Cottonseed

Studies in people

• Open question

  Cholesterol levels²

  Small studies suggest cottonseed oil may lower cholesterol compared with olive oil, but scientists do not yet know for sure.

• Benefit

  Appetite and weight³

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

• Benefit

  Blood inflammation and clotting⁴

  In healthy men, eating cottonseed oil for five days lowered two blood markers linked to inflammation and clotting.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in adults⁶

  In adults at risk of heart disease, eating cottonseed oil lowered total and LDL cholesterol.

• Benefit

  Blood fats after meals⁷

  In adults with high cholesterol, cottonseed oil led to lower blood fat signals after meals than olive oil.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in adults⁸

  In adults with high cholesterol, eating cottonseed oil for 8 weeks lowered bad cholesterol more than olive oil did.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in people⁹

  In people, swapping animal proteins for cottonseed protein may slightly lower cholesterol, but scientists do not yet know for sure.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar in diabetes¹⁰

  In people with diabetes, eating cottonseed fiber with a meal lowered blood sugar levels afterward.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Gut inflammation and scarring¹⁵

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

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Heart and inflammation¹¹

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

• Benefit

  Cooking oil uses¹²

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

• Benefit

  Heart and metabolic health¹⁴

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

Allergies and intolerances

These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.

• Nut allergy cross-reaction⁵

  Blood from nut-allergic people reacted to cottonseed proteins, so scientists say cottonseed allergy risk needs checking.

How it’s made and used

• Nutrient loss in processing¹³

  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 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.