Canola Oil Vs Sunflower Oil – We all know that canola and sunflower oil is a staple oil in many households.

This is not without a reason, the health benefits they have, makes these two become a choice when choosing the more healthy cooking oils.

But, what are the differences between these two? Let’s uncover the common question of “canola oil vs sunflower oil” that many people asked!

Canola Oil Vs Sunflower Oil

The main difference between sunflower oil and canola oil lies in the type of fat.

Sunflower oil is rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which help lower cholesterol; while canola oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid that can help lower high triglycerides.

To avoid weight gain from consuming too much fat, the Mayo Clinic recommends using oils only in moderation.

When choosing fats, the main thing to remember is to reduce consumption of saturated fatty foods, such as meat and palm oil.

Also, avoid trans-fatty foods such as margarine and white butter, which contain unhealthy hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Harvard Health Publishing also recommends replacing saturated fats with liquid fats from oils, but it does not say that one type of cooking oil is superior to another.

While the institute acknowledges that many experts favor olive oil, it says that other oil options are also suitable, one of which is canola oil as it has a high content of monounsaturated oleic acid.

1. Smoke Points

When assessing cooking oil comparisons, one factor to consider is smoke point.

A smoke point is the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke which produces toxic fumes and free radicals.

In general, sunflower oil has a high smoke point, while the canola oil has a medium smoke point. From these characteristics, it can be said that sunflower oil is preferred for frying.

In addition, measurements of polar compounds from various cooking oils showed that sunflower oil produced less than canola oil.

As polar compounds are unhealthy compounds produced during oil degradation, they are a more accurate indicator of oil stability.

Well, because of this, sunflower oil is considered healthier than canola oil.

Also Read: “Benefits of Sunseed Oil“

2. Health Risk of Canola Oil

Research on canola oil is not 100 percent positive either. A December 2017 study published in Scientific Reports discussed the recent trend of replacing olive oil with canola oil because it is considered cheaper.

The results showed that the oil may have adverse effects on pathologies in the brain that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

Another study published in 2014 in Respiratory Research suggests the type of vitamin E contained in canola oil may contribute to increased lung inflammation and asthma.

The researchers said that different forms of vitamin E have different effects. Canola oil has a gamma-tocopherol form that is associated with decreased lung function, while olive oil and sunflower oil have an alpha-tocopherol form that is associated with increased lung function.

It can be concluded that the effects of canola oil can increase breathing difficulties in people with asthma.

3. Health Risk of Sunflower Oil

In addition, you should also consider the possible side effects of consuming sunflower oil, one of which is inflammation.

The Arthritis Foundation lists sunflower oil among the cooking oils that contain omega-6 fatty acids.

Well, excessive consumption of these fats can stimulate the production of inflammatory chemicals in the body.

This means that fats should not be avoided, but try not to let them dominate your diet.

Also Read: “Hidden Benefits of Canola Oil“

Whether you choose canola oil vs sunflower oil, you can’t get the benefit of it except if you choose the low quality one.

But how do you know the quality of these oils to choose in the first place? Well, as in Indonesia, the cooking oils are advised to be certified by the SNI certification.

The SNI certification itself is a type of product certification that covers a lot if not every product that is sold and distributed in Indonesia, and cooking oil is no exception.

This certification regulates the quality and also the safety of products in Indonesia.

And for the standard itself, it is clearly stated in SNI 3741:2013 that regulates cooking oils!