Corn Oil Health Benefits and Side Effects

Written by: Christopher Karam ｜ ✔️ Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Riad M., M.D - G.P and Micheal B., M.D ｜ Last Updated: 2020 April 27

The History and How It’s Made

Corn oil is a highly refined vegetable oil that’s made from the germ of the kernel. Corn oil is also known as liquid gold extract, as its color and shine are very similar to that of gold bars.

The standard process for corn refining was designed in 1842, where a new industrial process separated the protein, fiber, starch, and germ of the corn kernels.

In the early 1880s, a mill owner from Indiana named Thomas Hudnut wanted to find a way to use the germ. He invented the machine that was used to efficiently extract corn oil.

By the early 1900s, over 100,000 gallons of corn oil was being produced and sold daily for cooking, frying, and fertilizer.

At first, the industry was only interested in cornstarch and corn sugar but realized that multiple products can be made with corn:

• Germ: Used for oil refining to obtain corn oil.

• The germ, fiber, and gluten: Used to create animal feed products.

• Starch: Corn starch is dried to create starches for cooking.

• Sugars: Falls in the sugar refining process used to make sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup.

• All other byproducts from production turn into agricultural bioproducts for material, chemical, and energy production as corn is a renewable biological resource.

Corn oil was originally called mazoil (maize + oil), it’s a popular cooking oil in North America, South America, and Europe due to its abundance, high smoking point for frying, easy storage, cooking stability, and shelf life.

Corn oil is one of the few inexpensive cooking oils that has several health benefits. There are many different methods to extracting oil from the kernel, either through:

• Expeller pressing

• Refinement

• Steam distillation

The oil itself has a high smoking point, making it ideal for high heat cooking or pan-frying. One of the side effects of corn oil is that it loses most of its healthy omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, saturated fats, nutrition, and antioxidants when heated.

Unrefined and refined corn oil both have a high omega-6 fatty acid content in addition to being naturally high in calories. This makes it an unhealthy option to include in your diet. Here’s a list of healthy cooking oils you can use daily instead of corn oil:

• Olive oil

• Coconut oil

• Avocado oil

• Sesame oil

• Peanut oil

• Sunflower oil
  

The best type of corn oil is when it’s cold-pressed, which contains the most omega-3 fatty acids. This version of corn oil will have a lower smoke point making it not suitable for pan-frying, deep-frying, or cooking with heats above medium.

The health benefits of using cold-pressed cooking oils are that they have more monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and other essential fatty acids which provide more nutrition, anti-inflammatory effects, and many other health benefits.

1. Improves Cholesterol Levels

There are two different types of omega fatty acids found in corn oil, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Both of these fatty acids are essential for optimal health and function but are not made by the human body.

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats can help control your cholesterol levels and are highly anti-inflammatory. Consuming corn oil on a regular basis can have multiple health benefits that also reduces bad cholesterol levels, these benefits include:

• Reduces strain and inflammation in the cardiovascular system

• Stabilizes and reduces total blood pressure levels

• Lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol

A research paper conducted over 21 days studied how cooking oils with high amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids affect individuals with high cholesterol.

The individuals are both men and women with the average age being 54 years old, were given 4 tablespoons per day of either polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich corn oil and monounsaturated fatty acid-rich extra-virgin olive oil.

After the 21 days, the average improvements were:

• Total cholesterol levels were lowered by 4.4%

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were lowered by 7.6%

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were 9%

• Blood triglycerides rose by 13%

2. May Prevent Heart Disease

Corn oil contains a large number of antioxidants which can reduce inflammation, blood pressure, and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress in the body which helps prevent chronic and heart-related diseases. The list of antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds found in corn oil includes:

• Vitamin E

• Anthocyanins

• Flavones such as luteolin and apigenin

• Anthocyanidins including malvidin, pelargonidin, peonidin, and cyanidin

• Flavonones such as hesperetin, eriodictyol, and naringenin

• Isoflavones including genistein and daidzein

• Phytosterols

• Phenolic acids such as ferulic acid, coumaric acid, and syringic acid

• Flavanols

• Flavonols

• Linoleic acid

• Tyrosol

• Unsaponifiables including phytosterols, tocopherols, and squalene

Corn oil has a large range of plant-based compounds that are vital for optimal health and for lowering your risk of heart disease.

Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that prevents oxidative damage throughout the entire body, but more prominently to your heart and blood vessels, all of which are caused by free radicals.

Free radicals are created by the body during metabolic processes, which is your metabolism. Digesting food, exercising, thinking, as well as sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system responses.

Many studies show that diets that are high in healthy fats and antioxidants found a lower risk of heart attacks by 8% and a 13.5% lowered risk of heart-related deaths such as strokes, cardiac arrest, heart disease, and heart failure.

Other foods that have high amounts of antioxidants:

• Nuts and fruits including: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, plums, oranges, cherries, cranberries, pecans, walnuts, and chestnuts

• Herbs and Spices such as: cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves, peppermint, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, cumin, turmeric, star anise, chili peppers, paprika, bay leaves, sumac, and black pepper

• Vegetables and legumes including: kale, red cabbage, artichokes, beans, lentils, beets, spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, onions, bell peppers, and eggplants

• Teas such as: oolong tea, green tea, earl grey tea, and white tea

3. Benefits Eye Health and Eyesight

Corn oil contains antioxidants, flavonoids, and omega-3 fatty acids which all help reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can cause several eye-related diseases such as:

• Age-related macular degeneration

• Senile cataract

• Glaucoma

• Autoimmune and inflammatory uveitis

• Ocular inflammation

• Melanoma

• Lymphoma

• Diabetic retinopathy

• Dry eye syndrome

• Retinoblastoma

• Loss of eyesight

These eye cancers and diseases can be mitigated by eating foods high in:

• Antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin

• Omega 3 fatty acids including EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) which are found in fish oil

• Vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc

Corn oil contains the majority of these nutrients. All of these nutrients contribute to the reduction of free radicals in the body and have been proven to protect eye health, preserve vision, and prevent the development of eye-related diseases and cancers.

4. Improves Skin Health

Using corn oil on your skin can have amazing health benefits, due to the antioxidants, linoleic acids, lycopene, tocopherols, as well as being rich in vitamin E and vitamin C lets the skin stay hydrated and lock in moisture.

Corn oil is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid, which makes it very good for improving skin health.

Some of the health benefits of applying corn oil on the skin include:

• Keeps your skin smooth

• Improves the health and strength of your skin

• Keeps your skin hydrated

• Lock in moisture

• Preserves healthy skin cells

• Increases the production of collagen

• Prevents UV generated free radicals from damaging your skin

• Can moderately block UV light

UV light is the main source of damage our skin is exposed to regularly, some cooking oils can absorb or repel some of the UV rays. These cooking oils include:

• Canola oil

• Citronella oil

• Coconut oil

• Corn oil

• Olive oil

• Soya bean oil (soybean oil)

• Vitamin E oil

• Aloe vera

The fruit oils and extracts include:

• Acerola

• Beets

• Grapes

• Orange carrots

• Purple carrots

• Raspberries

A laboratory study conducted on all of these oils found that they were all able to moderately negate UV rays, yielding similar results, except for purple carrot which drastically surpassed the rest.

Applying a light amount of corn oil to your skin will also cause your body to absorb its nutrition, antioxidants, and tocopherols which are essential for good skin health.

Additionally, applying corn oil to the skin also prevents, treats, and accelerates the healing of skin diseases and infections such as:

• Skin infections

• Irritation

• Acne (Atopic dermatitis)

• Blemishes

• Eczema

• Psoriasis breakouts

It also reduces wrinkles and sagging that comes with age. Although corn oil has many health benefits when it comes to maintaining healthy skin it should be used moderately, no more than twice per week.

5. Corn Oil has Anti-inflammatory Properties

Corn oil has a high concentration of polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and phytosterols all of which have anti-inflammatory properties.

It contains both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids at a ratio of 46:1 respectively. In moderation, both types of polyunsaturated fats have been proven to reduce inflammation throughout the following bodily system:

• Integumentary system (Skin)

• Digestive system

• Respiratory system

• Cardiovascular system (Circulatory system)

• Immune system

• Muscular system

• Renal system (Urinary system)

• Skeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons

Reducing internal inflammation can help with a long list of ailments, chronic diseases, and cancer such as:

• Arthritis

• Tension headaches, sinus headaches, and migraines

• Gastrointestinal diseases

• All forms of cancer

• Heart disease

Omega-6 fats are readily found in the typical North American diet, while omega-3s are lacking. Omega-3 fats are more potent at reducing inflammation and should be considered when following any type of diet.

Overeating omega-6 fatty acids can have the reverse effect of promoting inflammation. This is why corn oil, as well as other foods high in omega 6 fats, need to be consumed in moderation.

Corn oil is not a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Foods and ingredients that contain a good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats are:

• Fatty fish and shellfish such as mackerel, salmon, cod liver oil, herring, oysters, sardines, anchovies, and caviar

• Nuts including cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts

• Fruits and berries such as nordic berries, blueberries, acai berries, raspberries, strawberries, acerola, guava, cherries, lemons, blackberries, as well as watermelons and cantaloupe

• Eggs

• Tofu

• Seaweed and Algae

• Cow milk and fortified plant milk including oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, soy milk, and rice milk

• Omega-3 supplements such as fish oil, krill oil, cod liver oil, and algal oil

• Seeds including hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds

• Vegetables and legumes such as cruciferous vegetables (Brassica family), squash, beans, leafy greens, and edamame

6. Abundant in Phytosterols

Corn oil is full of phytosterols, also known as plant sterols. Phytosterols are plant-based compounds that are similar to cholesterol and are essential for maintaining healthy cells.

5 types of phytosterols exist, which are:

• Campesterol

• Brassicasterol

• β-Sitosterol (beta)

• Stigmasterol

• 7-Stigmasterol

• 5-Avenasterol

• 7-Avenasterol

The main health benefit of phytosterols is that they’re used to reduce bad LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins). They’re also associated with lowering total cholesterol levels because phytosterols block your body’s ability to absorb additional cholesterol.

The health benefits of phytosterols are:

• Reduced risk of heart disease

• Apoptosis in cancer cells

• Lowers bad cholesterol

• Lowered risk of type 2 diabetes

• Reduces inflammation

• Is an immunostimulant

• Improves prostate health

Phytosterols have anti-inflammatory properties, many studies show that consuming anti-inflammatory foods can decrease the risk of many illnesses and diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

The most abundant type found in the human diet is beta-sitosterol. Other vegetable and nut oils like walnut oil, peanut oil, canola oil, or olive oil don’t contain as many phytosterols or omega-3 fats as corn.

Although, olive oil has a lot of omega-9 fatty acids making it a much healthier choice overall. Here’s the list of foods that contain a lot of phytosterols:

• Olive oil as well as all other vegetable oils

• Nuts

• Fruits

• Seeds

• Whole grains

• Vegetables and legumes

Beta-sitosterol has shown in multiple studies to slow the growth of cancerous cells. More research is needed before a definitive link can be established between beta-sitosterol and cancer growth. With the possibility of reducing cancer cell growth, this still makes phytosterols a vital nutrient.

7. Improves Heart Health

Corn contains plant-based compounds and nutrition that are healthy for your heart and cardiovascular system. These essential nutrients are:

• Vitamin E

• Phytosterols

• Omega-3 and omega-6 fats

• Linolenic acid

• Linoleic acid

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that reduces oxidative damage caused by free radicals, preventing heart disease and heart failure. In addition to improving the health of your blood vessels and arteries.

Studies show that diets high in linoleic or linoleic acid and low in saturated fat had a lower risk of heart attacks and heart-related deaths.

Similarly to coconut oil, many research papers also found that consuming 4 tablespoons of corn oil daily had the following heart-related health benefits:

• Decreased levels of low-density lipoproteins

• Lower triglyceride levels and cholesterol

• Eliminates free radicals

• Prevents heart disease and heart-related deaths

1. High in Omega-6 Fatty Acids

While many studies have shown that omega-6 fats are healthy, there is a limit on how much you should consume regularly. Omega-6 is the most consumed type of fatty acid in the North American diet.

When consumed in excess, omega-6 fats can be harmful, having the reverse effect and promoting inflammation. For optimal health, you should have a balance between omega-6, omega-3, and omega-9 fatty acids.

The ratio of omega fats in most studies tend to be 4:1 (omega-6 to omega-3), an optimal diet should strive for a ratio of 2:1:1 (omega-6 to omega-3 to omega-9).

Corn oil has a 46:1 ratio of omega fats making it a very dangerous cooking oil. An unbalanced ratio has been linked to many complications and diseases such as:

• Heart disease

• Depression

• Obesity

• Arthritis

• High blood sugar levels

• Acid reflux

• Stroke

• Insomnia

• Eases bleeding, reduces the ability for your blood to clot

• Weakens the immune system

• Promotes inflammation and inflammatory diseases

Here’s a list of healthy foods that can help increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids:

• Chia seeds

• Fatty fish

• Flax seeds

• Granola and rolled oats

• Walnuts

• Wild berries

• Edamame

• Beans

2. Corn Oil is Refined and Hydrogenated

Frying with cooking oils that are resistant to heat is very beneficial, which is its only benefit. High smoke point cooking oils are highly refined and hydrogenated, making them toxic, regardless of the nutrition facts.

Refined and hydrogenated oils have had their chemical bonds broken down, altered, and manipulated to achieve a seemly safe product resistant to high heats.

The majority of these cooking oils have gone through a series of chemical washes, intense heating, and oxidation.

Highly refined oils lose almost all of their health benefits and become oxidized, increasing the level of free radicals in your body as well as destroying any existing antioxidants.

Vitamin E can slow down the oxidation process, but this still produces acrylamides, which is an antinutrient and genotoxic.

Antinutrients are plant-based compounds that restrict your body’s ability to absorb nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients such as fats, carbohydrates, and protein.

Acrylamide is also possibly carcinogenic, being linked to problems, deficiencies, and diseases such as:

• Nerve damage

• Muscle weakness

• Excess sweating

• Harms gene expression, which is related to an increased risk of cancer

• Stunts hormone production

• Slightly reduces neural functioning

3. Corn Is A Highly GMO Crop

Over 90% of corn crops are genetically modified, which is both beneficial and harmful. In recent years there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding GMOs.

For corn crops to be safe from pests, weed killers (herbicides and pesticides) are often used in addition to GMOs. The problem is they contain chemicals like glyphosate.

Glyphosate is a chemical that is very likely to be carcinogenic. Carcinogens are chemicals, such as additives, preservatives, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers.

Corn is the most grown crop in the United States and is the crop that undergoes the most chemical treatments.

4. Can Cause Weight Gain

Corn oil is a pure liquid fat that’s very high in omega fatty acids compared to other vegetable oils, making it easy to exceed your daily intake.

It’s very easy to exceed your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of fats when using pure liquid fats. According to the USDA’s nutritional guidelines on cooking oils, 1 tablespoon of corn oil contains 122 calories.

When it’s used in baking, cooking, or in salad dressings corn oil can easily add hundreds of calories to otherwise healthy low-calorie meals.

5. Increases Risk of Cancer and Chronic Diseases

Corn oil has many factors that increase the risk of cancer and the severity of chronic diseases. Multiple research studies found that corn oil can aggravate and cause:

• An increased risk of type 2 diabetes

• Reduced insulin sensitivity

• Weight gain

• Colon cancer

• Breast cancer

• Prostate cancer

• Bone cancer

• Heart disease

• Cardiovascular disease

• Coronary artery disease

• Arthritis

• Worsened celiac disease symptoms

• Increased overall gluten sensitivity

Similar to safflower oil, soybean oil, and canola oil, all of the pesticides and herbicides used on these crops contribute to the increased carcinogenicity of these cooking oils.

All of the omega-6 fatty acids get converted by the body to arachidonic acid, arachidonic acid has been scientifically proven to promote cancer and proliferation to the bone and prostate cancer.

6. May Be Toxic to Multiple Internal Organs

There are many toxic washes, pesticides, and other chemicals used to protect the crop from harm, this made it so that people consuming the corn crop can suffer severe side effects from ingesting a small amount of these harmful chemicals.

A study in 2009 found that consuming corn or corn products can cause harmful side effects to the:

• Liver

• Kidneys

• Heart

• Spleen

• Adrenal glands

High levels of toxicity make this crop harmful to most internal organs in the digestive system. The study also confirmed that the more you consume, the higher the levels of toxic material will be present, further harming your body.

Corn oil and other vegetable oils are high in oxidized fats and omega-6 fats, further harming the internal organs and promoting inflammation.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can occur when there’s excess fat being built up in the liver, which is developed by people who are overweight, have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or have a very poor diet that’s high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease makes it harder for the liver to function properly, causing:

• Fatigue

• Unregulated blood sugar levels

• Muscle weakness

• Inflammation and swelling in the abdomen

• Minor weight gain or drastic weight loss

Having a diet rich in healthy fats including omega-3s and omega-9s could prevent at-risk people from developing NAFLD.

7. Can Cause Cardiovascular Disease

A 2002 study compared fish oil and corn oil and their effects on cholesterol levels. Using 42 type 2 diabetic patients, half given fish oil and the other half corn oil for 4 weeks.

After 4 weeks, fish oil had an increase in HDL by 0.7% while corn oil had a decrease in HDL by 4% (LDL-P decreased by 0.7% and increased by 4% respectively).

LDL-P (LDL total particles) and total cholesterol levels are very reliable indicators of heart disease.

Another study conducted on both men and women found that there was a correlated risk with LDL-P and future cardiovascular disease.

LDL-P has also been a reliable predictor of early-stage cancers because corn oil indirectly increases LDL-P it has a small correlation with an increased risk of cancer as well.

Although corn oil has phytosterols, due to the manufacturing methods and chemical treatments used on the corn oil, all of its nutritional benefits get destroyed. Leading to a higher risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks.

Corn oil has many health benefits and side effects that are thoroughly researched and studied. In most cases, corn oil is not recommended as the side effects heavily outweigh the health benefits.

Additionally, there are many health-related concerns and conflicting research papers on corn oil. Corn oil should be even further disregarded if you have a corn allergy or pollen allergy as they’re closely related.

Corn-related allergies are rare and are usually passed genetically, corn allergies may cause:

• Asthma

• Redness and itchiness of the face and skin

• Hay fever

• Wheezing

• Swelling in the throat

• Anaphylaxis shock

There are a few ways to use corn oil other than having it in your diet or food, it’s still great for hydrating skin and improving skin health when applied in moderation.

Corn oil also has many vitamins, minerals, and healthy plant-based compounds such as phytosterols, that all provide their list of benefits.

This still wouldn’t make corn oil a healthy choice to include in your diet as most of these healthy nutrients get removed during production and the rest through in-home cooking.

Also, the typical Western and North American diets are high in inflammatory omega-6 fats as well as highly refined cooking oils.

Most of the Western diets include corn oil, vegetable oil, and canola oil, all of which are poor quality choices. There are lots of healthy options to replace corn oil with, which aren’t very expensive. For deep frying and pan frying you can use:

• Olive oil (light cooking)

• Avocado oil (deep-frying and pan-frying)

• Rice bran oil (deep-frying)

• Coconut oil (pan-frying)

• Sesame oil (pan-frying)

Other vegetable oils like olive oil contain fewer polyunsaturated omega-6 than corn oil and are rich in monounsaturated oleic acid and omega-3s, making it a healthier alternative.

Here’s the full list of the health benefits of corn oil:

1. Improves Cholesterol Levels

2. May Prevent Heart Disease

3. Benefits Eye Health and Eyesight

4. Improves Skin Health

5. Corn Oil has Anti-inflammatory Properties

6. Abundant in Phytosterols

7. Improves Heart Health

Here’s the list of side effects of corn oil:

1. High in Omega-6 Fatty Acids

2. Corn Oil is Refined and Hydrogenated

3. Corn Is A Highly GMO Crop

4. Can Cause Weight Gain

5. Increases Risk of Cancer and Chronic Diseases

6. May Be Toxic to Multiple Internal Organs

7. Harmful For Your Heart

Studies are still relatively spread out, not as much research has been done on corn oil as compared to seed oils and other vegetable oils.

If you’re looking to add a healthy oil to your diet, it’s highly recommended to avoid corn oil and all hydrogenated vegetable oils for cleaner alternatives such as olive oil and coconut oil.

Coconut oil and avocado oil are both resistant to higher heats making them good options to fry foods with, making them resistant to oxidation that comes from heating.

Oxidation removes all of the health benefits and amplifies the side effects of any cooking oil. If you’re looking to avoid the flavor of coconut, avocado oil is neutral and won’t influence the flavor of your foods.

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