Oatly and Rapeseed/Canola Oil

Rapeseed oil, also known as canola oil, is a plant-based oil derived from the rapeseed plant, which belongs to the mustard family. Rapeseed oil is commonly featured in European diets and we’ve been using it in our products for decades now. Why? Well, we need to add oil to some of our products to get the nutritional quality, mouthfeel and functionality just right so they can stand in as totally seamless swaps for their traditional dairy counterparts – and scientific evidence continues to show that rapeseed oil is one of the healthiest oils available.

 

The good stuff with rapeseed oil:

 

Here are a few highlights of the good stuff rapeseed oil has going for it:

• As you can see in the graph below, it’s comprised primarily of monounsaturated fats and contains less saturated fats than most other plant oils (and way less saturated fat than butter/dairy fats). Why is this a good thing? Because research has shown that consuming more monounsaturated fats in place of saturated fats may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and total- cardiovascular-related death. 

 

• When used in place of “solid fats” (such as butter/dairy fat), rapeseed oil has also been shown to help lower LDL cholesterol (aka “bad cholesterol”) levels.
• Rapeseed oil also contains a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a better balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids than most other plant oils (for example, rapeseed oil has an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 2:1 while sunflower oil has a ratio of 40:1, olive oil has a ratio of 13:1 and coconut oil has a ratio of 88:1). In general, most people consume less than the recommended intake of omega-3’s, but plenty of omega-6’s. By opting for rapeseed oil over other plant oils, the omega-3 content of one’s diet can be increased without adding excessive amounts of omega-6.

While we’re on the topic, we’d like to note that we use only non-GMO, low erucic acid, expeller pressed rapeseed oil. This means the oil we use comes from plants that have not been genetically modified, and it’s mechanically extracted from the rapeseed plant and produced without the use chemical solvents like hexane. Its neutral flavor also happens to let the flavor of our favorite ingredient – oats! – shine through.

 

Have a question about rapeseed oil, or why we use it? Let us know!

 

References: 

Wang et al. Association of Specific Dietary Fats With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Aug 1;176(8):1134-45.

 

Zhuang et al. Dietary Fats in Relation to Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of 521 120 Individuals With 16 Years of Follow-Up. Circ Res. 2019 Mar;124(5):757-768.

 

Schwingshackl et al. Effects of oils and solid fats on blood lipids: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. J Lipid Res. 2018;59:1771-1782.

 

Ghobadi S, Hassanzadeh-Rostami Z, Mohammadian F, Zare M, Faghih S. Effects of Canola Oil Consumption on Lipid Profile: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials. J Am Coll Nutr. 2019 Feb;38(2):185-196.

 

Amiri et al. The effects of Canola oil on cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis with dose-response analysis of controlled clinical trials. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2020 Nov 27;30(12):2133-2145.

 

Froyen E, Burns-Whitmore B. The Effects of Linoleic Acid Consumption on Lipid Risk Markers for Cardiovascular Disease in Healthy Individuals: A Review of Human Intervention Trials. Nutrients. 2020 Aug 4;12(8):2329.