Cottonseed oil and cholesterol in two small trials
What it found
In two small trials in people, cottonseed oil lowered LDL cholesterol and triglycerides compared with olive oil.
The authors also used equations to predict effects of adding it to a healthy diet.
What they found
Studies in people
Cholesterol in short trial
After 5 days on a diet with 44% of energy from cottonseed oil, fasting LDL cholesterol and triglycerides were lower than on a diet with olive oil. LDL cholesterol fell by about 7.7 mg/dL and triglycerides by about 7.5 mg/dL.
Cholesterol in longer trial
In a 56-day trial with 30% of energy from cottonseed oil, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and non-HDL cholesterol dropped compared with olive oil. Total cholesterol fell by about 14.8 mg/dL, LDL cholesterol by about 14.0 mg/dL, and non-HDL cholesterol by about 14.2 mg/dL.
Blood fats after meals
In the 5-day trial, triglycerides after a high-fat meal did not differ between cottonseed oil and olive oil. In the 56-day trial, triglycerides rose with olive oil at all time points from 30 to 300 minutes, but did not change with cottonseed oil.
Angiopoietin-like proteins
In the 5-day trial, after meals, levels of angiopoietin-like proteins 3, 4, and 8 decreased with cottonseed oil and increased with olive oil. Fasting levels of these proteins did not differ between the two oils.
Body weight
There was no effect of oil type on body weight in the 56-day trial.
Other findings
Predicted effects in diet
Using a prediction equation, a healthy eating pattern with 27 g of cottonseed oil was estimated to lower total cholesterol by 8.1 mg/dL and LDL cholesterol by 7.3 mg/dL compared with average American intake. HDL cholesterol was predicted to fall slightly, by 1.1 mg/dL.
What the authors conclude
“Limited high-quality research suggests CSO may improve lipid/lipoprotein levels compared with OO.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that limited high-quality research suggests cottonseed oil may improve lipid and lipoprotein levels compared with olive oil.
- They state that cholesterol predictive equations suggest cottonseed oil can be incorporated into a healthy dietary pattern without significantly affecting lipids or lipoproteins.
- They call for well-designed future studies to compare cottonseed oil with oils commonly consumed in the United States and to investigate its effects on angiopoietin-like proteins.
How it was done
Cottonseed oil is becoming more common in the food supply, but little research has summarised its effects on blood fats. The authors wanted to review the evidence and estimate how it might fit into a healthy eating pattern.
They searched for randomised controlled trials comparing cottonseed oil with a non-cottonseed oil in any population. They found 3 publications from 2 trials with 58 participants, lasting 5 days and 56 days. They also used a cholesterol prediction equation to estimate effects of replacing some oil in a healthy US-style diet with cottonseed oil.
What it can’t tell you
- Only two small trials in 58 people met the inclusion criteria, so the findings may not apply to larger or more diverse groups.
- The trials compared cottonseed oil with olive oil, not with the oils most commonly eaten in the United States, so the results may differ for other comparisons.
- The prediction equation estimates are not direct measurements in people and may not reflect actual changes in all diets.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Cotton Incorporated (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Penn State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- The effect of cottonseed oil on lipids/lipoproteins: a systematic review and plasma cholesterol predictive equations estimations
- Type
- Systematic review
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Hart TL, Petersen KS, Kris-Etherton PM (2024). The effect of cottonseed oil on lipids/lipoproteins: a systematic review and plasma cholesterol predictive equations estimations. Nutrition reviews. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuad109Free full textPubMed 37695308DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error