Canola oil, belly fat and heart risk factors
What it found
In a controlled feeding trial, diets high in monounsaturated fat from canola oil reduced android (belly) fat mass by about 3% compared with a flax/safflower oil diet.
The reduction was seen mainly in men and was linked to small improvements in blood pressure and triglycerides.
What they found
Studies in people
Belly fat reduction
After 4 weeks, the canola and high-oleic canola oil diets led to lower android fat mass (about 3.1 kg and 3.09 kg) compared with the flax/safflower oil diet (3.2 kg). The difference was small but statistically significant.
Effect in men
Men lost more android fat on the high-oleic canola oil diet compared with the flax/safflower oil diet. Women showed no differences across the five diets.
Blood pressure link
The drop in android fat mass was linked to small decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure after the canola and high-oleic canola oil diets.
Triglyceride link
The drop in android fat mass was also linked to a decrease in triglyceride levels after the high-oleic canola oil diet.
Body weight
Participants weighed slightly less at the end of the canola and high-oleic canola oil diets compared with the flax/safflower oil diet.
What the authors conclude
“Diets high in MUFA (compared with PUFA) reduced central obesity with an accompanying improvement in MetS risk factors.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that diets high in monounsaturated fat, compared with polyunsaturated fat, reduced central obesity and improved metabolic syndrome risk factors.
- They suggest that such diets may be beneficial for treating and perhaps preventing metabolic syndrome.
- They note that the reduction in android fat mass was accompanied by favorable shifts in cardiometabolic risk factors.
How it was done
Abdominal obesity is a key feature of metabolic syndrome, which raises the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The authors wanted to see whether diets high in monounsaturated fats, like those from canola oil, could help reduce central obesity and related risk factors.
They ran a randomised crossover feeding trial with 101 adults who had central obesity and at least one other metabolic syndrome risk factor. Each person ate five different controlled diets for 4 weeks each, separated by 2 to 4 week breaks. The diets used different oils: regular canola, high-oleic canola, high-oleic canola with DHA, corn/safflower, and flax/safflower.
What it can’t tell you
- The study lasted only 4 weeks per diet, so it cannot show what happens over the long term.
- It cannot prove that increasing monounsaturated fat, rather than decreasing polyunsaturated fat, caused the improvements.
- The results may not apply to people without central obesity or metabolic syndrome risk factors.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NIDDK NIH HHS; NCRR NIH HHS; NCATS NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- PJHJ received grants from Advanced Foods and Materials Network, Danone, Enzymotec, Unilever, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Canada Research Chair Endowment of the Federal Government of Canada. PJHJ also serves as President of Nutritional Fundamentals for Health Inc. BL and PC received research grants from CIHR, Agrifood and Agriculture Canada, the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Dairy Australia. BL received research funding from the Danone Institute and Atrium Innovations and honoraria from Unilever, Danone. BL is Chair of the Expert Scientific Advisory Council of Dairy Farmers of Canada and is Chair of Nutrition,supported by endowments from Provigo/Loblaws, Pfizer and Royal Bank of Canada. DJAJ serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Unilever, Sanitarium Company, California Strawberry Commission, Loblaw Supermarket, Herbal Life International, Nutritional Fundamental for Health, Pacific Health Laboratories, Metagenics, Bayer Consumer Care, Orafti, Dean Foods, Kellogg’s, Quaker Oats, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, NuVal Griffin Hospital, Abbott, Pulse Canada, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, and Canola Council of Canada. He has received honoraria from the Almond Board of California, International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation, Barilla, Unilever Canada, Solae, Oldways, Kellogg’s, Quaker Oats, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, NuVal Griffin Hospital, Abbott, Canola Council of Canada, Dean Foods, California Strawberry Commission, Haine Celestial, and Alpro Foundation. He serves on the speakers panel for the Almond Board of California; has received research grants from Loblaw Brands Ltd, Unilever, Barilla, Almond Board of California, Solae, Haine Celestial, Sanitarium Company, Orafti, International Tree Nut Council, and the Peanut Institute; and travel support from the Almond Board of California, Unilever, Alpro Foundation, International Tree Nut Council, Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Canada Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund. He receives salary support as a Canada Research Chair from the federal government of Canada and his wife is a director of Glycemic Index Laboratories, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. SGW has received research funding and consulting and travel fees from the Canola Council of Canada and Flax Canada 2013. PMK-E serves on the California Walnut Commission Scientific Advisory Council, McDonald’s Global Advisory Council, and the Avocado Nutrition Science Advisory Other authors did not report any conflicts of financial interest.
- Authors work at
- The Pennsylvania State University, USA; Laval University, Canada; University of Toronto, Canada
The paper
- Title
- Effects of canola and high-oleic-acid canola oils on abdominal fat mass in individuals with central obesity
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Liu X, Kris-Etherton PM, West SG, et al (2016). Effects of canola and high-oleic-acid canola oils on abdominal fat mass in individuals with central obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.). doi:10.1002/oby.21584Free full textPubMed 27804268DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error