Health Effects of Cottonseed Oil Versus Matched Composition Diets in Humans

Our study goal is to compare cottonseed oil (CSO) to a fatty acid (FA) composition-matched diet on changes in fasting and postprandial lipid metabolism and chronic disease risk factors.

• Sponsor
  United States Department of Agriculture
  National Institute of Food and Agriculture
  $294,000

• Principal investigator
  Jamie Cooper
  Professor and department head, Department of Kinesiology

• Co-principal investigator
  Chad Paton
  Associate professor, College of Family and Consumer Sciences

• Active since
  May 2024

Abstract

CSO has been shown to improve blood lipids in healthy and at-risk adults and is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). These positive effects on lipid metabolism may be due to the general FA composition of CSO; however, our evidence shows that an FA unique to CSO, dihydrosterculic acid (DHSA), may be responsible.

It is unknown in humans whether an FA-matched diet to that of CSO would yield similar effects on lipid metabolism. This would elucidate whether it is the FA composition in general, or whether CSO (and DHSA) is required to observe improvements in lipid metabolism. Our study goal is to compare CSO to an FA composition-matched diet on changes in fasting and postprandial lipid metabolism and chronic disease risk factors.

Aims:

1. Examine the impact of CSO vs. PUFA on fasting and postprandial lipids
2. Examine the impact of CSO vs. PUFA on other markers of chronic disease risk (markers of glycemia, inflammation, and lipid peroxidation)