Is Corn Oil Healthy? Nutrition, Benefits, and Downsides
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- May 9, 2019
- 1 min read
Corn oil is a refined vegetable oil widely used in cooking and especially deep frying.
It also has many other applications and is commonly used for industrial purposes or as an ingredient in cosmetics.
Corn must go through a complex refining process to produce corn oil.
This process gives the oil many unique characteristics, though not all of them are positive.
Corn oil nutrition
Corn oil is 100% fat, containing no protein or carbs. One tablespoon (15 ml) of corn oil provides:
· Calories: 122
· Fat: 14 grams
· Vitamin E: 13% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
Corn oil is 100% fat and provides 122 calories per tablespoon (15 ml). It’s mostly made of polyunsaturated omega-6 fats and contains some vitamin E.
Corn oil must go through an extensive refining process to be extracted from corn. It’s most commonly used as a frying oil due to its high smoke point but also has industrial applications.
Corn oil is high in anti-inflammatory phytosterols and other compounds that may help reduce certain heart disease risk factors, such as LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol.
Corn oil is high in inflammatory omega-6 fats and made from GMO corn. It’s also highly refined and produces harmful acrylamide when heated.
Corn oil is not the healthiest choice for cooking oil. Healthier alternatives include olive and coconut oils.
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