Rapeseed Oil & Nordic Fats
What does research show about rapeseed (canola) oil, the main cooking fat of the Nordic diet?
Nordic Diet Companion gathers the rapeseed-oil research here — the Swedish feeding trials that swap it for dairy fat and the meta-analyses of canola oil on blood lipids — including the trials where it lowered LDL cholesterol but left HDL and triglycerides unchanged.
Contents — 5 entries
- 📄 Replacing Dairy Fat With Rapeseed Oil and Blood Lipids (RCT)
- 📄 Rapeseed-Oil Diet and Lipid Peroxidation vs Saturated Fat (Crossover)
- 📄 Canola Oil and Blood Lipids (Meta-Analysis of RCTs)
- 📄 Oils and Solid Fats on Blood Lipids (Network Meta-Analysis)
- 📄 Canola, Olive, and Sunflower Oil on Lipids and Liver Fat (RCT)
📄 Replacing Dairy Fat With Rapeseed Oil and Blood Lipids (RCT)
Iggman D, et al. — Journal of Internal Medicine, 2011 · pubmed / 21466598
Nordic Diet Companion research surfaced this report because it covers swapping dairy fat for rapeseed oil. In a randomized crossover study, 20 adults with high blood lipids ate a rapeseed-oil diet for 3 weeks and a dairy-fat diet for 3 weeks; the rapeseed-oil diet lowered total cholesterol 17%, LDL cholesterol 17%, and triglycerides 20% from baseline, while the dairy-fat diet did not. The same rapeseed-oil diet modestly raised lipoprotein(a) by 6% and left HDL cholesterol unchanged, and the trial was small and lasted only 3 weeks.
What it examines: a crossover trial of a rapeseed-oil diet versus a dairy-fat diet on blood lipids. Why it's in the Nordic Diet Companion research index: a Nordic feeding trial of rapeseed oil versus dairy fat and blood lipids.
📄 Rapeseed-Oil Diet and Lipid Peroxidation vs Saturated Fat (Crossover)
Södergren E, et al. — European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2001 · pubmed / 11641740
Nordic Diet Companion research surfaced this report because it covers whether rapeseed oil increases fat oxidation in the body. In a randomized crossover study, 19 moderately high-lipid adults ate a rapeseed-oil diet and a saturated-fat diet for 4 weeks each, and the oxidation markers (8-iso-prostaglandin F2-alpha, plasma hydroperoxides, and malondialdehyde) did not differ between the two diets (P = 0.14 to 0.95). Total and LDL cholesterol were lower after the rapeseed-oil diet (P below 0.001), while HDL and triglycerides were similar; the study was small and measured surrogate oxidation markers rather than clinical outcomes.
What it examines: a crossover trial of rapeseed oil versus saturated fat on lipid-oxidation markers. Why it's in the Nordic Diet Companion research index: a Nordic trial of rapeseed oil and markers of lipid oxidation.
📄 Canola Oil and Blood Lipids (Meta-Analysis of RCTs)
Ghobadi S, et al. — Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2019 · pubmed / 30381009
Nordic Diet Companion research surfaced this report because it covers pooled trials of canola (rapeseed) oil and blood lipids. Combining 27 randomized trials and 1,359 participants, the 2019 meta-analysis found canola oil lowered total cholesterol by 7.24 mg/dL (95% CI −12.1 to −2.7) and LDL cholesterol by 6.4 mg/dL (95% CI −10.8 to −2), with no effect on HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, or apolipoprotein A1. The trials varied in comparator oils and duration, and the reductions were modest in absolute terms.
What it examines: a meta-analysis of randomized trials of canola oil on blood lipids. Why it's in the Nordic Diet Companion research index: a pooled analysis of canola-oil trials and lipid markers.
📄 Oils and Solid Fats on Blood Lipids (Network Meta-Analysis)
Schwingshackl L, et al. — Journal of Lipid Research, 2018 · pubmed / 30006369
Nordic Diet Companion research surfaced this report because it covers how rapeseed oil compares with other fats for blood lipids. Pooling 54 randomized trials in a network meta-analysis, the study placed rapeseed oil second for lowering LDL cholesterol (SUCRA 76%, after safflower oil at 82%) and found rapeseed among the oils that reduced LDL cholesterol more than butter, by 0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L across the oils. The comparison is a statistical ranking of surrogate lipid markers, not a head-to-head test of heart outcomes.
What it examines: a network meta-analysis comparing oils and solid fats on blood lipids. Why it's in the Nordic Diet Companion research index: a pooled comparison of rapeseed oil and other fats on lipid markers.
📄 Canola, Olive, and Sunflower Oil on Lipids and Liver Fat (RCT)
Yahay M, et al. — Lipids in Health and Disease, 2021 · pubmed / 33514384
Nordic Diet Companion research surfaced this report because it covers rapeseed (canola) oil compared head-to-head with olive and sunflower oil. In a randomized trial, 72 women with polycystic ovary syndrome used 25 grams a day of one assigned oil for 10 weeks; canola oil lowered triglycerides and the total-, LDL-, and triglyceride-to-HDL ratios (P at or below 0.047), while olive oil produced no significant change in the lipid profile, and both canola and olive oil lowered the fatty-liver grade. The participants were a single non-Nordic group of women with PCOS, and the trial reported significance levels without effect sizes.
What it examines: a three-arm trial of canola versus olive versus sunflower oil on lipids and liver fat. Why it's in the Nordic Diet Companion research index: a head-to-head trial of canola oil against olive and sunflower oil.
All 5 sources last verified September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is rapeseed (canola) oil good for cholesterol?
Trials point to a modest LDL reduction. A meta-analysis of 27 trials found canola oil lowered LDL cholesterol about 6.4 mg/dL and total cholesterol about 7.2 mg/dL, with no change in HDL or triglycerides (Ghobadi, 2019). This summarizes research and is not medical advice.
How does rapeseed oil compare with butter or dairy fat?
In a Swedish crossover trial, a rapeseed-oil diet lowered LDL cholesterol 17% while a dairy-fat diet did not (Iggman, 2011), and a network meta-analysis placed rapeseed among the oils that lowered LDL more than butter (Schwingshackl, 2018).
Does rapeseed oil have any downsides in these studies?
One trial found a rapeseed-oil diet modestly raised lipoprotein(a) by 6% and did not change HDL (Iggman, 2011), and a meta-analysis found no effect on triglycerides, HDL, or apolipoproteins (Ghobadi, 2019).
Is rapeseed oil the same as canola oil?
Yes — canola is a rapeseed variety bred for low erucic acid, and the trials here use the terms interchangeably (Ghobadi, 2019; Yahay, 2021).
More in Nordic Diet Research
Educational information only — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start, stop, or change any diet, supplement, or treatment. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before making changes. Nordic Diet Companion and Copper Sun Content and Creative, LLC are not medical providers.