Sunflower

Studies in people

• No harm found

  Seed allergy test results³

  In children, most with positive sunflower seed tests had no reaction when they ate it in supervised tests.

• Open question

  Blood pressure and cholesterol⁸

  In women with fatty liver, sunflower oil may affect blood pressure and cholesterol less than sesame oil.

• Open question

  Blood fat changes¹¹

  In older men and women, sunflower oil lowered some blood fats and raised others, but only men showed clear changes.

• No harm found

  Heart and kidney health¹⁴

  In people with overweight, sunflower oil for 12 weeks did not change heart or kidney health markers.

• Open question

  Antioxidants in the blood¹⁵

  Eating tomatoes with sunflower oil did not raise blood antioxidants, unlike eating them with olive oil.

• Benefit

  Blood fat levels¹⁶

  In active Spanish men who ate sunflower oil, most had blood fat levels linked to a lower risk of heart disease.

Animal and lab studies only

• No harm found

  Food poisoning risk¹⁹

  In lab studies, roasting sunflower seeds long enough killed the Salmonella, so the finished snack should not make people sick.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Detecting food contaminants¹⁸

  A new test can spot Alternaria mould toxins in sunflower seeds, wheat and tomato puree.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Cadmium in food¹⁷

  Sunflower seeds grown in contaminated soil can hold cadmium, and washing them does not remove it.

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.

• Severe allergic reactions⁴

  In people, sunflower seed allergy caused reactions from mild to life-threatening, and epinephrine was often not used.

• Bird keepers and allergies⁷

  Some people who kept cage birds fed on sunflower seeds became allergic to sunflower, with three having severe reactions when eating them.

• Seed allergy risk⁹

  Sunflower seed holds a protein that can trigger allergic reactions in people already allergic to sunflower seed.

• Allergic reactions to cooking oil¹²

  People highly allergic to sunflower seeds may react to sunflower oil, because a seed protein can still be present in refined oil.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Rectal blockage from seeds⁶

  A man got constipated and had rectal pain after eating sunflower seeds, which had built up into a hard lump.

• Mouth allergy to seeds¹⁰

  A person got an allergic reaction in the mouth after eating sunflower seeds, likely first sensitised by breathing in dust from birdseed.

How it’s made and used

• Daily fat needs²

  No single oil, including sunflower, gives you all the fats your body needs each day.

• Protein absorption from food⁵

  In people, the body absorbed about 90% of the protein building blocks from sunflower protein in biscuits.

• Appetite and snacking¹³

  In women, ice cream made with sunflower oil and coconut oil changed how much they snacked later, but only slightly.

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.