Sunflower Oil: An Important Healthy Fat

You may have started seeing Sunflower Oil on the shelves in the grocery store and wondering if you should add it to your cart. Although not always talked about, sunflower oil is an important healthy fat that has a lot of benefits. Because it contains little saturated fats, it’s a healthy oil to choose from. It’s an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and skin-nourishing oil which also contains heart-healthy effects.

Sunflower oil contains linoleic acid and oleic acid, two types of fats that are well-researched for their potential health benefits. Read more on high oleic sunflower oil.

Here’s a few reasons why sunflower oil is a healthy choice!

• It contains unsaturated fats that benefit the heart.
• It is enriched in vitamin E, which is an important antioxidant and plays an important role in immune function. 
• The fatty acid, Linoleic, found in sunflower oil decreases the risk of heart attack by lowering bad cholesterol in the body.

Also important is sunflower oil is high in oleic acid. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid that occurs naturally in various vegetable and animal fats. (Olive oil is also rich in oleic acid.)

Other benefits of sunflower oil: 

  • It improves skin health due to the vitamins (A, E, D, C) in it.
  • encourages skin cell regeneration and helps prevent acne.
  • Helps prevents arthritis due to included linoleic acid and oleic acid. They both act as an anti-inflammatory and prevent arthritis.
  • It prevents asthma because vitamin E prevents oxygen damage to the tissue and treats inflammation and allergic reactions.
  • Helps prevent Cancer: Antioxidants in sunflower oil remove free radicles and inhibit the growth of cancerous cells.
  • Improves immune system: linoleic acid improves the immune system.
  • Improves hair growth: Vitamin E in sunflower oil promotes healthy hair growth.
  • Improves digestion.
  • Helps in weight loss.
  • Reduce depression and anxiety.

NOTE: It is not the best oil for cooking at high temperatures (above 180 degrees F) as this may release potentially toxic compounds which will be harmful to your body. For higher heat cooking, use olive or avocado oils.