Canola Oil: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Canola oil comes from rapeseed plants, Brassica napus and Brassica rapa. In US law it is called low erucic acid rapeseed oil, "also known as canola oil", with no more than 2% erucic acid among its fatty acids. [10] It is one of the oils the Dietary Guidelines for Americans name as commonly consumed. [6] This page is about canola oil as a food, and it separates trial findings from internet claims about "seed oils".

Read this first

• It is low in saturated fat. USDA lists 7.4 g of saturated fat in 100 g, about 1 g in a tablespoon. [1]
• Pooled trials show lower LDL cholesterol when canola oil was compared with other fats, mainly sunflower oil and saturated fat. This is a blood measure, not a heart attack outcome. [2] [3]
• The FDA's own wording is cautious. Its 2006 qualified health claim says the evidence is "limited and not conclusive" and that canola oil must replace a similar amount of saturated fat without adding calories. [9]
• One tablespoon is about 124 kcal. [1]
• Erucic acid: EFSA set a tolerable daily intake of 7 mg per kg of body weight a day for erucic acid. Canola is the low-erucic type of rapeseed oil. EFSA found that some young children who eat a lot of foods containing erucic acid could exceed that level. [7] [10]
• Allergy and emergencies: canola is not one of the major US food allergens. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat after any food, call 911 (or your local emergency number).

What is in it (USDA values)

The values below are for canola oil (USDA FoodData Central item 172336, SR Legacy). [1] The serving column is the USDA household portion of 1 tablespoon, 14 g. [1]

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; the serving figures are the 100 g values multiplied by 0.14. USDA also lists a vitamin D figure for several oils; we could not confirm it from a second source, so we do not show it and do not treat oils as a vitamin D source. [1] The trans fat row is the USDA value for this item. [1]

Omega-3: one tablespoon gives 1.28 g of ALA by USDA values. [1] The US Adequate Intake for ALA is 1.6 g a day for men and 1.1 g for women (Institute of Medicine, as reported by the Linus Pauling Institute). [12] ALA is a plant omega-3; the body turns only part of it into the long-chain omega-3s found in fish. [12]

What research says

An umbrella review of 48 reviews rated the evidence for canola oil lowering cholesterol and body weight as moderate to very low certainty. [13] The abstracts we read do not report who paid for the trials.

How much is a normal serving

The USDA household portion is 1 tablespoon (14 g), about 124 kcal. [1] This is information, not a prescription. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020 to 2025 include 27 g of oils a day in the 2,000-calorie Healthy U.S.-Style pattern and list canola among common oils. [6] The FDA's qualified claim mentions about 19 g a day only as the amount used in its review, in place of a similar amount of saturated fat. [9] The 2025 to 2030 edition prioritizes oils with essential fatty acids, such as olive oil, and keeps the limit of 10% of calories from saturated fat. [7] WHO (2023) also says no more than 10% of energy from saturated fat and no more than 1% from trans fat. [14] NHS lists rapeseed oil (the UK name) among monounsaturated fats. [15]

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Erucic acid: EFSA (2016) set a tolerable daily intake of 7 mg/kg body weight a day, based on animal studies where long-term high intake caused a temporary, reversible heart condition (myocardial lipidosis). Average exposure was below this level; high-consuming infants and young children could exceed it, mainly through pastries, cakes, biscuits and infant formula. [7] US rules limit low erucic acid rapeseed oil to 2% of fatty acids and exclude infant formula from the permitted use. [10]
• Trans fat: the FDA ruled in 2015 that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer generally recognized as safe, with a 2018 compliance date later extended to January 1, 2021. [8] USDA lists a trace of trans fat in canola oil. [1]
• Heated oil: heating changes oils. A simulated-kitchen deep-frying test of palm, olive and soybean oils found that aldehyde output rose with the share of ALA in the oil; canola was not tested. [16]
• Medicines: we did not find a source describing a direct interaction between canola oil and a medicine. USDA lists 10 mcg of vitamin K per tablespoon (8% of the Daily Value). [1] For vitamin K and warfarin see foods and medicine interactions.
• Allergy: we did not read a source on canola oil allergy. People with a food allergy should ask an allergist about any oil. See food allergy basics.
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children: we did not read official advice specific to canola oil. The saturated fat limit applies from age 2. [6] See foods in pregnancy.
• Kidney disease and diabetes: the pooled trials above included people with type 2 diabetes. [4] We did not read kidney-diet advice for canola oil. Ask your clinician.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Read the label. Refined canola oil is the form in the US definition: fully refined, bleached and deodorized. [10] Cold-pressed versions exist but we read no trials of them.
• Heat and storage: we read no official rule for canola oil storage. Follow the bottle. We give no smoke-point number we did not read; see smoke points and cooking with oil.

Related pages

• Which cooking fat to choose: what health bodies say
• Seed oils and inflammation claims checked
• Saturated, unsaturated and trans fats explained
• Extra virgin olive oil in the diet
• Omega-3 fatty acids in foods
• Foods for cholesterol and heart health