Safflower

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Artery stiffness in people²

  In people with slightly high blood pressure, safflower seed extract seemed to improve artery stiffness over 12 weeks.

• Benefit

  Belly fat and blood pressure³

  In people with metabolic syndrome, safflower oil daily reduced belly fat, blood pressure and blood sugar.

• Benefit

  Heart and artery health⁴

  In men, safflower seed extract lowered signs of blood vessel inflammation, though scientists do not yet know whether it protects the heart.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in people⁵

  Eating safflower oil lowered total and LDL cholesterol in men and women, but did not raise CLA levels in their blood.

• No harm found

  Heart health and cholesterol⁶

  In men, safflower oil did not raise a certain fat in the body, unlike evening primrose oil.

• No harm found

  Cholesterol levels in women⁷

  In postmenopausal women, safflower oil did not change cholesterol levels over 28 days.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in the blood⁸

  In people, safflower oil led to lower LDL cholesterol than butter, though similar to coconut fat.

• Concern

  Blood cholesterol levels⁹

  In men, safflower oil raised total cholesterol slightly more than beef fat did, with other levels similar.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and heart health¹⁰

  In obese women with type 2 diabetes, 8 g of safflower oil daily improved blood sugar, inflammation and cholesterol.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and body fat¹¹

  In women with type 2 diabetes, safflower oil lowered fasting blood sugar and trimmed belly fat while building lean mass.

• Open question

  Appetite and food intake¹³

  Safflower oil curbed appetite less than sucrose, though a large dose still cut how much men ate later.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and fat digestion¹⁴

  In lab studies, safflower petal extract in yogurt blocked enzymes that break down sugar and fat.

• Benefit

  Liver cancer and fatty liver¹⁵

  In lab and animal studies, safflower seeds powder showed effects against liver cancer cells and helped protect rats' livers.

How it’s made and used

• Blood fat levels¹²

  In people, safflower oil raised linoleic acid in the blood, while fish oil raised EPA and DHA.

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.