Tea seed oil is the "Oriental olive oil". Can it reduce the three highs and prevent gastric ulcers?

Real points:

Tea seed oil is a good edible oil, and in some animal experiments, it can also show some "possible health value." But it is just an edible oil, and under normal consumption, the "active ingredients" that can be ingested are minimal, far less efficient than other foods.

Verifier: Yun Wuxin | Doctor of Food Engineering

In China, tea seed oil is an edible oil with a long history of use. In recent years, as people's health awareness has increased, tea seed oil has been labeled as "high-end" and even promoted as having various "magical effects" in marketing.

Does tea seed oil really have these "effects"? Are those legends true or false?

1. Tea seed oil is an excellent edible oil

Tea seed oil usually comes from the seeds of the camellia tree. The camellia tree is a plant of the same family and genus as the tea tree that produces tea, but it is a different species. Its seeds have a higher yield and a higher oil content. The difference between different oils lies mainly in the composition of fatty acids. The unsaturated fatty acids in tea seed oil are mainly monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid), with a content of about 75~80%, which is similar to olive oil. Therefore, it is better than other edible oils in this regard. The content of antioxidants such as polyphenols and vitamin E in tea seed oil is relatively high, which is also similar to olive oil, so it is often praised as "Oriental olive oil" in marketing. In terms of fatty acid composition and rich in antioxidants, this "reputation" is not excessive.

2. The claim that tea seed oil can reduce the three highs is suspected of exaggeration

There are such claims in marketing propaganda that "the tea polyphenol content in tea seed oil is as high as 3000-10000ppm, and one spoonful of oil is equal to the tea polyphenol content of 7 cups of Longjing tea", "it can regulate immune active cells, enhance immune function, eliminate free radicals in the human body, and has high antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-"three highs" and other functions."

In the previous paragraph, it was mentioned that tea seed oil is "rich in tea polyphenols and other antioxidants". This "rich" is compared with other edible oils. However, the "content as high as 3000-10000ppm" (ppm is one part per million, i.e. mg/L) mentioned in the advertising and marketing is seriously inconsistent with the data in scientific literature. For example, the test results in a paper published in 2008 are: the average content of β-carotene, vitamin E and polyphenols are 251.3, 389.3 and 24.81±1.00 mg/kg respectively. Even if calculated according to the "3000-10000ppm" mentioned in the advertising and marketing, the so-called "one spoonful of oil is equal to the tea polyphenol content of 7 cups of Longjing tea" is also nonsense. According to this "seriously exaggerated" data, the tea polyphenols contained in one spoonful of oil (15 ml) is 45-150 mg. In the national standard for green tea beverages, the content of tea polyphenols is required to be "not less than 500 mg/kg". In a cup of green tea beverage (200 ml), the content of tea polyphenols is at least 100 mg. If calculated based on the actual tea polyphenol content in tea seed oil (24.81±1.00 mg/kg), the tea polyphenols in a spoonful of oil are far less than those in a mouthful of green tea beverage.

As for other trace nutrients, they are merely "detectable" and possibly "higher than other edible oils", but the amount that can be ingested through tea seed oil is completely negligible compared to other vegetables, fruits and meat.

3. It is wishful thinking to expect tea seed oil to reduce inflammation and prevent gastric ulcers

The marketing advertisements claim that tea seed oil has an "anti-inflammatory effect" because it contains squalene and tea polyphenols. There are indeed many studies that show that tea polyphenols have anti-inflammatory effects, but they are only in the research stage. And as we have already commented in the previous section, the tea polyphenols in tea seed oil are only "higher than other oils" and the actual content is even lower than that of green tea drinks.

Another component, squalene, is a substance that is abundant in the liver oil of marine animals such as sharks. Squalene is also found in some plants, such as olives, sugar cane, rice bran, wheat germ, etc. However, these plants are only sources of squalene and need to be separated and purified to obtain sufficient amounts. The same is true for rapeseed oil, which only "contains" squalene. You cannot expect its content in the oil to play any role.

There have indeed been many studies on the protective effect of camellia oil on gastric mucosa in recent years, but they are all in the stage of in vitro experiments and animal experiments, and there is still a long way to go before this conclusion can be truly confirmed in humans. The claim in advertising and marketing that "the digestion and absorption rate of camellia oil is over 99%, which can improve the absorption function of the stomach and intestines, and especially play a good health care role for the recovery of women after childbirth" is completely pieced together.

First of all, the digestion and absorption rate of various edible oils is very high, so it is meaningless to emphasize that "tea oil has a digestion and absorption rate of more than 99%". Secondly, for fat, "improving absorption function" is not an advantage, because most people want to absorb less fat and thus reduce the amount of calories absorbed. As for "playing a good health care role in postpartum recovery", there is even less reliable scientific evidence.

In short, tea seed oil is a good cooking oil. If tested and analyzed, it does "contain" many kinds of "active ingredients" that are beneficial to health. In some animal experiments, it can also show some "possible health value". However, it is just a cooking oil. Under normal consumption, the "active ingredients" that can be ingested are minimal and far less efficient than other foods. If you don't consider the price, there is nothing wrong with it as a cooking oil; but considering the current market price, it is a very cost-effective cooking oil.

Editor of this article: zoey