Canola oil vs olive oil: canola lowers LDL a little more

On blood cholesterol, the head to head trials lean toward canola. Pooling 9 controlled trials in adults, canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) and total cholesterol by 8.9 mg/dL (0.23 mmol/L) more than olive oil, a result reported without a confidence interval from trials not all stated as randomized. The fat profile points the same way. Per 100 g the US database gives canola oil 6.6 g of saturated fat against 15.5 g in olive oil, and 7.5 g of the plant omega-3 ALA against 0.6 g, single values that do not separate extra virgin from refined olive oil. Olive oil has its own large trial base, and on blood sugar it is a null one. Across 51 randomized trials with 4334 adults it did not change fasting glucose, insulin or HbA1c. Observational data link the highest olive oil intake with 13 percent lower diabetes risk in 4 cohorts (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.92), in a pooled analysis where five of the 10 studies came from Spain.

How much is actually in it

• British tables agree on the fat pattern, giving rapeseed (canola) oil 6.6 g saturated fat and 29.3 g polyunsaturated fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 14.3 g and 8.2 g for olive oil. — CoFID 2021 codes 17-041 Oil, rapeseed and 17-038 Oil, olive (n = one composite value each) Evidence E source
  SFA 6.60 vs 14.30 g; MUFA 59.30 vs 73.00 g; PUFA 29.30 vs 8.20 g; vitamin E 22.21 vs 5.10 mg; vitamin K1 112.50 vs 57.50 mcg; energy 899 calories each

What a real portion looks like

• A tablespoon of either oil weighs 14 g in US survey data, which at 899 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g) gives about 126 calories per tablespoon. — FNDDS foods Canola oil (82105500) and Olive oil (82104000); energy from CoFID 2021 (n = survey portion weights) Evidence E source
  1 tablespoon 14 g, 1 cup 224 g for both oils

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover trial on 16 adults, a salad eaten with olive oil gave 55% more carotenoid absorption than the same salad with coconut oil. — Healthy adults, single test meals with four fat types in random order (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Total carotenoid iAUC +55.2% with olive vs coconut oil; alpha-carotene +110.8%; lycopene +45.8%

What cooking and storage change

• A systematic review of 23 studies concluded that the idea that frying foods generally raises heart disease risk is not supported, though frequent fried food may favor weight gain. — 23 publications on vegetable oils, fried foods and obesity, diabetes or cardiovascular disease (n = 23 studies) Evidence C source
  No general link between frying and CVD; probable link of high fried food intake with weight gain

What it does to your health

• Pooling 9 trials that compared the two oils head to head, canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) and total cholesterol by 8.9 mg/dL (0.23 mmol/L) more than olive oil. — Adults in controlled clinical trials comparing canola oil with olive oil (9 trials) or other oils (42 articles in total) (n = 9 trials) Evidence B source
  Vs olive oil: LDL-C -6.6 mg/dL (-0.17 mmol/L), TC -8.9 mg/dL (-0.23 mmol/L), LDL/HDL -0.39 (2 trials)
• Pooling 51 randomized trials with 4334 adults, olive oil did not change fasting glucose, insulin or HbA1c overall. — Adults in 51 RCTs of different olive oil types (n = 4334) Evidence A source
  Glucose WMD -0.04 mg/dL (95% CI -0.1 to 0.02); HbA1c +0.02% (-0.01 to 0.06); HOMA-IR -0.09 (-0.25 to 0.06)
• Observational data link the highest olive oil intake with 13% lower diabetes risk in 4 cohorts. — 4 cohorts and 6 RCTs, over 500,000 subjects, adults (n = 10 studies) Evidence C source
  Cohorts RR 0.87 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.92); RCTs RR 0.78 (0.70 to 0.88)

Safety, limits and interactions

• NIH names canola and soybean oil among the most common sources of vitamin K in the US diet, relevant for people on warfarin who keep vitamin K steady. — US diet Evidence E source
  Canola oil named among top dietary sources of phylloquinone

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU rejected the label claim that olive oil promotes heart health, and no EU claim names canola or rapeseed oil. — EU register, olive oil claims Evidence E source
  Non-authorized
• The EU does allow one olive oil claim, that olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress, only under conditions of use set in Regulation 432/2012. — EU register, olive oil polyphenols Evidence E source
  Authorized

Who this works differently for

• In 72 women with polycystic ovary syndrome taking 25 g a day for 10 weeks, canola oil improved triglycerides and cholesterol ratios while olive oil did not, and both reduced fatty liver grade. — Women with PCOS, mean age 29.3, randomized to 25 g/day canola, olive or sunflower oil (n = 72) Evidence B source
  Canola: TG down (P = 0.002), TC/HDL down (P = 0.021); olive: no significant lipid change; liver grade down with both

What is still unknown

• Per 100 g, canola oil has less than half the saturated fat of olive oil (6.6 g against 15.5 g) and about 12 times the plant omega-3 ALA (7.5 g against 0.6 g). — FNDDS foods Canola oil (82105500) and Olive oil (82104000) (n = one value each) Evidence E source
  SFA 6.61 vs 15.52 g; MUFA 62.6 vs 68.42 g; PUFA 25.3 vs 9.469 g; ALA (18:3) 7.45 vs 0.638 g; vitamin E 17.3 vs 20.88 mg; vitamin K 71.3 vs 26 mcg

The bottom line

The cholesterol meta-analysis does not name the grade of olive oil its trials used. In women with polycystic ovary syndrome the same direction showed up. In a 10 week trial on 72 women taking 25 g a day, only canola oil significantly lowered triglycerides and the total to HDL cholesterol ratio, and both oils lowered fatty liver grade. That trial was small and registered after the fact, and its abstract gives no effect sizes. Olive oil wins on one measure. In a crossover trial on 16 healthy adults, a salad eaten with olive oil gave 55 percent more carotenoid absorption than the same salad with coconut oil, over single test meals in which canola oil was not tested. A tablespoon of either oil weighs 14 g and carries about 126 calories, a figure computed from table values rather than measured. A systematic review of 23 studies concluded that the idea that frying foods generally raises heart disease risk is not supported by the available evidence. The EU refused the label claim that olive oil promotes heart health, and no EU claim names canola or rapeseed oil. The caution on this page concerns vitamin K. NIH lists canola and soybean oil among the most common sources of vitamin K in the US diet, and canola carries about 10 mcg per tablespoon against about a third of that in olive oil. That matters if you take warfarin and keep your vitamin K steady. Two questions stay open. We found no long term outcome trial of canola oil itself, and the two national tables disagree fourfold on vitamin E in olive oil, 20.9 mg against 5.1 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g).

Sources

1. cvoo-r5-02 · CoFID 2021, dataset
   17-041 Oil, rapeseed: Energy 899 kcal; Mono FA 59.30 g; Poly FA 29.30 g; Satd FA 6.60 g; Vitamin E 22.21 mg; Vitamin K1 112.50 ug. 17-038 Oil, olive: Energy 899 kcal; Mono FA 73.00 g; Poly FA 8.20 g; Satd FA 14.30 g; Vitamin E 5.10 mg; Vitamin K1 57.50 ug
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-10-02
2. cvoo-r5-03 · USDA FNDDS and CoFID 2021, datasets
   Canola oil (fdc 2710188): 1 tablespoon 14 g; 1 cup 224 g. Olive oil (fdc 2710186): 1 tablespoon 14 g; 1 cup 224 g. CoFID 17-041 and 17-038: Energy 899 kcal per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2026; CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-10-02
3. cvoo-r5-08 · randomized crossover absorption trial
   Similarly, the positive iAUC1-10h of TC, α-carotene, and lycopene were 55.2%, 110.8%, and 45.8%, respectively, higher with olive oil than with coconut oil.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
4. cvoo-r5-09 · systematic review of observational and trial data
   we conclude that (1) the myth that frying foods is generally associated with a higher risk of CVD is not supported by the available evidence
   Br J Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-10-02
5. cvoo-r5-04 · systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials
   Compared to 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).
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2020 · checked 2026-10-02
6. cvoo-r5-06 · systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs
   We found the consumption of olive oil was not associated with statistically significant changes in blood glucose (WMD = -0.04 mg dL-1; 95% CI, -0.1 to 0.02; P = .18; I2 = 27.05%), insulin (WMD = -0.3 µIU mL-1; 95% CI, -0.99 to 0.38; P = .39; I2 = 91.49%), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (WMD = 0.02%, 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.06; P = .21; I2 = 0%)
   Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
7. cvoo-r5-07 · dose-response meta-analysis
   A 13% (RR = 0.87, 95%CI = 0.83 - 0.92, P < 0.01) decreased risk of diabetes was shown in Cohort study and 22% (RR = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.70 - 0.88, P < 0.01) decreased risk in RCT study for the highest vs. lowest olive oil consumption.
   J Health Popul Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
8. cvoo-r5-10 · NIH ODS fact sheet
   The most common sources of vitamin K in the U.S. diet are spinach; broccoli; iceberg lettuce; and fats and oils, particularly soybean and canola oil [5,7].
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K Health Professional Fact Sheet · checked 2026-10-02
9. cvoo-r5-11 · EU health claim register entry
   POL-HC-7679 Olive Oil Olive Oil promotes your heart health Non-authorised
   EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7679, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-02
10. cvoo-r5-12 · EU health claim register entry
    POL-HC-6431 Olive oil polyphenols Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress Authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6431, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-02
11. cvoo-r5-05 · randomized controlled trial
    Canola oil consumption resulted in a significant reduction in serum levels of TG (P = 0.002) and TC/HDL (P = 0.021), LDL/HDL (P = 0.047), and TG/HDL (P = 0.001) ratios, however, there was no significant reduction in lipid profile following olive oil consumption. Canola (P < 0.001) and olive oils (P = 0.005) could significantly reduce the fatty liver grade.
    Lipids Health Dis, 2021 · checked 2026-10-02
12. cvoo-r5-01 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
    Canola oil (fdc 2710188): Fatty acids, total saturated 6.61 G; Fatty acids, total monounsaturated 62.6 G; Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated 25.3 G; PUFA 18:3 7.45 G; Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 17.3 MG; Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 71.3 UG per 100 g. Olive oil (fdc 2710186): 15.52 G; 68.42 G; 9.469 G; 0.638 G; 20.88 MG; 26 UG per 100 g
    USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), as loaded in FoodData Central 2026 · checked 2026-10-02