Study · Physiology & behavior · 2023Abstract onlyConflicts declared

Cottonseed oil and olive oil compared for appetite in adults

What it found

In adults with high cholesterol, an 8-week diet rich in cottonseed oil led to more feelings of fullness and a bigger drop in calories eaten than a diet rich in olive oil.

The trial measured appetite hormones and hunger ratings in people.

What they found

Studies in people

Fasting CCK hormone

The cottonseed oil group had a greater rise in fasting CCK, a hormone linked to fullness, than the olive oil group.

Ghrelin after meals

After the test meal, ghrelin (a hunger hormone) was suppressed more in the cottonseed oil group than in the olive oil group.

Fullness ratings

People on cottonseed oil reported a greater increase in fullness after the meal compared with those on olive oil.

Calories eaten later

Self-reported energy intake dropped more in the cottonseed oil group (from 2464 to 2115 kcal per day) than in the olive oil group (from 2263 to 2434 kcal per day).

Prospective consumption

The olive oil group showed a greater suppression of how much they thought they could eat, compared with the cottonseed oil group.

What the authors conclude

“Altogether, these data show that CSO has a greater effect on appetite suppression than OO diet enrichment and may be beneficial for weight maintenance, especially in a population at-risk for chronic disease.”
Prater MC, Scheurell AR, Paton CM, Cooper JA, 2023

Also in their conclusions

  • They conclude that cottonseed oil has a greater effect on appetite suppression than olive oil when used to enrich the diet.
  • They suggest it may be beneficial for weight maintenance, especially in people at risk of chronic disease.

How it was done

The authors note that the type of fat a person usually eats may affect appetite and weight management, so they wanted to compare two oils directly.

They ran an 8-week randomised trial in adults with high cholesterol. One group ate a diet enriched with cottonseed oil (21 people) and the other with olive oil (21 people), providing about 60% of daily energy needs, with about 30% of energy from the assigned oil. Before and after, participants ate a high saturated fat meal and had blood draws for 5 hours plus hunger and fullness ratings, and they recorded food intake for the rest of the day.

What it can’t tell you

  • We summarised it from the abstract only.
  • The trial lasted only 8 weeks, so it cannot show what happens over a longer period.
  • It cannot prove that these appetite changes would lead to lasting weight loss or better health.

The paper

Title
Hunger and satiety responses to diets enriched with cottonseed oil vs. olive oil
Type
Study
Evidence
Studies in people
Summarised from
Abstract only
Cite
Prater MC, Scheurell AR, Paton CM, Cooper JA (2023). Hunger and satiety responses to diets enriched with cottonseed oil vs. olive oil. Physiology & behavior. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.114041PubMed 36427543DOI

Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error