Cottonseed

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels²

  In people, cottonseed oil lowered LDL cholesterol and triglycerides compared with olive oil, but only a few small studies exist.

• Benefit

  Appetite and weight³

  In adults with high cholesterol, cottonseed oil led to more fullness and lower reported eating than olive oil.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Gut inflammation and scarring⁸

  In animal studies, cottonseed oil eased gut inflammation and scarring in mice with colitis.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Heart and inflammation⁴

  Cottonseed oil is rich in vitamin E and fats that may support heart health and ease inflammation.

• Benefit

  Cooking oil uses⁵

  Cottonseed oil is used for cooking and food manufacturing, and may promote health benefits.

• Benefit

  Heart and metabolic health⁷

  Recent evidence suggests cottonseed oil may improve heart and metabolic risk factors, but questions remain.

How it’s made and used

• nutrient loss in processing⁶

  Cottonseed oil is widely used in frying and baking, but keeping nutrients in it during processing remains a challenge.

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 two findings in people. 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.