Know2eat

Shea oil

Vitellaria paradoxa

What shea oil has been studied for

1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About shea oil

The fat from the kernel of the West African shea tree, semi-solid at room temperature and unusual in being roughly equal parts stearic and oleic acid. It is a traditional cooking fat across the Sahel and is used industrially in Europe as a cocoa butter equivalent in chocolate.

Also known as Sheanut oil, Shea butter, Karite butter

Heart Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

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
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for shea fat specifically. Its high stearic acid content would predict a smaller LDL effect than most saturated fats, based on trials of stearic acid itself rather than of shea, and no controlled study has used shea as the intervention fat.

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

3 sources

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

Ask about Shea oil

Ask about Shea 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 fat46.6 g233%
Monounsaturated fat44 g—
Polyunsaturated fat5.2 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)4.9 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin E0 mg0%
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%
Minerals
Calcium0 mg0%
Iron0 mg0%
Magnesium0 mg0%
Phosphorus0 mg0%
Potassium0 mg0%
Sodium0 mg0%
Zinc0 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, sheanut (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171429).

% 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.

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.

  • Worth knowing

    Cosmetic shea butter is not food grade

    Almost all shea sold in Europe and North America is refined or unrefined cosmetic butter, frequently with added fragrance or preservatives. Only shea processed and packed for food use belongs in cooking.

  • Too much

    Saturated, though not uniformly so

    Shea is roughly half saturated fat, but most of that is stearic acid, which controlled feeding trials show has a much smaller effect on LDL cholesterol than palmitic or myristic acid. That distinction is real and is frequently lost when fats are summarised as a single saturated-fat number.

  • Allergy

    Tree nut labelling

    Shea is a tree seed and appears on some allergen lists, though documented food allergy to it is rare and refined shea contains very little protein. Reported reactions have mostly been to topical products.