Oils are crucial for optimal health and metabolism. The types of oils one should ideally consume is a matter of unending scientific debate. Over the past few decades, all kinds of theories have been proposed regarding the ideal dietary intake of various oils. However, no consensus exists in the medical community regarding which oils to consume, and in what quantities. My opinion is to include a variety of oils in the diet, in moderation, with particular emphasis on omega3 oils such as fish oils.
   The omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have had a major impact on thinking in medicine. The parent fatty acid in the omega 3 fatty acid family is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is an essential fatty acid found in high concentrations in certain plant oils, such as flaxseed oil, walnut oil and canola oil. Several longer chain or derived omega 3 fatty acids are formed from alpha-linolenic acid, such as EPA and DHA, and these are mainly found in fish, fish oils and from other marine organisms. You can also find interesting information on essential oils.

Almond Oil
A study was conducted to compare the effects of whole-almond vs. almond oil consumption on plasma lipids and LDL oxidation in healthy men and women. Twenty-two normolipemic men and women replaced half of their habitual fat (approximately 14% of approximately 29% energy) with either whole almonds or almond oil for a 6 week periods Fat replacement with either whole almonds and and almond oil resulted in a 54% increase in percentage of energy as MUFA (mono unsaturated fatty acids) with declines in both saturated fat and cholesterol intake and no significant changes in total energy, total or polyunsaturated fat intake. The effects of whole almonds and almond oil on plasma lipids did not differ compared with baseline; plasma triglyceride, total and LDL cholesterol significantly decreased, 14, 4 and 6% respectively, whereas HDL cholesterol increased 6%. In conclusion, whole almonds and almond oil do not differ in their beneficial effects on the plasma lipid variables measured. J Nutr. 2002 Apr;132(4):703-7.

Avocado Oil
Avocados are thought by the general public to be fattening and therefore many people have been told to avoid avocados in energy-restricted diets. Avocados are a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids. In one study, the consumption of 200 grams a day of avocado within an energy-restricted diet did not compromise weight loss when substituted for 30 grams of mixed dietary fat. Serum lipid concentrations, plasma fibrinogen, arterial compliance, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were not affected by weight loss or avocado intake. Nutrition. 2005 Jan;21(1):67-75.

Borage oil
Borage oil is often sold as a supplement. See Borage oil gla supplement  for more information.

Canola Oil
Canola oil began to be marketed in the 1980s as a vegetable oil for use in salads and for cooking. Canola oil contains about 55 % of the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid, 25% linoleic acid, and 10% alpha-linolenate [polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)], and only 4% saturated fatty acids. Canola oil is expressed from a cultivar of rapeseed that was selectively bred to be very low in erucic acid -- a fatty acid suspected to have pathogenic potential in diets high in the original rapeseed oil in experimental animals.

Coconut Oil
There's been a lot of hype regarding coconut oil. I think coconut oil probably has some health benefits, but so do many types of other oils, including fish oils and flax seed oil. Therefore, it may be okay to add coconut oil to your diet, but don't overdo it.
   Coconut Oil is a great tasting cooking oil. Coconut oil is has  a higher amount of medium-chain triglycerides (MTC's), than some other oils.

Corn Oil
Fatty acid composition of dietary fat, primarily the levels of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, has shown profound effect on colon tumor development in animal studies. Oils containing omega-6 fatty acids (for example, corn oil) enhance and omega-3 fatty acids (for example, fish oil and mustard oil) reduce chemically induced colon tumors in rats.

March 2007 - Manufacturers of corn oil and foods containing the fat can now promote their products as a way to possibly reduce the risk of heart disease. The Food and Drug Administration, responding to a request from ACH Food Companies Inc., said there was enough evidence to support such a qualified claim, as long as consumers were not misled. ACH Food Companies, a division of Associated British Foods, asked the agency last year to allow corn oil and related products to carry the heart benefits claim. Its products include Mazola corn oil, Karo light corn syrup and Argo corn starch.
   Dr. Sahelian comments: I am not convinced that the claim that corn oil reduces heart disease. There are hundreds of different oils, and it may be better to have a variety of different oils as opposed to focusing on a few. This claim appears to be given to a large conglomerate since they know how to manipulate the system. Why not have the same claim be allowed for flax oil or hemp oil?

Echium Oil
Echium oil is a rich source of GLA.

Emu Oil
Emu oil appears to have anti-inflammatory activity when used topically.

Fish Oil
Fish oils are my favorite form of therapeutic oil. I notice visual enhancement after taking a few fish oil capsules several days in a row.

Flaxseed oil
Flaxseed Oil has many health benefits. Some people notice having more energy and mild mood improvement.

Grapeseed Oil

Linseed Oil

Mustard Oil
Mustard is one of the first spices known to humans.

Olive Oil
Seventy-five  percent of the fatty acids that make up olive oil come from monounsaturated fat, and only 13 percent from saturated fat. Olive oil may offer several health advantages over more polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Monounsaturated oils seem to cause less production of the bile acids in the digestive tract that promote colon cancer development. Because monounsaturated fat is more stable than polyunsaturated fat, it is less likely to generate the free radicals that create harmful blood cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or “LDL”). LDL damages blood vessels. Many of olive oil’s health benefits may actually come from the more than 30 plant compounds it contains. These compounds’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects promote heart health and may protect against cancer. Olive leaf extract is sold as a supplement. To get the highest levels of the protective plant compounds in olive oil, choose “extra virgin” and preferably organic. Store the olive oil away from light and heat to maintain the phytochemical content. Also, it is preferable to purchase an opaque or dark olive oil bottle to minimize exposure to light.
    Olive oil and cancer reduction - People who use plenty of olive oil in their diets may be helping to prevent damage to body cells that can eventually lead to cancer. Dr. Henrik E. Poulsen, of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark included healthy men between the ages of 20 and 60 from five European countries. For two weeks, the men consumed a quarter cup of olive oil throughout each day. At the end of the study, they showed an average 13 percent reduction in a substance called 8oxodG, which is a marker of oxidative damage to cells' DNA. Such damage occurs when byproducts of metabolism called reactive oxygen species overwhelm the body's antioxidant defenses. Olive oil contains a number of compounds, called phenols, believed to act as powerful antioxidants. However, those compounds didn't seem to account for the drop in DNA oxidative damage. The men in the study used three different olive oils with varying levels of antioxidant phenols, and oxidative damage declined regardless of the phenol content. Instead, the researchers suspect that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil are behind the effect. The findings, they say, suggest that olive oil may be part of the reason that certain cancers, including breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancers, are less common in Mediterranean countries than in Northern Europe. However, the Mediterranean diet is also rish in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish. The FASEB Journal, January 2007.

Palm Oil
Palm oil is different from other plant and animal oils in that it contains 50% saturated fatty acids, 40% unsaturated fatty acids, and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Peanut oil

Pumpkin seed oil
Pumpkin seed oil is available as a supplement. See Pumpkin seed oil  for more information.

Rapeseed Oil (Brassica)

Sesame Oil

Soybean Oil
Q. I have been using Vitamin E as a natural preservative for soya oil to prevent rancidity when baking cookies....this is not working very well---I suspect that vitamin E is a weak anti-oxidant and can be quickly replaced by oxygen......can you suggest something I could use to keep the quality of the soya oil intact over a long period of time.
   A. We are not sure what you mean by it is not working. Vitamin E is helpful if preserving oil integrity. Since cooking is not our forte, we can't think offhand what else to use. Perhaps alpha lipoic acid?

Sunflower seed oil

Walnut Oil

Wheatgerm Oil

Mussel versus Flaxseed Oil and Tuna Oil
A comparison between the composition of the oil derived from the New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel (Lyprinol) and two other oils rich in omega 3 fatty acids, namely flaxseed oil and tuna oil. The main lipid classes in Lyprinol are sterol esters, triglycerides, free fatty acids, sterols and phospholipids while triglycerides are the main lipids in the other two oils. The main omega 3 fatty acids in Lyprinol is EPA and DHA, while in flaxseed oil and tuna oil the main omega 3 fatty acids are ALA and DHA, respectively. The main sterols in Lyprinol are cholesterol and desmosterol / brassicasterol, while in flaxseed oil and tuna oil the main sterols are beta-sitosterol and cholesterol, respectively.

Toxic Oil Syndrome
Rapeseed oil denatured with aniline was the vehicle of the causal agent of the toxic oil syndrome epidemic that occurred in Spain in 1981. Although the precise causal agent remains unknown, researchers established that increasing concentrations of oleyl anilide and other fatty acid anilides were associated with an increased risk for disease. The only toxic oil linked to a specific refinery was that associated with rapeseed oil from the ITH refinery in Seville, and the epidemic began shortly after this oil was delivered to RAELCA for retail sale. Oil refined by ITH and distributed by RAELCA was the principal, and probably the only, oil responsible for the toxic oil syndrome epidemic.

Potato Chips and Cooking Oil
Half of British children have a pack-a-day potato chips habit and are consuming the equivalent of five liters of cooking oil a year. A typical 35 gram (1.2 ounce) packet of potato chips contains 2.5 teaspoons of oil. One in five children ate potato chips twice a day or more.

Oil emails
Q. i have recently discovered your website while seeking information on the health benefits of various oils in the diet. May I thank you for putting this very useful resource on the web. I have found it invaluable in offering both broad and unbiased information.

Q. Is coconut oil good for you as some web sites are telling me?
   A. Some websites we have noticed are making claims for coconut oil that seem to go beyond what the limited research tells us. It is preferable to ingest small amounts of a variety of oils as opposed to a large amount of one oil in order to obtain a number of different fatty acids We feel fish oils and flax seed oil are some of the healthiest options, but olive oil and small amounts of coconut and other oils can certainly be incorporated in one's diet, but we don't think large amounts are healthy as some websites promote.

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