Mustard

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Blood sugar after eating⁴

  Adding yellow mustard bran to soup led to lower blood sugar levels in healthy men after the meal.

• No harm found

  Blood salt levels after exercise⁸

  In people, eating mustard after sweating did not raise blood salt or potassium levels.

• Benefit

  Nutrient absorption from food¹³

  Adding powdered brown mustard to cooked broccoli helped people's bodies take in over four times more of a helpful compound.

• Open question

  Burning calories¹⁴

  Eating mustard did not boost how many calories people burned, though it did in mice.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Heart health¹⁶

  Some mustard oils and mustards contain erucic acid, which has been linked to heart problems in lab rats.

• Concern

  Cross-reactive seed proteins¹⁷

  In lab studies, some mustard proteins looked similar to proteins in tree nuts, peanuts, sesame and wheat, suggesting possible cross-reactivity.

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.

• Food allergy risk³

  Mustard can trigger allergic reactions, and it is sometimes hidden in foods where you would not expect it.

• Food allergy in children⁵

  In people, mustard has often caused serious allergic reactions, including in small children, and its allergens survive heat and processing.

• Spice allergy reactions⁶

  Mustard is one of the most allergenic spices and can cause severe reactions even in small amounts.

• Childhood food allergy⁷

  In children, mustard allergy showed up as skin rashes and swelling, often starting before age three.

• New allergen discovery⁹

  A new major allergen called Sin a 2 has been found in yellow mustard seeds.

• Allergic reactions to food¹²

  In people allergic to mustard, most had whole-body reactions, and about half had anaphylaxis after eating it.

How it’s made and used

• Fiber in condiments¹⁰

  Adding blueberry or cranberry pomace to mustard raised its fiber, but tasters liked it less than plain mustard.

• Taste of cooked broccoli¹¹

  Adding mustard seed powder to boiled broccoli made it taste pungent and mustardy, which most tasters disliked.

• Food texture and thickness¹⁵

  Yellow mustard mucilage thickens foods and forms gels, and scientists are exploring how it works with other ingredients.

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.