What is cottonseed oil

It's also effective as an antioxidant , fighting the effects of cell-destroying—and skin-aging—free radicals. Cottonseed oil is also high in Vitamin E, which works together with linoleic acid to soothe skin.

Basically, the specific combination of anti-inflammatory properties in this oil can help damaged skin cells take a breather and repair themselves. A quick note about that "hydrogenated" part: cotton seeds contain gossypol , a natural toxin that the cotton plant uses to fight off insect infestations. To make it safe for consumption, the oil has to be refined to remove the gossypol. Once it's been removed, the resulting hydrogenated cottonseed oil is safe to consume and use in skincare.

Cocoon Ceramide Rich Cream New! After using this oil for years, the men became infertile and many women had amenorrhoea absence of menstruation.

Further investigation revealed that the culprit was gossypol, a yellow compound produced in cotton plant.

Cottonseed oil is extracted from the seeds of cotton plants. Photo by courtesy of the US Department of Agriculture. Gossypol is concentrated in the cottonseed but can also be found in other parts of the cotton plant. It acts as a natural defensive agent against predators, provoking infertility in insects. In men, it affects sperm production.

Nevertheless, gossypol is not genotoxic. During cottonseed refining process, gossypol is removed to produce edible oil. In , the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils concluded that gossypol did not present a problem in cottonseed oil, since cottonseed oil was normally sold refined and thus virtually free of gossypol.

Taiwan authority announced on 25 October that gossypol was not found in any of the cottonseed oil and other cooking oils tested in response to the recent incident. Although refined cottonseed oil is edible, it is illegal to sell adulterated or counterfeit cooking oils in Hong Kong.

Linoleic acid, which is one of the fatty acids in cottonseed oil, is a common ingredient in skin care products. Place some oil about the size of a dime on your and rub in. If you have no reaction in 24 hours you should be able to use it. There are dozens of unproven claims of benefits. The anticancer effects of cottonseed oil and gossypol have been studied for years and the research continues. Older animal studies found that gossypol improved the effects of radiation on prostate cancer cells.

A study also showed that gossypol reduced tumor growth and slowed or killed three prostate cancer cell lines. Animal and human studies have found that it prevented tumor growth and spread in some breast cancers. People who eat a Mediterranean diet high in monounsaturated fats have been found to have significantly lower levels of inflammatory chemicals in their blood. Cottonseed oil contains only 18 percent monounsaturated fat, but the content increases to 50 percent when partially hydrogenated.

In theory, cottonseed oil could have an anti-inflammatory effect similar to olive oil. This may help lower the risk of heart disease and improve symptoms of inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis. Though hydrogenated cottonseed oil is fairly high in unsaturated fats, the Arthritis Foundation recommends other oils that have anti-inflammatory properties, including:. Along with lowering inflammation, the unsaturated fats in cottonseed oil may help lower your LDL and increase your HDL.

This can improve blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, cottonseed oil is also higher in saturated fat than other vegetable oils, which can have the opposite effect. There are other, more heart-friendly options available. Cottonseed oil contains high amounts of vitamin E, which is an antioxidant with many proven benefits for the skin, including faster wound healing.

Vitamin E has also been shown to have a positive effect on skin ulcers, psoriasis, and other skin conditions and injuries. This suggests that cottonseed oil may have similar effects, though you can find more potent sources of vitamin E.

The oils work by:. The controversy surrounding the consumption of cottonseed oil has to do with the dangers associated with gossypol. Based on older studies of patients attending allergy clinics, anywhere from 1 to 6 percent of those evaluated have reported a positive skin test to cottonseed extracts.