Safflower oil and blood sugar, inflammation and cholesterol in women with diabetes
What it found
Eight grams of safflower oil daily for 16 weeks lowered long-term blood sugar and an inflammation marker while raising good cholesterol.
This was seen in obese, post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar control
After 16 weeks, safflower oil lowered HbA1c by 0.64% and fasting blood sugar. It also improved a measure of how well the body responds to insulin. These changes were seen in people.
Inflammation marker CRP
Safflower oil lowered C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, by about 17.5% after 16 weeks. This change was seen in people.
Good cholesterol HDL
HDL cholesterol rose by 0.12 mmol/L after 12 to 16 weeks of taking safflower oil. Total cholesterol, bad cholesterol and triglycerides did not change. These results are from people.
Body fat changes
Safflower oil did not change overall body weight or total body fat in these women. However, it reduced fat around the trunk by 1.6 kg and increased lean body mass by 1.0 kg.
Time needed for effects
The supplemented fatty acids appeared in the blood after four weeks. But improvements in blood sugar and inflammation took at least 12 to 16 weeks to show up.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that eight grams of safflower oil daily improved blood sugar, inflammation and cholesterol in their study group.
- They suggest that adding a small amount of this inexpensive oil to the diet may help manage risk factors linked to diabetes complications.
How it was done
Scientists do not yet know how different dietary fats affect people with type 2 diabetes. The authors wanted to see if safflower oil or another fat supplement could improve blood sugar, cholesterol and inflammation markers over time.
Fifty-five obese, post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes enrolled, and 35 finished the trial. Each woman took eight grams of safflower oil daily as capsules for 16 weeks, then switched to a different oil for another 16 weeks. Researchers measured blood sugar, cholesterol and inflammation at visits every four weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial only included obese, post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes, so the results may not apply to men, younger people or those without diabetes.
- The study lasted 16 weeks per treatment, so it cannot show what happens when people take safflower oil for years.
- The researchers cannot tell whether the benefits came from linoleic acid specifically or from other natural compounds in safflower oil.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NCRR NIH HHS; NCCIH NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Conflict of Interest Statement . There are no conflicts of interest declared by any of the authors.
- Authors work at
- The Ohio State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Time-dependent effects of safflower oil to improve glycemia, inflammation and blood lipids in obese, post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-masked, crossover study
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Asp ML, Collene AL, Norris LE, et al (2011). Time-dependent effects of safflower oil to improve glycemia, inflammation and blood lipids in obese, post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-masked, crossover study. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2011.01.001Free full textPubMed 21295383DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error