Great questions! Mustard oil is indeed a fascinating oil with quite a complex nutritional profile. You’ve mentioned monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), and you’re right — mustard oil generally contains around 60% MUFA and 21% PUFA. These fats are pretty good for heart health. They can help to reduce LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind), and raise HDL cholesterol (the “good” one), which might decrease the risk of heart disease over time. As for omega-3s, sorry to say, they’re present but in smaller amounts compared to oils like flaxseed.
Now, erucic acid… that’s a bit of a mixed bag. Mustard oil can contain around 42% erucic acid. Some studies suggest benefits like reducing inflammation, but there’ve been concerns about potential heart risks with high consumption. The EU and others have regulations on erucic acid levels. For regulated mustard cooking oils, always make sure you’re getting a version meant for culinary use, not the industrial kind.
Heating mustard oil, especially to smoking point, can degrade the quality and might form harmful compounds (like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). This might offset some health perks, so low-heat techniques like searing or using it in marinades might be a better approach.
As for vitamins and other goodies — mustard oil carries vitamin E, which might explain some external benefits like improved skin moisture. Traditional remedies point to its uses for hair growth and easing muscle pain, but scientific backing is kinda limited. Applying it to the skin after a warm shower for moisturizing, or gently massaging into scalp for hair care, can be worth a try.
Hope that helps! Just try not to overheat it, and enjoy its zesty kick both inside and out.
