Know2eat

Canola oil

Brassica napus

What canola oil has been studied for

3 associations assessed — 2 with at least some human evidence behind them. Strongest first.

  • 1 Moderate
  • 1 Limited
  • 1 Insufficient
4 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About canola oil

Oil from rapeseed varieties bred in the 1970s to contain very little erucic acid — the name is a contraction of Canadian oil, low acid. It has the lowest saturated fat share of the common commodity oils and carries a modest amount of the plant omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid.

Also known as Rapeseed oil, Low erucic acid rapeseed oil, LEAR oil

Heart HealthBlood Sugar & Metabolic Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Moderate

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Moderate evidence

Research suggests LDL cholesterol falls when canola oil replaces saturated fat in the diet, a result reported consistently across controlled feeding trials and summarised in meta-analyses. The finding is about the substitution — swapping butter, lard or palm oil for an unsaturated oil — rather than about adding canola oil to an unchanged diet.

What may be going on: Reducing dietary saturated fatty acids increases hepatic LDL receptor expression and accelerates LDL clearance.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Cardiovascular risk markers

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Observational data links diets in which unsaturated oils replace saturated fats with lower cardiovascular event rates, and canola is one of the oils used in that pattern. Hard outcome trials of canola oil specifically do not exist, so this rests on marker changes and on cohort studies of dietary patterns.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Insulin sensitivity

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for canola oil and glucose control. A few small trials in people with type 2 diabetes report modest changes in glycaemic markers, the results are not consistent, and the comparison oil differs between studies.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Canola oil

Ask about Canola oil

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories884 kcal44%
Protein0 g0%
Total fat100 g128%
Carbohydrate0 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water0 g—
Fats
Saturated fat7.37 g37%
Monounsaturated fat63.3 g—
Polyunsaturated fat28.1 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
ALA (omega-3)9.14 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)19 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E17.5 mg116%
Vitamin K71.3 µg59%
Thiamin (B1)0 mg0%
Riboflavin (B2)0 mg0%
Niacin (B3)0 mg0%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0 mg0%
Vitamin B60 mg0%
Folate0 µg0%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline0.2 mg0%
Minerals
Calcium0 mg0%
Iron0 mg0%
Magnesium0 mg0%
Phosphorus0 mg0%
Potassium0 mg0%
Sodium0 mg0%
Zinc0 mg0%
Copper0 mg0%
Manganese0 mg0%
Selenium0 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Oil, canola (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 172336).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • rawPreserves tocopherols and alpha-linolenic acid

    Cold-pressed rapeseed oil, sold with its grassy flavour and greenish colour intact, keeps minor components that refining removes. It is also less heat-tolerant than the refined product.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Traditional rapeseed oil and erucic acid

    Unimproved rapeseed oil contains large amounts of erucic acid, which caused heart muscle lipid accumulation in animal studies and is now capped by food regulators. Modern canola is bred to stay below those limits, but oil sold in some regions as traditional rapeseed or mustard-family oil is not the same product.

  • Worth knowing

    Refining, deodorising and industrial frying grades

    Nearly all canola oil is refined, bleached and deodorised, a process that removes the phenolic fraction and can generate small amounts of trans fatty acids at high deodorising temperatures. Separate partially hydrogenated canola grades exist for commercial deep frying and are a different product from the bottle on a shelf.

  • Worth knowing

    Repeated frying still oxidises it

    Canola is more stable than the very high linoleic oils, but its alpha-linolenic fraction is the most oxidation-prone fatty acid in any kitchen oil. Reused frying oil accumulates aldehydes and polar compounds regardless of which oil was in the pan.

  • Too much

    Energy density

    Pure fat. Its neutral flavour and low price make it the oil people pour most freely, which is worth noticing.