Almond oil: the cholesterol of almonds, digested differently

The strongest study that mentions almond oil is about ears. A Cochrane review of 10 trials in 623 adults and children with blocked ear wax found no evidence that oil-based drops, almond oil among them, clear wax better than water-based drops, and it rated the evidence low quality. As food, the oil has one longer trial. In 22 healthy adults with normal blood lipids, getting about 14% of energy from almond oil for 6 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 6% and triglycerides by 14% against their own starting values, with no comparison group that ate no almonds. Whole almonds did the same, and the two did not differ. In the gut the oil and the nut part ways. In 20 healthy men eating a single meal with 54 g of fat, the rise in blood triglycerides afterward was 74% smaller when the fat came in whole almonds than when it came as almond oil with defatted almond flour.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• A tablespoon of almond oil weighs 14 g and gives about 5.5 mg vitamin E, while a full cup of 224 g gives 87.8 mg. — US household measures, FNDDS (n = FNDDS 5,432 foods) Evidence E source
  1 tablespoon 14 g 5.5 mg vitamin E; 1 cup 224 g 87.8 mg; quantity not specified 14 g

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover RCT in 20 men, the rise in blood triglycerides after a meal was 74% lower when fat came from whole almond particles than from almond oil with defatted flour. — 20 healthy men, 3 test meals with 54 g fat (n = 20) Evidence B source
  Triglyceride iAUC 74% lower after whole almonds vs almond oil meal and 58% lower vs control oil meal (P < 0.001)
• In a randomized meal study in 15 adults, women released more cholecystokinin and felt fuller after almond oil than after whole almonds, while men showed no difference. — 15 adults (8 men, 7 women), 3 isoenergetic test meals one week apart, 30% energy from fat (n = 15) Evidence B source
  Higher CCK and satiety with almond oil vs whole almonds in women only; size not given in the abstract

What it does to your health

• In a 6 week crossover RCT in 22 healthy adults, almond oil and whole almonds each lowered LDL cholesterol by 6% and triglycerides by 14% from baseline, with no difference between them. — 22 normolipemic men and women, two 6 week periods, about 14% of energy from almond oil or whole almonds (n = 22) Evidence C source
  Vs baseline: triglycerides -14%, total cholesterol -4%, LDL -6%, HDL +6%; no difference between almond oil and whole almonds

Safety, limits and interactions

• Observational data from 700 Italian women link almond oil use on the skin in pregnancy with twice the odds of preterm birth, a hypothesis not yet confirmed. — 700 women interviewed within 3 days of childbirth, 3 hospitals in northern Italy (n = 700) Evidence C source
  Preterm birth <37 weeks: adjusted OR 2.09 (95% CI 1.08-4.08) in almond oil users
• A case report describes a 5 month old infant with eczema who became allergic to almond after almond oil was applied to the skin for 2 months, without ever eating almond. — One 5 month old infant with atopic dermatitis; plus ointment review in 27 food-allergic children (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Positive patch and prick tests, class 4 anti-almond IgE

What people believe that the data does not support

• In the EU, a food that is a source of vitamin E, such as almond oil, may state that vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. — EU food supply Evidence E source
  Authorized claim for vitamin E (qualitative)
• The EU refused the broader wording that vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects the body's cells, while allowing the narrower oxidative stress claim. — EU food supply Evidence E source
  Claim refused (Non-authorized)

What is still unknown

• A Cochrane review of 10 trials with 623 people found no evidence that oil-based ear drops such as almond oil clear ear wax better than water-based drops. — Adults and children with obstructing or impacted ear wax, 10 RCTs, 623 participants (900 ears) (n = 623) Evidence A source
  No difference between oil-based and non-oil-based active treatments in complete wax clearance (low-quality evidence)

The bottom line

In women the oil seemed more filling than the nut. In a study of 15 adults eating three test meals, the 7 women released more of the fullness hormone cholecystokinin and felt fuller after almond oil than after whole almonds, while the 8 men showed no difference. The abstract gives no size for the effect, so treat it as a lead from a very small sample. A tablespoon of almond oil weighs 14 g in the US survey database and gives about 5.5 mg of vitamin E. That figure is recomputed from a single value of 39.2 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), with no spread across samples. In the EU, a food that is a source of vitamin E may state that vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. The same register refused the broader wording that vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects the body's cells. Both entries are about the vitamin, and neither is a claim tested on almond oil. Who should be careful: both warnings concern oil on the skin. In 700 women interviewed within three days of giving birth in northern Italy, those who used almond oil on their skin in pregnancy had about twice the odds of a birth before 37 weeks (adjusted odds ratio 2.09, 95% CI 1.08 to 4.08). Use was recalled after the birth, and the authors present the link as a hypothesis still to be confirmed. A single case report describes a 5 month old with eczema who became allergic to almond, with positive skin tests and high almond antibodies, after almond oil was rubbed on the cheeks and buttocks for 2 months, without ever eating almond. One case says nothing about how often this happens. We found no card on how people already allergic to almonds react to almond oil, so this page cannot tell them it is safe. We found no study on cooking, heating or storing almond oil, and no card on drug interactions.

Sources

1. almo-sup-r1-07 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 2710181 Almond oil (code 82101300): Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 39.2 mg/100 g · 1 tablespoon 14 g 5.5 mg · 1 cup 224 g 87.8 mg · Quantity not specified 14 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 · checked 2026-09-28
2. almo-local-r2-02 · Crossover RCT
   RESULTS: The postprandial increase in plasma triacylglycerol was lower [74% and 58% lower incremental area under curve (iAUC)] after the WA meal than after the AO and CO meals (P < 0.001).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2008 · checked 2026-09-28
3. almo-local-r2-03 · Crossover RCT
   Women had higher plasma CCK concentrations and experienced greater satiety after the almond oil and control meals (fat as oil) than after the whole almond meal (fat in whole food structure). Men showed no differential response among meals for CCK and satiety.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2004 · checked 2026-09-28
4. almo-local-r2-01 · Crossover RCT
   The effects of WA and AO 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%.
   J Nutr, 2002 · checked 2026-09-28
5. almo-local-r2-05 · Retrospective cohort
   After adjusting for multiple pregnancies, smoking, advanced age and drug intake, almond oil users maintained an increased risk to give birth <37th week (odds ratio = 2.09, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-4.08).
   Hum Reprod, 2012 · checked 2026-09-28
6. almo-local-r2-06 · Case report
   A five month old child with atopic dermatitis developed contact dermatitis to almond with positive patch test, positive prick test, and class 4 anti-almond IgE. Focal lesions of persistent eczema were correlated with application of almond oil for 2 month on cheeks and buttocks. The child had not ingested almond and her mother did not report almond intake during her breast-feeding.
   Allerg Immunol (Paris), 2000 · checked 2026-09-28
7. almo-sup-r1-08 · regulatory register entry
   POL-HC-6522 Vitamin E Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress Authorised
   EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6522, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-28
8. almo-sup-r1-09 · regulatory register entry
   POL-HC-8120 Vitamin E Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects the body's cells. Non-authorised
   EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-8120, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-28
9. almo-local-r2-04 · Cochrane review of RCTs
   However, we cannot conclude whether one type of active treatment is more effective than another and there was no evidence of a difference in efficacy between oil-based and water-based active treatments.
   Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018 · checked 2026-09-28