Cottonseed Oil

What this is

Cottonseed oil is an edible vegetable oil pressed from cotton plant seeds, used in some fast-food frying and processed snacks. It’s relatively cheap and was historically popular for deep-frying (e.g. potato chips, french fries) and in shortenings like original Crisco. Because raw cotton seeds contain gossypol (a natural toxin), the oil is refined to remove these compounds. Refined cottonseed oil is high in polyunsaturated fat (around 50% omega-6) but also contains a notable amount of saturated fat. Until 2018 it was sometimes partially hydrogenated to improve shelf stability, a process that created trans fats. Health authorities caution that frequent consumption of trans- and saturated-fat-rich oils such as cottonseed may raise the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Critical Endpoints

The key endpoints experts review in safety assessments (critical endpoints). This is not a prediction of harm.