Canola oil vs vegetable oil: identical in UK food tables

Swapping other fats for canola oil lowers LDL cholesterol by a small, repeatable amount. A meta-analysis of 27 randomized trials with 1,359 people found a drop of 6.4 mg/dL (95% CI 2 to 10.8), with no change in HDL or triglycerides, against comparison fats that differed from trial to trial. A network meta-analysis of 54 trials lasting at least 3 weeks ranked rapeseed oil second to safflower oil for LDL. The nine plant oils it named, and beef fat too, lowered LDL more than butter did, by 8.9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L) per 10 percent of energy exchanged, though a ranking of that kind does not tell you how far apart two oils sit. The label question is simpler than it looks. UK tables give generic vegetable oil and rapeseed oil identical values, 62.1 percent monounsaturated, 30.7 percent polyunsaturated and 6.9 percent saturated fat, because the table uses the rapeseed profile for vegetable oil. In the US a bottle called vegetable oil is more often soybean, so read the ingredient list.

How much is actually in it

• In the UK composition tables generic vegetable oil and rapeseed oil carry identical values: 62.1 percent monounsaturated, 30.7 percent polyunsaturated and 6.9 percent saturated fatty acids. — CoFID 17-686 Oil, vegetable, average; CoFID 17-041 Oil, rapeseed (n = -) Evidence E source
  Both: MUFA 62.1%, PUFA 30.7%, SFA 6.9% of fatty acids; vitamin E 22.21 mg, vitamin K1 112.5 ug, 899 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• NIH notes that most vitamin E in American diets is gamma-tocopherol from soybean, canola, corn and other vegetable oils. — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin E fact sheet for health professionals (n = -) Evidence E source
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What a real portion looks like

• The US dietary survey database counts one tablespoon of canola oil as 14 g, which is also its default portion. — FNDDS 82105500 Canola oil (fdc_id 2710188) (n = -) Evidence E source
  1 tablespoon 14 g, 1 cup 224 g, quantity not specified 14 g

What your body absorbs

• NIH lists fats and oils, particularly soybean and canola oil, among the most common sources of vitamin K in the US diet. — NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K fact sheet for health professionals (n = -) Evidence E source
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What cooking and storage change

• A systematic review of 23 studies found no support for the belief that frying in vegetable oils generally raises cardiovascular risk, though heavy fried-food intake probably favors weight gain. — 23 publications on vegetable oil or fried food intake and obesity, diabetes or CVD (n = 23) Evidence C source
  No general association of frying with CVD; high fried food intake probably linked to weight gain
• For cooking or adding fat to meals, the 2025-2030 US Dietary Guidelines name olive oil as the oil to prioritize and butter or beef tallow as other options. Canola and other seed oils are not mentioned. — United States general population, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 Evidence E source
  Olive oil prioritized; butter or beef tallow as other options; seed oils not named

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 27 randomized trials with 1,359 people found canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.4 mg/dL, with no effect on HDL or triglycerides. — 27 RCTs, 1359 participants consuming canola oil vs other fats (n = 1359) Evidence A source
  LDL -6.4 mg/dL (95% CI -10.8 to -2), TC -7.24 mg/dL (-12.1 to -2.7); larger after 30+ days and over age 50
• Pooling 42 controlled trials, canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol by 8.9 mg/dL (0.23 mmol/L) against other edible oils, by 0.17 against olive oil and by 0.49 against saturated fats. — Adults in 42 controlled clinical trials comparing canola oil with other edible oils (n = 42 articles) Evidence B source
  LDL-C -8.9 mg/dL (-0.23 mmol/L) vs other oils (n=35), -0.17 vs olive oil, -0.14 vs sunflower, -0.49 vs saturated fats
• An updated meta-analysis of 32 randomized trials found canola oil lowered BMI by only 0.13 kg/m2 against other oils, with no effect on most body measures. — Adults in 32 RCTs comparing canola oil with other dietary oils (n = 32 trials) Evidence A source
  BMI MD -0.127 kg/m2 (-0.231 to -0.024); WHR +0.003 (0.001 to 0.005); other measures not significant
• A network meta-analysis of 54 trials ranked rapeseed oil second only to safflower oil for lowering LDL cholesterol, and the nine plant oils it named, with beef fat, lowered LDL by 8.9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L) more than butter. — 54 randomized trials of at least 3 weeks comparing oils and solid fats (n = 54 trials) Evidence A source
  SUCRA for LDL-C: safflower 82%, rapeseed 76%; oils vs butter LDL-C -16 to -8.9 mg/dL (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/L) per 10% isocaloric exchange

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a randomized double-blind infant trial, formula containing canola oil supported the same weight and length gain from 4 weeks to 7 months as formula without it. — Full-term infants in the German Infant Nutritional Intervention study, formula with or without canola oil, week 4 to month 7 (n = -) Evidence B source
  No difference in absolute or WHO-standardized weight and length; powered to detect 3 g/day

What people believe that the data does not support

• An umbrella review of 206 meta-analyses graded the cholesterol-lowering effect of canola, virgin olive and rice bran oils as moderate to very low certainty. — 48 studies including 206 meta-analyses on vegetable oils in adults (n = 206 meta-analyses) Evidence C source
  Canola oil reduces TC and LDL (moderate to very low certainty); coconut and palm oil raise TC and LDL
• A 2026 review of clinical and observational evidence concluded that claims of harm from seed oils such as canola, including inflammation from linoleic acid, lack scientific foundation. — Human clinical and observational literature on seed oils and linoleic acid (n = -) Evidence C source
  Data support safety of seed oils and LA; claims of inflammation or harmful manufacturing by-products unsupported
• US labeling rules let canola oil say cholesterol-free only with a disclosure that cholesterol is not usually present in the food, since no plant oil contains it. — 21 CFR 101.62, nutrient content claims for cholesterol (n = -) Evidence E source
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Who this works differently for

• A 2026 meta-analysis of 3 small RCTs in 220 adults with fatty liver disease linked canola oil to lower liver enzymes and triglycerides, with no change in HDL. — 220 adults with NAFLD in 3 randomized trials (4 intervention arms) (n = 220) Evidence A source
  ALT SMD -0.472 (-0.711 to -0.233), AST -0.505, TG -0.593 (-1.151 to -0.036); HDL and GGT not significant

What is still unknown

• Canadian harvest data from 2010 to 2022 show the alpha-linolenic acid in canola falling from 9.9 to 8.2 percent of fatty acids, linked to hotter growing seasons. — Canadian Grain Commission Harvest Sample Program, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, 2010-2022 (n = -) Evidence C source
  ALA 9.93 +/- 0.78 to 8.16 +/- 0.46 mass %, oleic acid up, LA 18.1-19.2 mass %
• The 2025-2030 US Dietary Guidelines keep saturated fat at no more than 10% of daily calories and state that more high-quality research is needed to know which types of dietary fat best support long-term health. — United States general population, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 Evidence E source
  Saturated fat ≤10% of daily calories; research gap on fat types stated

The bottom line

An umbrella review of 206 meta-analyses graded the cholesterol effect of canola as moderate to very low certainty, and the direction repeats across reviews. A second pooling of 42 controlled trials found LDL 8.9 mg/dL (0.23 mmol/L) lower against other oils and 0.49 lower against saturated fats. Some of its trials may not have been randomized, and the abstract gives no confidence intervals. One group has a result beyond cholesterol. In a meta-analysis of 3 small randomized trials in 220 adults with fatty liver disease, canola oil went with lower liver enzymes (ALT standardized effect -0.47, 95% CI -0.71 to -0.23) and lower triglycerides, with no change in HDL. Those effects are in standardized units, certainty was moderate for ALT and low for the rest, and none of the trials reported clinical outcomes. Canola will not change your weight in any way you would notice. Across 32 randomized trials it lowered BMI by 0.13 kg/m2 against other oils and moved no other body measure apart from a tiny rise in waist to hip ratio. A tablespoon is 14 g, about 126 calories by the UK value of 899 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g). A 2015 systematic review of 23 studies found no support for the idea that frying in vegetable oils generally raises cardiovascular risk. The same review judged that eating a lot of fried food probably favors weight gain, and it noted that the type of oil may change the link. The newer fear about seed oils fared no better. A 2026 review found the claims that linoleic acid from oils like canola drives inflammation and heart disease to be without foundation. It was a narrative scoping review with no pooled numbers, and we have not checked its authors' conflicts of interest. The 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans name olive oil as the oil to prioritize when cooking or adding fat to meals, with butter or beef tallow as other options. Canola, vegetable oil and seed oils appear nowhere in the text, as advice or as warning, so the list leaves canola out without advising against it. The same page keeps saturated fat at no more than 10 percent of daily calories and says more high-quality research is needed to know which types of fat best support long-term health. Both are positions with no review of the evidence on oils behind them, and the trials above are the data on canola. A bottle marked cholesterol-free tells you nothing special. US rules make the label disclose that cholesterol is not usually present in the food, and no plant oil contains it. Most vitamin E in American diets is gamma-tocopherol from soybean, canola, corn and other vegetable oils, according to NIH, and that form does not count toward the recommended intake. Canadian canola is also changing in the field. Harvest samples from 2010 to 2022 show its omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid falling from 9.9 to 8.2 percent of fatty acids in hotter seasons, and composition tables do not reflect the shift. Two points belong under caution, and we hold no card on allergy or pregnancy. NIH names soybean and canola oil among the most common sources of vitamin K in the US diet. That passage does not discuss warfarin itself, so if you take it, raise the point with whoever manages your dose. For babies, a secondary analysis of a randomized double-blind trial in full-term German infants found that formula made with low erucic acid canola oil supported the same weight and length gain from 4 weeks to 7 months as formula without it.

Sources

1. cnvo-daily-r1-01 · composition dataset
   CoFID 2021 17-686 Oil, vegetable, average: Mono FA/ 100g FA (g) 62.10; Poly FA /100g FA (g) 30.70; Satd FA /100g FA (g) 6.90; Vitamin E (mg) 22.21; Vitamin K1 (µg) 112.50; 17-041 Oil, rapeseed: Mono FA/ 100g FA (g) 62.10; Poly FA /100g FA (g) 30.70; Satd FA /100g FA (g) 6.90; Vitamin E (mg) 22.21; Vitamin K1 (µg) 112.50
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, codes 17-686 and 17-041, OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-09-29
2. cnvo-daily-r1-13 · agency fact sheet
   Most vitamin E in American diets is in the form of gamma-tocopherol from soybean, canola, corn, and other vegetable oils and food products [4].
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-29
3. cnvo-daily-r1-02 · portion dataset
   FNDDS 82105500 Canola oil (fdc_id 2710188): 1 cup 224 g, 1 tablespoon 14 g, Quantity not specified 14 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 82105500 · checked 2026-09-29
4. cnvo-daily-r1-12 · agency 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 Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-29
5. cnvo-daily-r1-10 · systematic review
   Based on the results of the studies included in the present systematic review, 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 2026-09-29
6. cnvo-dga-01 · government guidance
   When cooking with or adding fats to meals, prioritize oils with essential fatty acids, such as olive oil. Other options can include butter or beef tallow.
   U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (January 2026), p. 3 · checked 2026-09-29
7. cnvo-daily-r1-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Twenty-seven trials, comprising 1359 participants, met the eligibility criteria. Results of this study showed that CO consumption significantly reduced TC (-7.24 mg/dl, 95% CI, -12.1 to -2.7), and LDL (-6.4 mg/dl, 95% CI, -10.8 to -2), although it had no effects on HDL, TG, Apo B, and Apo A1.
   J Am Coll Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
8. cnvo-daily-r1-04 · meta-analysis of controlled trials
   CO significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC, -0.27 mmol/l, n = 37), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, -0.23 mmol/l, n = 35), 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) compared to other edible oils (P < 0.05).
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
9. cnvo-daily-r1-05 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   CO consumption significantly increased WHR (MD: 0.003 cm, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.005, P value: 0.003) and significantly decreased BMI (mean difference (MD): -0.127 kg/m2, 95% C: -0.231, -0.024, P value: 0.016) However, it did not significantly affect other anthropometric measures (P > 0.05).
   Nutr J, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
10. cnvo-daily-r1-06 · network meta-analysis
    Safflower oil had the highest SUCRA value for LDL-C (82%) and TC (90%), followed by rapeseed oil (76% for LDL-C, 85% for TC); whereas, palm oil (74%) had the highest SUCRA value for TG, and coconut oil (88%) for HDL-C. Safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed, corn, olive, soybean, palm, and coconut oil as well beef fat were more effective in reducing LDL-C (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/l) as compared with butter.
    J Lipid Res, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
11. cnvo-daily-r1-08 · randomized controlled trial in humans
    Absolute and standardized weight and length measures did not differ between the formula groups with or without canola oil.
    Clin Nutr, 2011 · checked 2026-09-29
12. cnvo-daily-r1-07 · umbrella review
    Moderate to very low certainty evidence showed that monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids such as canola oil, virgin olive oil, and rice bran oil are beneficial in reducing serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations.
    Adv Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
13. cnvo-daily-r1-11 · scoping review
    Conversely, claims about harm, such as LA increases inflammation and oxidative stress, and therefore raises CVD risk, were found to be without foundation.
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
14. cnvo-daily-r1-14 · regulation
    As required in § 101.13(e)(2), if the food contains less than 2 mg of cholesterol per reference amount customarily consumed or in the case of a meal product or main dish product less than 2 mg of cholesterol per labeled serving without the benefit of special processing, alteration, formulation, or reformulation to lower cholesterol content, it is labeled to disclose that cholesterol is not usually present in the food (e.g., “canola oil, a cholesterol-free food, contains 14 g of fat per serving”); or
    21 CFR 101.62, Nutrient content claims for fat, fatty acid, and cholesterol content of foods · checked 2026-09-29
15. cnvo-ws7-01 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Canola oil consumption was associated with significant reductions in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (effect size: -0.472, 95% CI: -0.711 to -0.233; p < 0.001) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (effect size: -0.505, 95% CI: -0.745 to -0.264; p < 0.001).
    Food Sci Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
16. cnvo-daily-r1-09 · longitudinal study
    Data for this cohort showed the average mean ALA content decreased from 9.93 ± 0.78 mass % (average mean± standard deviation) to 8.16 ± 0.46 mass %, with a concomitant increase in oleic acid.
    Am J Clin Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
17. cnvo-dga-02 · government guidance
    In general, saturated fat consumption should not exceed 10% of total daily calories. Significantly limiting highly processed foods will help meet this goal. More high-quality research is needed to determine which types of dietary fats best support long-term health.
    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (January 2026), p. 3 · checked 2026-09-29