Mustard Oil is widely used in northern and western Indian cuisines. It lends a strong aroma to the food and adds the right amount of savouriness. Also called “Sarson Ka Tel” in Hindi and “Aava Noone” in Telugu, this pungent oil offers numerous health benefits. However, not many know of mustard oil’s side effects on our body, skin and hair. Mustard oil has large amounts of Erucic acid, which can be toxic to our body and cause serious complications. There are many other disadvantages of mustard oil, which will be discussed in this article in detail.

Side Effects Of Mustard Oil:

Let’s look at some of the main side effects of overconsuming mustard oil:

1. Erucic Acid:

Erucic Acid is a mono-saturated omega-9 fatty acid. Mustard oil consists of 42 % of it. When consumed in high doses, it shows an effect on the heart. These effects can be toxic at times. This acid causes a high risk to human health like cardiovascular issues, respiratory issues, diarrhea, anaemia, cancer and death in severe cases.

2. Deteriorated Heart Health:

Distorted heart health is one of the major mustard oil cooking side effects. Our heart cannot take mono-saturated fatty acids. The fatty acids present in the mustard oil causes ‘Myocardial lipidosis’, which is the fatty degeneration of the heart. It develops fibrotic lesions in the myocardial fibers of the heart. It is due to the build-up of triglycerides in them. It may lead to heart failure at times due to degeneration of heart muscles.

Read: Homemade Mustard Oil

3. Risk Of Lung Cancer:

The Erucic acid in mustard oil causes distress in the respiratory system. This can lead to damage and collapse of the lung and respiratory track. The result will be breathlessness, heaviness in breathing, oxygen saturation issues and serious health complications like Lung Cancer.