Mustard oil: a heart reputation built on a whole-diet trial

The largest trial behind mustard oil did not test the oil on its own. In a randomized trial in 1000 Indian patients with angina, a past heart attack or heart risk factors, a diet with more whole grains, nuts and mustard or soybean oil had 39 cardiac events against 76 in the control group. The oil cannot be separated from the rest of that diet, and an expression of concern about this trial was published in 2005. Trials of the oil alone are small. Over 8 weeks in 63 healthy young Indian adults, replacing part of the mustard oil with ghee raised total and HDL cholesterol together, so their ratio did not change. In 24 young adults on a vegetarian diet, moving 10 percent of energy from mustard oil to ghee left blood lipids unchanged in both groups. Observational data are more favorable. In an Indian case-control study of 350 heart attack cases, cooking with mustard oil rather than sunflower oil was linked to a relative risk of 0.49 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.99), from dietary recall and open to confounding. Two cautions apply. The oil is naturally high in erucic acid, which EU law caps at 50 g per kg for mustard oil, and mustard oil adulterated with argemone oil causes a poisoning called epidemic dropsy.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• EU law caps erucic acid in mustard oil at 50 g per kg, a higher limit than for other vegetable oils, because no mustard variety yields oil with lower levels. — vegetable oils sold in the EU Evidence E source
  Maximum level 50.0 g/kg for camelina, mustard and borage oil; local small-scale mustard oil may be exempt

What cooking and storage change

• In an Indian case-control study of 350 heart attack cases, cooking with mustard oil instead of sunflower oil was linked to 51 percent lower risk, and frying with it to 71 percent lower risk. — 350 acute myocardial infarction cases and 700 matched controls, New Delhi and Bangalore (n = 1050) Evidence C source
  RR 0.49 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.99) cooking; RR 0.29 (0.13 to 0.64) frying, vs sunflower oil
• In an Indian case-control study of 1170 gallbladder cancer cases, high mustard oil use was linked to 3 times higher odds in a low-risk region. In the high-risk region (OR 1.33) and for deep frying fish in it (OR 1.57), the intervals reached down to 0.99. — 1170 gallbladder cancer cases and 2525 visitor controls, India (n = 3695) Evidence C source
  OR 1.33 (0.99 to 1.78) high-risk region; OR 3.01 (1.66 to 5.45) low-risk region; deep frying fish OR 1.57 (0.99 to 2.47)

What it does to your health

• In an RCT in 1000 Indian patients at high heart risk, a diet with more whole grains, nuts and mustard or soybean oil cut total cardiac events from 76 to 39 over the study. — 1000 patients with angina, myocardial infarction or risk factors, India (n = 1000) Evidence B source
  Total cardiac end points 39 vs 76 (p<0.001); sudden cardiac death 6 vs 16
• In an 8 week RCT in 63 young Indians, replacing part of the mustard oil with ghee raised total and HDL cholesterol together, so the ratio did not change. — 63 healthy young physically active adults (52 men, 11 women), 8 weeks (n = 63) Evidence B source
  Total and HDL cholesterol rose with ghee; total/HDL ratio unchanged; LDL trend down on mustard oil only (ns)
• In an 8 week RCT in 24 young adults on a vegetarian diet, swapping 10 percent of energy from mustard oil to ghee did not change blood lipids. — 24 healthy young volunteers, lactovegetarian diet, 8 weeks (n = 24) Evidence B source
  No significant change in serum lipid profile in either group

Safety, limits and interactions

• Epidemic dropsy is a poisoning caused by eating mustard oil adulterated with argemone oil. — two children from one affected family, India (n = 2) Evidence D source
  Adulteration-related poisoning; neurological involvement rare

Who this works differently for

• The EU regulation on erucic acid cites the EFSA tolerable daily intake of 7 mg per kg body weight per day. — general population Evidence E source
  TDI 7 mg/kg bw per day for erucic acid

What is still unknown

• In a Nepal case-control study, mustard oil use was linked to gallbladder cancer (OR 3.63) only before adjustment and dropped out in the multivariate model. — 50 gallbladder cancer cases and 100 matched controls, Nepal (n = 150) Evidence C source
  Bivariate OR 3.63 (1.40 to 9.40); not significant on multivariate analysis

The bottom line

Mustard oil is naturally high in erucic acid, and the law treats it that way. EU rules allow mustard oil up to 1.8 oz (50 g) of erucic acid per kg, higher than other vegetable oils, because no mustard variety yields oil with less. The same regulation cites the EFSA tolerable daily intake of 7 mg of erucic acid per kg of body weight. That is a regulatory limit. We have no card that measures a health effect of erucic acid from mustard oil in people, and no card giving its fat profile per spoon. The cancer signal is weak and inconsistent. In an Indian case-control study of 1170 gallbladder cancer cases, high mustard oil use was linked to 3.01 times the odds (95% CI 1.66 to 5.45) in a low-risk region. In the high-risk region the odds ratio was 1.33, with an interval from 0.99 to 1.78 that touches no effect. Deep frying fish in it gave an odds ratio of 1.57 (0.99 to 2.47), also short of significance. These are odds from recall, and adulteration was not measured. A smaller Nepal study of 50 cases found a link only before adjustment, and it dropped out of the final model. A real hazard sits in the bottle rather than the seed. Mustard oil adulterated with argemone oil causes epidemic dropsy, a poisoning described here in two children from one family in India. We found no card on mustard oil in pregnancy, in young children or with medicines. We also found no study of how well its fats are absorbed, and no standard US portion for it.

Sources

1. msoi-r2-01 · regulation
   For camelina oil, mustard oil and borage oil, evidence has been provided demonstrating that it is not possible to achieve lower levels by applying good practices as for these species there are no varieties of which the vegetable oils extracted from these plants contain levels of erucic acid lower than the maximum level proposed for the other vegetable oils.
   Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1870, EUR-Lex, 2019 · checked 2026-09-30
2. msoi-r2-03 · case-control
   Use of mustard oil, which is rich in alpha-linolenic acid, was associated with a lower risk than was use of sunflower oil [for use in cooking: RR: 0.49 (95% CI: 0.24, 0.99); for use in frying, RR: 0.29 (95% CI: 0.13, 0.64)].
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2004 · checked 2026-09-30
3. msoi-r2-07 · case-control
   High consumption of mustard oil was associated with GBC risk in both high- and low-risk regions (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 0.99-1.78; OR = 3.01, 95% CI = 1.66-5.45), respectively. An increased risk of GBC was observed with deep frying of fresh fish in mustard oil (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 0.99-2.47, p-value = 0.052).
   Int J Cancer, 2020 · checked 2026-09-30
4. msoi-r2-04 · randomized controlled trial
   The intervention group had an increased intake of whole grains and mustard or soy bean oil. ... Total cardiac end points were significantly fewer in the intervention group than the controls (39 vs 76 events, p<0.001).
   Lancet, 2002 · checked 2026-09-30
5. msoi-r2-05 · randomized controlled trial
   Group B (control) consumed for 8 wk a similar diet except that all visible fat came from mustard oil. The serum total cholesterol level showed a significant rise in the experimental group at 4 wk; the rise persisted at 8 wk. A similar rise was also seen in HDL cholesterol. Hence the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio did not show any significant change.
   Indian J Physiol Pharmacol, 2005 · checked 2026-09-30
6. msoi-r2-06 · randomized controlled trial
   In neither group was there any significant change in the serum lipid profile at any point in time.
   Indian J Physiol Pharmacol, 2002 · checked 2026-09-30
7. msoi-r2-08 · case report
   Epidemic dropsy (ED) results from accidental ingestion of adulterated mustard oil with argemone oil.
   Indian J Pediatr, 2013 · checked 2026-09-30
8. msoi-r2-02 · regulation
   EFSA established a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 7 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day for erucic acid.
   Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1870, EUR-Lex, 2019 · checked 2026-09-30
9. msoi-r2-09 · case-control
   On multivariate analysis, history of gallstone disease, early menarche, current smoker and high consumption of fruits persisted as significant factors.
   Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2016 · checked 2026-09-30