Cottonseed oil doses and blood lipids in at-risk adults
What it found
In adults at risk of heart disease, diets enriched with cottonseed oil lowered total cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol over 4 weeks.
The 20% and 30% doses worked best.
What they found
Studies in people
Total cholesterol
Total cholesterol fell in all three cottonseed oil groups compared with the control diet: by 10.2 mg/dL in the 10% group, 12.5 mg/dL in the 20% group and 13.9 mg/dL in the 30% group.
LDL cholesterol
LDL cholesterol dropped in the 20% and 30% cottonseed oil groups by 11.7 mg/dL and 12.9 mg/dL. The 10% group showed a trend toward a reduction of 6.8 mg/dL, while the control group had no change.
Non-HDL cholesterol
Non-HDL cholesterol decreased in all three cottonseed oil groups compared with the control: by 10.2 mg/dL, 15.8 mg/dL and 16.5 mg/dL for the 10%, 20% and 30% doses.
Post-meal triglycerides
After a high-fat meal, triglycerides were reduced by 14.7 mg/dL in the 30% cottonseed oil group compared with the other groups.
Weight gain
Body weight increased slightly in all three cottonseed oil groups compared with no change in the control group. The authors say this was likely due to higher total fat and energy intake.
Taste and acceptability
Participants rated the cottonseed oil-enriched foods and control foods similarly for appearance, taste, texture, aroma and overall acceptability.
What the authors conclude
“Enriching diets with 10%, 20%, and 30% CSO improved fasting blood lipids in CVD at-risk adults, with the best results in the 20% and 30% doses.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that enriching diets with 10%, 20% and 30% cottonseed oil improved fasting blood lipids in adults at risk of cardiovascular disease, with the best results at the 20% and 30% doses.
- They advise that cottonseed oil must be incorporated into an energy-balanced diet, which may be challenging.
- They call for future studies in different populations, at lower doses and for longer durations, and to compare cottonseed oil with other high-PUFA oils.
How it was done
Cottonseed oil had shown benefits for blood lipids, but only at relatively high doses. The authors wanted to see whether lower doses would also help.
91 adults with obesity and/or high cholesterol were randomly assigned to one of four groups for 4 weeks: diets providing 10%, 20% or 30% of estimated energy needs from cottonseed oil, or a control diet with 10% from a mix of oils. Fasting blood lipids were measured before and after, and after a high-fat meal.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a 4-week trial, so it cannot show what happens over longer periods.
- The study cannot show whether the improvements in blood lipids lead to fewer heart attacks or deaths.
- The participants were mostly female, so the results may not apply equally to men.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Conflict of interest JAC reports financial support was provided by Cotton Incorporated. All other authors report no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Georgia, United States; Pennington Biomedical Research Center, United States
The paper
- Title
- Dose-Response Effects of Cottonseed Oil on Blood Lipid Responses in Adults at Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Hawkins CD, Prater MC, Ward CA, Paton CM, Cooper JA (2026). Dose-Response Effects of Cottonseed Oil on Blood Lipid Responses in Adults at Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of nutrition. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.11.006Free full textPubMed 41238122DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error