Safflower Oil is a cooking oil that is found in two main forms; high (up to 75%) linoleic (omega-6 fatty acid) and high (up to 75%) oleic, the main fatty acid in Olive Oil, with about 7% saturated fat content. It is a source of Conjugated Linoleic Acid.
This page features 8 unique references to scientific papers.
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The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (excluding animal/petri-dish studies) to tell you what effect Safflower Oil has in your body, and how strong these effects are.
| Grade | Level of Evidence |
|---|---|
| A | Robust research conducted with repeated double blind clinical trials |
| B | Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled |
| C | Single double blind study or multiple cohort studies |
| D | Uncontrolled or observational studies only |
| Level of Evidence | Effect | Change | Magnitude of Effect Size | Scientific Consensus | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | HbA1c |   Minor | 100% See study | A slight decrease in HbA1c has been noted with safflower despite no alterations in any other diabetic biomarker | |
| D | Blood glucose | 100% See study | No significant influence on blood glucose in diabetics | ||
| D | Insulin | 100% See study | No significant influence on fasting insulin levels in diabetics | ||
| D | Insulin Sensitivity | 100% See study | No significant influence on insulin sensitivity in diabetics | ||
| D | C-Reactive Protein | Minor | 100% See study | A decrease in C-RP has been noted with safflower oil consumption | |
| D | HDL-C | Minor | 100% See study | A slight increase in HDL-C has been noted with safflower oil | |
| D | LDL-C | 100% See study | No significant alterations in LDL-C concentrations | ||
| D | Triglycerides | 100% See study | No significant alterations in triglyceride concentrations | ||
| D | Lean Mass | Minor | 100% See study | An increase in lean mass relative to control (CLA) has been noted in obese menopausal women | |
| D | Weight | 100% See study | No significant changes in total body weight appear to be visible following ingestion of safflower oil in the diet | ||
| D | Fat Mass | 100% See study | No significant reduction in total fat mass, although in obese diabetic women a slight reduction in abdominal fat mass may exist. |
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High Oleic Safflower Oil contains:
High Linoleic Safflower Oil contains similar levels of micronutrients, with the percentage of fatty acids coming from monounsaturated (primarily oleic) and polyunsaturated (primarily omega-6) reversed; there is an insignificant level of polyunsaturated fatty acids as omega-3.[2][3]
A study without dietary controls conducted in post-menopausal and diabetic women comparing the effects of Safflower Oil (8g daily) against Conjugated Linoleic Acid at 8g found that safflower oil was associated with a higher blood level of CLA isomers at 4 weeks of treatment and was able to reduce some signs of diabetes minimally at 12 weeks, when compared to CLA.[4] Both treatments showed minor shifts towards a better body composition, with 1kg of lean mass replacing 1kg of lost body fat (rough values) after 12 weeks of supplementation.[4][5]
Anti-inflammatory properties have also been attributed to Safflower Oil,[6] but at least one commentor[7] has suggested this may just be due to the Vitamin E content of Safflower Oil, as the mechanisms observed (downregulation of ICAM-1, a cellular adhesion molecule) is shared with Vitamin E.
Safflower oil might exert protective effects on the body, particularly in obese diabetics; however, these effects seem to take a long time to occur, and may not occur with isolated Conjugated Linoleic Acid supplementation
The same research group also assessed changes in weight,[5] and found that, in regards to total fat mass, that Conjugated Linoleic Acid was effective over 16 weeks (−1076 ± 849g of fat) whereas Safflower Oil led to a non-significant increase (80 ± 667g of fat) which resulted in differences in end weight; CLA significantly reducing overall weight by 1.25 ± 0.71kg and Safflower Oil insignificantly reducing weight by 0.11 ± 0.55kg. When only assessing only trunk adiposity by DEXA, it was found that Conjugated Linoleic acid caused a significant increase (1075 ± 1184g) whereas Safflower Oil caused a selective decrease (−1203 ± 852g) as well as CLA reducing overall lean mass (−412 ± 756g) and Safflower Oil increasing lean mass (1402 ± 594g).[5]
Many other studies conducted on Conjugated Linoleic Acid use Safflower Oil as a control, and frequently note no significant effects on measured parameters such as weight of fat mass in the range of 3-6g daily, in time spans ranging from 4 weeks to 6 months.[8]
The effects seem to be present, with a slightly beneficial shift of fat mass away from the trunk despite not actually burning it. These may be secondary to changes in glycemic control, and more studies should be done before Safflower Oil is considered a fat burner
(Common misspellings for Safflower Oil include saflower, safflowr, saflowe)
(Common phrases used by users for this page include saflower oil, safflower oil oleic linoleic, high linoleic safflower oil or omega 3, high linoleic polyunsaturated safflower oil, conjugated linoleic acid with safflower -side effects, Vit E contents in safflower oil)
(Users who contributed to this page include KurtisFrank)
