Know2eat

Cottonseed oil

Gossypium hirsutum

What cottonseed oil has been studied for

1 association assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

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

About cottonseed oil

Oil from the seed of the cotton plant, a byproduct of fibre production and one of the first industrially refined vegetable oils. Its fatty-acid profile is unusual among seed oils in carrying a substantial saturated fraction alongside a large linoleic one.

Also known as Cotton seed oil, Cottonseed salad oil

Heart Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

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
Limited evidence

A small number of controlled feeding trials report lower LDL cholesterol when cottonseed oil replaces other fats, which is what its linoleic content would predict. The trial base is thin, some of it is industry-funded, and its saturated fraction makes it a less clear-cut substitution than canola or sunflower oil.

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

3 sources

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

Ask about Cottonseed oil

Ask about Cottonseed 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 fat25.9 g130%
Monounsaturated fat17.8 g—
Polyunsaturated fat51.9 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)51.5 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E35.3 mg235%
Vitamin K24.7 µg21%
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%
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, cottonseed, salad or cooking (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171024).

% 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.

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.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

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

  • Avoid

    Gossypol in unrefined cottonseed oil

    Raw cottonseed contains gossypol, a yellow polyphenolic pigment that is toxic to non-ruminant animals and was investigated as a male contraceptive in the 1970s and 1980s because it suppresses sperm production. Human poisoning outbreaks from crude cottonseed oil have also involved severe hypokalaemia and muscle weakness. Commercial refining removes gossypol, which is precisely why cottonseed oil must be refined before it can be sold as food; unrefined or crude cottonseed oil is not a food product.

  • Worth knowing

    Cotton is grown as a fibre crop

    Because cotton is not regulated as a food crop in the same way, the pesticide programmes applied to it differ from those on oilseed crops, and residues in the seed have been a recurring subject of monitoring. Refining removes most residues, but this is a genuine difference from an oilseed grown for food.

  • Worth knowing

    Cyclopropenoid fatty acids

    Cottonseed oil naturally contains small amounts of cyclopropenoid fatty acids, which interfere with fatty-acid desaturation in animal studies. Refining and deodorising reduce them substantially.

  • Too much

    Energy density, and where it turns up

    Pure fat, and largely encountered in commercial frying and packaged snack foods rather than bought in a bottle.