Corn
oil is an effective component in
lowering blood cholesterol
levels. Corn oil offers high
levels of polyunsaturated
instead of saturated fats.
Polyunsaturated fats lower blood
cholesterol levels.
Monounsaturated fats neither
lower nor raise blood
cholesterol levels. Saturated
fats are approximately twice as
powerful in raising cholesterol
levels as polyunsaturated fats
are in lowering them. Corn oil
contains about 60 percent
polyunsaturated, 25 to 30
percent monounsaturated and 10
to 15 percent saturated fats.
In fact, the Food and Drug
Administration has acknowledged
the unsaturated fat benefits of
corn oil in reducing the risk of
heart disease. See the FDA's
letter to ACH Food Companies,
Inc. regarding qualified health
claims.
Research has shown that
phytosterols play an important
role in reducing blood
cholesterol by inhibiting its
absorption from the intestines.
According to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, corn oil
contains 968 milligrams of
phytosterols per 100 grams of
oil. It has one of the highest
phytosterol levels of the
refined vegetable oils. Only
rice-bran oil has a higher
phytosterol content at 1,190
mg/100 grams. Corn oil is the
only product that contains a
natural mixture of free
phytosterol, phytosterol esters
and phytostanol esters.
Blood Pressure
Numerous human studies show that
diets enriched in
polyunsaturated fatty acids can
significantly lower elevated
blood pressure in individuals
with high blood pressure. Corn
oil was used in many of these
studies. Corn oil diets have
shown blood pressure lowering of
about 12 percent in men and 5
percent in women who had
elevated blood pressure (mild
hypertension). No significant
effect of polyunsaturates has
been noted in persons with
normal blood pressure.
Essential Fatty Acids
Corn oil is a rich source of
linoleic acid, which is one of
two essential acids necessary
for growth and good skin and
hair quality. Linoleic acid is
labeled “essential” because it
cannot be synthesized by the
body and must be supplied in the
diet.
Tocopherols
Corn oil is also recognized as
an excellent source of
tocopherols. Tocopherols
function as antioxidants and
provide a good source of Vitamin
E. The antioxidant activity of
tocopherols is important in
health terms, but also in terms
of quality of the product
because it helps retard
development of rancidity.
The four major tocopherols found
in corn oil are alpha-tocopherol,
beta-tocopherol, gammatocopherol
and delta-tocopherol. In
commercially available corn oil,
gamma-tocopherol is most
abundant, followed by alpha-tocopherol
and delta-tocopherol. The
tocopherol that exhibits the
greatest antioxidant effect is
delta-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol
has the highest vitamin E
activity.