The Hindu Business Line : Palm oil is not a saturated fat, say scientists

HEALTH and nutrition issues relating to vegetable oils in general and palm oil in particular have assumed importance in recent years. In many of the developed economies where obesity is a serious health issue, consumption of fats has engaged the attention of nutritionists, consumers and manufacturers.

Fastidious consumers in particular want to make an informed choice about what they consume and want to know the contents of what they eat. Therefore, marketing of edible oil with health and nutrition as the pitch is in vogue.

A majority of the nutrition experts are of the opinion that trans-fatty acids and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) are "bad" fat components as they have been shown to be cholesterol raising.

Of the saturated fatty acids, myristic acid is ranked as the most potent cholesterol raising saturated fatty acid, while lauric and palmitic are intermediate in their cholesterolemic effects. Of the latter two, however, palmitic acid is more often singled out since it is the most abundant saturated fatty acid in the human diet. Stearic acid and SFAs with less than 12-carbon are considered to be neutral.

On the other hand, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are generally considered neutral on blood cholesterol levels. Because of this neutrality, edible oils rich in MUFA (e.g. Olive oil, Rapeseed oil, Canola) are generally regarded as "healthy oils" by many experts.

For this reason, attempts had been made in the past to dub palm oil as a saturated oil or tropical oil that is not healthy. But studies that came to this conclusion have now been reviewed and found to have compromised experimental conditions. The fallacies in the methodology have been brought to light.

On the contrary, more scientifically conducted new studies have established that in terms of its cholesterol effects, palm oil can be considered as good as any monounsaturated oil in healthy individuals when dietary fat and cholesterol are consumed according to recommended intakes.

"Palm oil behaves like monounsaturated oil rather than as saturated oil," Dr C.S. Koh, Director of the Scientific and Technical Department of Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council (MPOPC) told Business Line.

Explaining the view, he said: "The similarity of palm oil and the monounsaturated oils in terms of the geometrical position of unsaturated fatty acids in the fat molecules could be the reason why palm oil behaves like a monounsaturated rather than saturated oil". Therefore, when consumed in recommended quantities, palm oil is as good as olive or rapeseed oil, the expert added.

How does palm oil compare with other saturated oils and fats? Evaluation of five studies done to compare the effect of palm oil vis-à-vis other oils and fats such as coconut oil, palm kernel oil and butter on blood cholesterol showed that palm oil performed favourably.

"Palm oil lowers blood cholesterol levels compared with other saturated dietary fats, which are high in the potent cholesterol-raising myristic acid," remarked Dr Koh adding that whenever palm oil replaced the habitual saturated fats in the Western diets, palm oil diets indeed reduced the blood cholesterol levels. The blood cholesterol levels of the subjects were reduced by anything between 7 per cent and 38 per cent.

The conclusion, therefore, of scientists is that as palm oil rich diets lower blood cholesterol levels when compared with diets rich in myristic acid - particularly diets rich in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, butter and animal fats - palm oil should not be considered as a typical saturated oil/fat.

Indeed, much of the controversy over the nutritional and health aspects of palm oil has largely arisen in the Western world where per capita consumption of oils and fats — both vegetable and animal fat — is rather high.

For developing economies such as India where pervasive malnutrition or under-nutrition is the norm, the controversy carries very limited significance. Price, therefore, is a driving force in several developing country markets for palm oil, rather than health aspect. Like any other common edible oil and fat, palm oil is readily digested, absorbed and utilised as a source of energy. A number of recent controlled human studies in Europe, the US and Asia have confirmed that there is no significant rise in serum total cholesterol when palm oil, providing most of the dietary fat, is used as an alternative to other fats in the habitual diet.

Interestingly, current food labelling regulations, especially the one mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration, classify palm oil like all other vegetable oils, as cholesterol-free.

Refined palm oil used in foods is a rich source of tocopherols and tocotrienols having Vitamin-E activity with positive health effects, while unrefined palm oil is a rich source of carotenoids, according MPOPC.

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