturated fats 7% (the least among common cooking oils)

• Monounsaturated fats 63%

• Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat (omega-3s, omega-6s, and omega 9s)

  • Polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 fats) 9-11% (the highest among common cooking oils)

  • Source of omega-6s or omega-6 fatty acids

  • High amounts of monounsaturated omega-9 fat (oleic acid)

• Alpha-linolenic acid 6-14%

• Oleic acid 50-65%

• Phytosterols 0.9%

• Low amount of trans fat

Nutrient Profile of 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) of Canola Oil

• Energy 124 kilocalories (kcal) or 581 kilojoules (kJ)

• Total lipid (fat) 14 grams

• Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) 8.86 grams

• Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) 3.93 grams

• Saturated fatty acids (SFA) 1.03 grams

• Trans fatty acids (TFA) 0.055 grams

• Trace amounts of vitamins and minerals (choline, tocopherol, vitamin E, vitamin K)

Comparison With Other Cooking Oils

Note: Smoke point is the temperature at which an oil breaks down, giving food an unpleasant burnt taste as well as releasing harmful, unstable molecules called free radicals that cause oxidative stress and cellular damage.

Which Oil Is Healthier: Canola Oil or Olive Oil?

Both canola oil and olive oil have health benefits, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, but olive oil is generally considered healthier than canola oil. Olive oil is part of a heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, an eating plan recommended by the American Heart Association and leading nutrition experts around the world.

What Is The Healthiest Oil To Cook With?

Extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil are two of the healthiest oils to cook with. However, you may choose other cooking oils based on the cooking method and your personal preferences in terms of flavor and texture.

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Potential Health Benefits of Canola Oil

Cardiovascular Health

Canola oil contains healthy fats that can lower LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol) and decrease the risk of heart disease. Studies have shown that consuming canola oil can significantly lower cardiovascular risk compared to other vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil.

Diabetes Control

Researchers have found that in people with type 2 diabetes, consuming canola oil in combination with a low glycemic load diet results in improvement in blood cholesterol levels and blood sugar control.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions linked to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Conditions associated with metabolic syndrome include abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood glucose, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). 

Studies show that blood pressure and abdominal fat mass are significantly decreased in people who are at a high risk of metabolic syndrome after consuming canola and high-oleic acid canola oil.

High-oleic oil is any oil that is high in monounsaturated fats. Notably, canola and olive oil are inherently high in monounsaturated fat but still contain polyunsaturated fats. High-oleic canola oil is modified through biotechnology to increase monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the preferred types) with almost zero trans fat.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Research suggests that canola oil may have anti-inflammatory effects. One study found DHA-enriched canola oil has more anti-inflammatory effects than other oils containing plant-based polyunsaturated fatty acids. Studies have also shown cold pressed unrefined rapeseed oil contains compounds such as lutein and other carotenoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties. Canola oils are varieties of rapeseed oil that contain less than 2% erucic acid. 

Potential Health Risks

Some studies suggest that consuming canola oil may increase oxidative stress by causing an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. Other studies have suggested canola oil can cause more inflammation than soybean, flax, and safflower oil. Therefore, people with chronic inflammation may want to avoid canola oil.

Processing and Production Concerns

• The manufacturing process used to extract commercially sold canola oil from crude oil can result in nutrient loss. Cold-pressed canola oil is less processed and retains a higher percentage of nutrients. 

• High-heat cooking such as deep frying can result in oxidation of canola oil, releasing harmful molecules. However, canola oil is less likely to form these molecules than other vegetable oils like corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil. 

• Canola oil needs to be bleached more than other oils because of its high chlorophyll content. 

• Canola oil contains erucic acid, which may be toxic to the human body. However, commercially available canola oils have erucic acid levels well below the safety limits set by the FDA.

Recommendations for Consumption

Scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1½ tablespoons (19 grams) of canola oil daily may have health benefits, including a lower risk of coronary heart disease due to canola oil’s unsaturated fat content. Keep in mind that to reap the health benefits of canola oil, you should plan on replacing saturated fat (unhealthy fat) with canola oil and eating a balanced diet without increasing your total daily calorie intake.

Talk to your doctor if you have further questions on the type of oil you should incorporate into your diet. Registered dietitians can also provide great resources regarding portion size and dietary recommendations. 

How to Cook with Canola Oil

Canola oil is a versatile cooking oil with a mild flavor and texture and long shelf life, which makes it suitable for nearly all cooking methods, including salad dressings, baking, stir-fries, and fried foods. According to the Canola Council of Canada, regular canola oil has a smoke point of 468°F, but high-oleic canola oil is even more stable at high temperatures with a smoke point of 475°F – making it the ideal choice for high-heat cooking.

Alternative Oils

Some of the alternatives to canola oil include olive oils (extra-virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, or refined olive oil), avocado oil, walnut oil, and other seed oils such as flaxseed oil, sesame oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower oil. Oils to limit or avoid include coconut oil, palm oil, and partially hydrogenated oils found in ultra-processed foods like baked goods (cakes, cookies, ice cream) and savory snacks (crackers, potato chips).