Canola oil

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and heart risk³

  In people, canola oil lowered total and LDL cholesterol compared with other cooking oils.

• Benefit

  Blood cholesterol levels⁴

  In people, eating canola oil instead of olive oil lowered LDL and total cholesterol.

• Open question

  Heart health compared to olive oil⁵

  Canola oil has only short-term studies on heart risk signs, so scientists do not yet know if it matches olive oil.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels⁶

  Canola oil lowered total and LDL cholesterol compared with diets high in saturated fats.

• Benefit

  Belly fat and blood pressure⁷

  In people, canola oil diets reduced belly fat, which went along with lower blood pressure.

• Open question

  Belly fat and weight⁸

  In people with type 2 diabetes, canola oil slightly changed body weight and belly fat, but the changes were small.

• Benefit

  Body weight⁹

  In people, canola oil led to a small drop in body weight, but other body measures barely changed.

• Open question

  Cholesterol levels in blood¹⁰

  Canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol in people, but adding squalene raised several blood cholesterol levels.

• Open question

  Cholesterol absorption and excretion¹¹

  In nine people with ileostomies, rapeseed oil tended to lower cholesterol absorption and raised cholesterol excretion compared with olive oil.

• Concern

  Blood fats after meals¹²

  In people, canola oil raised blood fats and inflammation markers more than coconut oil after eating.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels¹³

  Eating high-oleic canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol in people with high cholesterol.

• Benefit

  Heart risk markers¹⁴

  In people with heart risk factors, canola oil lowered one blood marker, but its activity did not change.

• No harm found

  Heart and kidney health¹⁵

  In adults with overweight or obesity, 20 mL of rapeseed oil daily for 12 weeks did not change heart or kidney markers.

• Concern

  Heart health in diabetes¹⁶

  In people with type 2 diabetes, canola oil raised a heart-related protein, especially in women.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Breast cancer growth¹⁸

  In animal studies, canola oil slowed breast cancer tumor growth in mice compared with corn oil.

How it’s made and used

• Heart health and cholesterol¹⁷

  Canola oil is 4% saturated fat and 55% oleic acid, but no single oil meets all diet goals.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.