How Soybean Oil Supports Health

One of the central conversations about how nutrition affects our risk of chronic disease—as well as our overall health—is around dietary fats and oils. While some of that conversation, and the research behind it, is about how much fat we should be eating, the most relevant discussion is about the type of fat and oil we should be eating.

Dietary fats, or those we get from our diet, are essential for us for many reasons, including:

Kinds of Fats¹

Soybean oil is about 61% polyunsaturated fat, 24% monounsaturated fat, and 15% saturated fat.²

Leading Health Experts Recommend Plant-Based Oils

Liquid plant-based oils rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).³ Dietary Guidelines for Americans⁴ and the American Heart Association⁵ because of their health benefits. One such option is soybean oil, which is made by extracting oil from whole soybeans. 2025 data shows that higher intake of plant-based oils, including soybean oil, was associated with lower mortality, and substituting 10 grams of butter per day with an equivalent amount of plant-based oils was associated with a 17% reduction in total mortality and a 17% reduction in cancer mortality.⁶

Soybean Oil May Help Lower Cholesterol and Heart Disease Risk

Studies have found that soybean oil may lower cholesterol and heart disease risk, and does not affect markers of inflammation.⁷ Studies have shown that high levels of linoleic acid (like in soybean oil) were associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk,⁸ lower risk of stroke,⁹ and lower risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.¹⁰

In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a qualified health claim stating that daily consumption of about 1½ tablespoons (20.5 grams) of soybean oil may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when replacing an equivalent amount of saturated fat.¹¹

Benefits of High Oleic Soybean Oil

In 2018, the FDA allowed a similar qualified health claim for oils high in oleic acid,¹² including high-oleic soybean oil, which comes from newer varieties of soybeans bred to have a higher proportion of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat.¹³ High-oleic soybeans produce oil containing up to 85% oleic acid, with correspondingly lower levels of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids making it comparable to high oleic canola oil and olive oil.¹⁴

Not only is high oleic soybean oil heart-healthy, but it is a particularly versatile culinary oil. From a sensory standpoint, high oleic soybean oil has a more neutral flavor than conventional soybean oil, which enhances its applicability to a wide range of food preparations. It also has an impressively high smoke point of 464 degrees Fahrenheit (240 degrees Celsius)—slightly higher than the smoke point of conventional soybean oil¹⁵—making it suitable for higher-heat cooking methods such as roasting, baking, sautéing, and frying. That’s important because cooking oils at heats higher than they are able to handle can cause the oil to deteriorate and become unstable. It also provides improved resistance to oxidation and reduced build-up of polymers on foodservice equipment in high-heat applications, which results in less equipment maintenance and lower operating costs.¹⁶

Given that heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, with related conditions such as stroke and diabetes in the top 10,¹⁷ it’s good news that in both food manufacturing and the home kitchen, soybean oil — individually or in blends with other unsaturated vegetable oils– can help support individual and public health goals.

This article is funded in part by the soy checkoff.

Citations:

— Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN, is a Pacific Northwest-based registered dietitian nutritionist, journalist and owner of NutritionByCarrie.com. She earned her Master of Public Health in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington in Seattle.