Diet and nutritionSunflower and rapeseed oil — a healthy choice or a hidden source of inflammation?
Sources: 9 · Article: 11 689 characters
Andrzej Frydrychowski warns that excess omega-6 from sunflower oil, especially when the balance with omega-3 is disrupted, may promote inflammation.
- Hubert Czerniak recommends rapeseed oil and lists omega-3 as an anti-inflammatory component.
- Grażyna Cichosz points out that regular sunflower oil and Canola rapeseed oil have lower oxidative stability than high-oleic sunflower oil, and that rapeseed oil can oxidize.
- According to Grażyna Cichosz, assessing the safety of oils solely on the basis of their peroxide value does not guarantee that they are safe for health.
What the authors write
Andrzej Frydrychowski
Sunflower oil contains omega-6, which, in excess—especially when the balance with omega-3 is disrupted—may promote inflammation.
„Omega-6 fats are found in sunflower, grapeseed and corn oils, as well as in meat and dairy products. They are essential for health as long as their proportions remain balanced with omega-3 fats. The body cannot produce them itself, so we have to get them from outside sources. Importantly, there should not be more omega-6 than omega-3. They work very well as long as omega-6 and omega-3 are present in equal proportions. Omega-6 fats (especially arachidonic acid) have a pro-inflammatory effect.”Omegi 6 występują w: oleju słonecznikowym, z pestek winogron, kukurydzianym, mięsie zwierząt i produktach mlecznych. Są one niezbędne dla zdrowia pod warunkiem zachowania ich równych proporcji z omegami-3. Organizm nie może ich sam wyprodukować, więc musimy je dostarczać z zewnątrz. Ważne, nie może ich być więcej niż omeg-3. Działają one wspaniale pod warunkiem, że występują w równym stosunku omegi-6 do omeg-3. Omegi 6 (zwłaszcza kwas arachidonowy) wykazują działanie prozapalne.
Hubert Czerniak
Hubert Czerniak recommends rapeseed oil and lists omega-3 as an anti-inflammatory component.
„It is worth choosing different kinds of oils. I recommend milk thistle, rapeseed, flaxseed, hemp and apricot oils. We should enrich our diet with avocado, olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory effects. Add garlic to dishes; it helps with hay fever and a blocked nose.”Warto wybierać różne rodzaje olejów. Polecam oleje: ostropestowy, rzepakowy, lniany, konopny czy morelowy. Dietę wzbogaćmy o awokado, oliwę z oliwek i kwasy tłuszczowe omega 3, które działają antyzapalnie. Do potraw dodawajmy czosnek, który pomaga na katar sienny i zatkany nos.
Grażyna Cichosz
Compared with oleic acid, regular sunflower oil and Canola rapeseed oil have lower oxidative stability than high-oleic sunflower oil.
„Relatively high stability was found for olive oil, lard and high-oleic sunflower oil: 1.5, 1.7 and 1.9, respectively. Soybean oil (7.0), sunflower oil (6.8) and Canola rapeseed oil (5.5) had lower stability. Of the frying fats assessed, only beef tallow had greater stability (0.86) than palm oil (18).”Stosunkowo wysoką stabilność stwierdzono dla oliwy z oliwek, smalcu i wysokooleinowego oleju słonecznikowego: odpowiednio 1,5; 1,7; 1,9. Mniejszą stabilnością charakteryzował się olej sojowy (7,0), słonecznikowy (6,8) oraz rzepakowy Canola (5,5). Spośród ocenianych tłuszczów smażalniczych tylko łój wołowy odznaczał się większą stabilnością (0,86) niż olej palmowy (18).
Grażyna Cichosz
Rapeseed oil, whose main component is oleic acid, can also oxidize.
„Palm olein, like other vegetable fats considered oxidatively stable and whose main component is oleic acid (olive oil and rapeseed oil), is also susceptible to oxidation. After heat treatment at 180°C for 5 hours, palm olein had a lower level of peroxides.”Oleina palmowa, podobnie jak inne uznawane za stabilne oksydacyjnie tłuszcze roślinne, których głównym składnikiem jest kwas oleinowy (oliwa z oliwek, olej rzepakowy) również podatna jest na utlenianie. Po obróbce termicznej w temp. 180°C przez 5 h oleina palmowa odznaczała się mniejszym poziomem nadtlenków.
Grażyna Cichosz
Sunflower oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which Grażyna Cichosz describes as less oxidatively stable than palm oil.
„SUMMARY Palm oil and palm olein have considerably greater oxidative stability than vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (sunflower, corn and grapeseed oils). Refined olive oil (and even more so extra virgin olive oil) has comparable stability; it was found to contain a smaller amount of polar compounds despite a high anisidine value.”PODSUMOWANIE Olej palmowy oraz oleina palmowa odznaczają się znacznie większą stabilnością oksydacyjną niż oleje roślinne bogate w wielonienasycone kwasy tłuszczowe (olej słonecznikowy, kukurydziany, z pestek winogron). Porównywalną stabilnością charakteryzuje się rafinowana oliwa z oliwek (a tym bardziej oliwa extra virgin), dla której stwierdzono mniejszą ilość frakcji polarnej przy wysokiej liczbie anizydynowej.
Grażyna Cichosz
Compared with palm olein, rapeseed oil contains more linoleic acid.
„In turn, its linoleic acid content is higher than that of olive oil and lard, but almost 2 times lower than that of rapeseed oil. Palm oil and its olein and stearin fractions are characterized by a low linolenic acid content (only 0.3–0.35%) (table.”Z kolei, zawartość kwasu linolowego jest większa niż w oliwie z oliwek i smalcu, jednak prawie 2-krotnie mniejsza niż w oleju rzepakowym. Charakterystyczna dla oleju palmowego oraz jego frakcji oleinowej i stearynowej jest niska zawartość kwasu linolenowego (zaledwie 0,3–0,35%) (tab.
Grażyna Cichosz
Grażyna Cichosz believes that assessing the safety of vegetable oils solely on the basis of their peroxide value does not guarantee that they are safe for health.
„The current method of assessing vegetable oils on the basis of peroxide levels is no guarantee that they are safe for health. The reason palm oil and its fractions are widely used in all branches of the food industry is their high storage stability.”Obowiązujący sposób oceny olejów roślinnych w oparciu o poziom nadtlenków nie jest żadną gwarancją ich bezpieczeństwa zdrowotnego. Powodem powszechnego stosowania oleju palmowego i jego frakcji we wszystkich gałęziach przemysłu spożywczego jest wysoka stabilność przechowalnicza
Research from PubMed · Europe PMC
We selected 3 studies with the best, positive results. This is a selection, not a full review of all research.
Total number of studies on this topic in PubMed: 17.
A meta-analysis found that rapeseed oil improved several cholesterol measures compared with other oils, including sunflower oil.
Aim of the study: Canola oil (CO) is a plant-based oil with the potential to improve several cardiometabolic risk factors. We systematically reviewed controlled clinical trials investigating the effects of CO on lipid profiles, apolipoproteins, glycemic indices, inflammation, and blood pressure compared with other edible oils in adults.
Results: Online databases were searched for articles published up to January 2020. Forty-two articles met the inclusion criteria. Compared with other edible oils, CO significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC, -0.27 mmol/l, n = 37), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, -0.23 mmol/l, n = 35), the LDL-C to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (LDL/HDL, -0.21, n = 10), TC/HDL (-0.13, n = 15), apolipoprotein B (Apo B, -0.03 g/l, n = 14), and Apo B/Apo A-1 (-0.02, n = 6) (P < 0.05). Compared with olive oil, CO decreased TC (-0.23 mmol/l, n = 9), LDL-C (-0.17 mmol/l, n = 9), LDL/HDL (-0.39, n = 2), and triglycerides in VLDL (VLDL-TG, -0.10 mmol/l, n = 2) (P < 0.05). Compared with sunflower oil, CO improved LDL-C (-0.14 mmol/l, n = 11) and LDL/HDL (-0.30, n = 3) (P < 0.05). Compared with saturated fats, CO improved TC (-0.59 mmol/l, n = 11), TG (-0.08 mmol/l, n = 11), LDL-C (-0.49 mmol/l, n = 10), TC/HDL (-0.29, n = 5), and Apo B (-0.09 g/l, n = 4) (P < 0.05).
Money for the studyuniversity or foundation · Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences
Do the authors have ties to companies?not stated
Did a manufacturer help with the study?unknown
Type of studycombined analysis of many studies (meta-analysis)
“Not stated” does not mean nobody paid — the database does not always record it.
In women with type 2 diabetes, rapeseed oil and olive oil lowered CRP compared with levels before the intervention.
Aim of the study: A number of studies have shown that consuming vegetable oils may improve complications of diabetes, including inflammatory response and oxidative stress, but no study has investigated the effects of consuming canola oil (CO) and olive oil (OO) in patients with type 2 diabetes. This clinical trial compared the effects of CO and OO on insulin resistance, inflammation, and oxidative stress in women with type 2 diabetes.
Results: After the intervention, intergroup analysis showed that CRP levels decreased significantly in the CO and OO groups, but no significant changes were observed in other factors. CRP reductions were also significant between all groups, but not for other factors. Replacing SFO with CO and OO as part of the daily dietary fat intake of people with type 2 diabetes is recommended to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Trial registration. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (IR.SUMS.REC.1394.27) and registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT2015062722818N1).
Money for the studyuniversity or foundation · Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
Do the authors have ties to companies?not stated
Did a manufacturer help with the study?unknown
Type of studystudy with random allocation to groups (RCT)
Participants77
“Not stated” does not mean nobody paid — the database does not always record it.
In mice, a diet containing rapeseed oil was associated with less inflammation than a diet containing palm oil.
Aim of the study: Low-grade inflammation observed in obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have revealed that this may be linked to gut-derived endotoxemia during fat digestion on high-fat diets, but the effect of lipid composition is not known.
Results: The rapeseed group had higher sCD14 than the palm group, which was associated with lower inflammation in both plasma and adipose tissue despite higher plasma endotoxemia. Taken together, our results show that the palm oil-based diet led to the most active transport of LPS to tissues through high LBP and low sCD14, and to the greatest inflammatory effects. In contrast, a rapeseed oil-based diet seemed to lead to endotoxin metabolism through less inflammatory pathways. This shows that dietary fat composition can help modulate the onset of low-grade inflammation through the quality of endotoxin receptors.
Money for the studynot stated
Do the authors have ties to companies?not stated
Did a manufacturer help with the study?unknown
Type of studyanimal study
“Not stated” does not mean nobody paid — the database does not always record it.
Perspectives and opinion materials
The content below presents the authors’ opinions, interpretations and hypotheses. It is not treated as equal to scientific studies and systematic reviews.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„Adequate amounts of both omega-3 (in flaxseed oil, walnuts, and fish) and omega-6 (in seed oils such as canola, soybean, and peanut oil) fatty acids are essential for health. Although essential, omega-6 fatty acids are thought to contribute to inflammation throughout the body, whereas omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for most body organs, including the brain, but most vegetables contain lower levels of them than omega-6 fatty acids.”Adequate doses of both omega-3 (in flax oil, walnuts, fish) and omega-6 (in seed oils such as canola, soybean, peanut) fatty acids are essential for health. Although essential, omega-6 fatty acids are thought to contribute to inflammation throughout the body whereas omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for most body organs including the brain but are found in lower levels than omega-6 fatty acids in most vegetables.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„But remember, Sinclair was right: it is not just that we all eat too many carbs; we also eat too little fat and oil. Far too little. In that Lancet letter, he said, “there is an enormous increase in permeability of the skin in EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) deficiency”—and of capillaries and the blood-brain barrier, obviously. We leak essential nutrients out and toxins in, triggering inflammation that we have leaked the resources needed to deal with.”But remember, Sinclair was right - it's not just that we all eat too much carbs, we also eat too little fat and oil. Way too little. In that Lancet letter he said "there is an enormous increase in permeability of the skin in EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) deficiency" - and capillary, and blood-brain barrier, obviously. We leak essentials out, and toxins in, triggering inflammation that we have leaked the resources to deal with.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„[7,8] Using anti-inflammatory olive oil as a control in a study evaluating inflammation may obscure the benefits of the test intervention, since both the test and control groups may have reduced inflammation compared with a group receiving a true placebo. A caustic placebo may make a test drug appear more effective. Similarly, a non-inert placebo may make it harder to recognize side effects of the test intervention if, for instance, it contains nut products or other common allergens that may increase the rate of reactions in the control group. The vehicle used to administer the test substance may also affect outcomes.”[7,8] Use of anti-inflammatory olive oil as a control in a study evaluating inflammation may obscure benefits of the test intervention since both the test and control arm may have reduced inflammation compared to a group receiving a true placebo. A caustic placebo may make a test drug appear more effective. Similarly, a non-inert placebo may blunt the recognition of side effects in the test intervention if, for instance, it contains nut products or other common allergens that may inflate the rate of reactions in the control group. The administration vehicle for the test substance may impact outcomes as well.
Pisaczek does not judge who is right. It shows what was written and where to read it. Every sentence above has its source.