Canola oil vs. Corn oil — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison
Summary
Corn oil has been used a lot longer than canola oil, which was first introduced in the 1970s as a refined version of rapeseed oil. Corn oil is more suitable in high-heat cooking as it has a higher smoke point.
Compared to canola oil, corn oil is almost 2 times higher in polyunsaturated fatty acids or PUFAs, such as omega-6 and omega-3 linoleic acids. However, corn oil has a less preferable omega-6/ omega-3 ratio of about 30:1, which may increase inflammatory responses in the body. Corn oil is also higher in saturated fats.
Canola oil, on the other hand, is richer in monounsaturated fatty acids or MUFAs, such as oleic acid. It is also 38 times richer in vitamin K and somewhat higher in vitamin E.
At the same time, corn oil contains a higher level of phytosterols, such as stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol, which have been researched to have blood cholesterol-lowering effects, potentially helping decrease coronary heart disease risk.
Introduction
Due to similar characteristics, people often overlook the differences between cooking oils. In this article, we point out these differences while also mentioning the similarities between corn oil and canola oil.
Classification
Corn or maize oil has been used in cooking much earlier than canola oil, which was first produced in the 1970s. However, canola oil is the refined version of rapeseed oil, one of the oldest vegetable oils in use. Canola oil is also known as low erucic acid rapeseed or LEAR oil, as it is limited to 2% erucic acid content by weight. Erucic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid.
Smoke Point, Taste, and Use
Corn oil generally has a higher smoke point of 450°F or 232°C, while the smoke point of canola oil is about 400°F or 204°C. Unrefined corn and canola oils both have lower smoke points and stronger flavors. A higher smoke point makes corn oil a better choice for high-heat cooking methods like frying, grilling, and sauteing, whereas canola oil is better suited for medium-to-high-heat cooking methods, such as roasting, baking, and light sauteing.
Corn oil has a neutral taste with a slightly nutty undertone, usually used in deep frying and making processed foods, such as margarine and snacks. It also has a sweetness, making it suitable for salad dressings.
Canola oil similarly has a mild and neutral flavor, making it a popular choice for baking and frying, as well as salad dressings, marinades, and sauces.
Nutrition
The nutritional infographics below are presented for 100g servings of industrial and retail all-purpose salad or cooking corn oil and canola oil. However, one serving size of vegetable oils per person is considered 14g or one tablespoon.
Macronutrients and Calories
Like most cooking oils, corn and canola oils comprise nearly 100% fats; their difference is in the fat, vitamin, and phytochemical compositions.
Calories
100g servings of corn and canola oils contain nearly 100g of fats; however, corn oil is slightly higher in calories due to its fat composition. Canola and corn oil provide 884 and 900 calories per 100g serving, respectively.
This difference is less evident when taking into account average serving sizes. Based on one serving size, canola oil contains 124 calories, and corn oil contains 126 calories.
Polyunsaturated Fats or PUFA
Corn oil has one of the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid or PUFA content among vegetable oils. It is nearly 2 times richer in PUFAs than canola oil, containing 54.7g per 100g serving. In corn oil, most of these – about 97%, are comprised of omega-6 linoleic acids, and the other 3% are omega-3 alpha-linoleic acids (ALA).
The polyunsaturated fats in canola oil, on the other hand, are made up of 34% omega-3 and 66% omega-6 fatty acids.
The omega-6/omega-3 ratio is preferable in canola oil, as its recommended value is 5-10:1 or less by the WHO (1). This ratio in corn oil is about 30:1, while in canola oil, it’s 2:1. A high omega-6/omega-3 ratio has been correlated with an increased risk of inflammation and chronic diseases (2, 3).
Monounsaturated Fats or MUFA
Conversely, canola oil is about 2.3 times higher in monounsaturated fatty acids, both containing predominantly oleic acid. Corn oil contains 27% oleic acid, whereas canola oil is 57% oleic acid.
Saturated Fats
Corn oil also contains about 5.5g more saturated fats per 100g serving than canola oil. Most of these in both corn and canola oils are palmitic and stearic acids.
Fat Type Comparison
Contains
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Sat. FatSaturated Fat
-43.1%
Contains
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Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat
+129.5%
Contains
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Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat
+94.3%
Carbohydrates and Protein
Corn and canola oils do not contain carbohydrates and protein.
Phytochemicals
Vegetable oils do not contain cholesterol; however, they are high in natural plant compounds called phytosterols. Corn and canola oils provide stigmasterol, campesterol, and beta-sitosterol (4, 5).
Stigmasterol | Campesterol | Beta-sitosterol | |
| Corn oil | 56mg | 189mg | 621mg |
| Canola oil | 9mg | 233mg | 419mg |
Overall, corn oil has a higher phytosterol content of 872mg due to stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol, whereas canola oil provides 661mg of phytosterols, being richer in campesterol.
Vitamins
Oils contain only fat-soluble vitamins. Corn and canola oil, in particular, provide only vitamins K and E.
Canola oil is a better source of vitamins than corn oil as it is nearly 38 times richer in vitamin K and also somewhat higher in vitamin E.
Vitamin Comparison
Contains
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Vitamin EVitamin E
+22.1%
Contains
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Vitamin KVitamin K
+3652.6%
Minerals
Canola and corn oils don’t provide notable amounts of minerals.
Glycemic Index
Like other vegetable oils, canola and corn oil have a glycemic index of 0 due to their lack of carbohydrates.
Health Impact
Cardiovascular Health
A clinical trial showed that enriching a diet with corn or canola oil can decrease blood plasma cholesterol levels – low-density or LDL cholesterol in particular (6).
An umbrella study found moderate to low-certainty evidence that vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as corn and canola oils, reduce serum cholesterol and LDL concentrations. The same study finds moderate to very low certainty evidence that canola oil consumption can lead to reduced body weight (7).
According to the FDA, there is supportive but not conclusive evidence that replacing saturated fats with oils containing at least 70% oleic acid is correlated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (8). While neither oil meets this criterion, canola oil is closer to it in terms of its fat composition.
Effects of Phytosterols
As mentioned above, corn oil is richer in phytosterols, such as stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol, compared to canola oil.
Phytosterols, such as stigmasterol, campesterol, and beta-sitosterol, have overall exhibited various health-beneficial effects, such as chemoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiatherosclerotic, and cardioprotective effects, in experimental studies (9).
Phytosterols have also been researched as blood cholesterol-lowering agents, potentially helping decrease coronary heart disease risk (10, 11, 12).
Sources.
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10399753
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278301942
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8504498
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171029/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169867/nutrients
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8399091/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831324001108
- https://www.fda.gov/media/118199/download
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7841260
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0271531705000837
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14505991/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278301942
Infographic
Mineral Comparison
Macronutrient Comparison
Comparison summary table
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| Lower in Glycemic Index |
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| Lower in Saturated Fat |
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| Lower in Cholesterol | Equal | ||
| Lower in Sugar | Equal | ||
| Lower in Sodium | Equal | ||
| Lower in price | Equal | ||
| Rich in minerals | Equal | ||
| Rich in vitamins | Equal | ||
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
| Nutrient | |
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Opinion |
| Calories | 884kcal | 900kcal |
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| Fats | 100g | 100g | |
| Vitamin E | 17.46mg | 14.3mg |
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| Vitamin K | 71.3µg | 1.9µg |
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| Trans Fat | 0.395g |
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| Choline | 0.2mg | 0.2mg | |
| Saturated Fat | 7.365g | 12.948g |
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| Monounsaturated Fat | 63.276g | 27.576g |
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| Polyunsaturated fat | 28.142g | 54.677g |
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| Omega-3 - ALA | 9.137g | 1.161g |
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| Omega-6 - Linoleic acid | 18.64g | 53.23g |
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Which food is preferable for your diet?
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| Low Calories diet |
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| Low Fats diet | Equal | |
| Low Carbs diet | Equal | |
| Low Glycemic Index diet |
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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
References
All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.
- Canola oil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172336/nutrients
- Corn oil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171029/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.