Sunflower oil is available in three completely different types: high-oleic, mid-oleic, and linoleic oil. (*3*) in these oils lie inside their fatty acid profile. Oleic acid is a kind of monounsaturated fatty acid (or MUFA) whereas linoleic acid is a kind of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (or PUFA). So a high-oleic sunflower oil has a excessive MUFA profile, whereas a linoleic sunflower oil is predominantly composed of omega-6 PUFAs. So which is the only option?
The healthiest sunflower oil is the high-oleic acid selection. “Oleic acid is an omega-9 fatty acid that has been associated with improved heart health—specifically, reduced cholesterol and reduced inflammation,” explains mbg Collective member and registered dietitian Jess Cording, M.S., R.D., CDN. “Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid. While we need some omega-6, too much has been associated with increased inflammation in the body.”
These variations in well being outcomes are linked to the fatty acid’s capability to withstand oxidative injury throughout refining and cooking. Why does that matter? Well, oil that experiences important injury can finally drive unhealthy processes within the physique resembling oxidative stress and irritation, doctor Cate Shanahan, M.D., a revered authority on vegetable and seed oils and writer of The Fatburn Fix beforehand advised mindbodygreen. And omega-6 PUFAs, like linoleic sunflower oil, are extra readily oxidized than PUFAs.
TL;DR: So, though linoleic sunflower oil could also be the commonest, it’s high-oleic oil you have to be reaching for. (And for a deeper dive on the nuance of sunflower oil, try our information.)