12. What are the effects of palm oil on blood cholesterol?

Recent studies have compared palm oil with other oils to understand the effect it has on blood cholesterol. An Australian study of twenty-one normocholesterolemic young adults (both men and women) compared the effects of palmolein and olive oil on plasma lipids. The total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol ('bad' cholesterol) were nearly identical between palm olein and olive oil1. A double-blind crossover trial with thirty-eight Dutch males examined the effect replacing their usual saturated fat (animal fats and hydrogenated oils) consumption with palm oil and found no change in total cholesterol, but a 11% increase in HDL cholesterol (the 'good' cholesterol) compared to the control group2. Another crossover study consisted of 33 normocholesterolemic subjects who were challenge fed with a coconut oil-rich diet for 4 weeks and then provided with that test diet, either a palm olein-rich diet or an olive oil-rich diet. The results showed identical total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels3.

In summary, there is evidence that palm oil has similar effects as olive oil on total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol.

• Choudhury N., Tan L., Truswell A.S. (1995) Comparison of palmolein and olive oil: effects on plasma lipids and vitamin E in young adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 61:1043-1051.
• Sundram K., Hornstra G., von Houwelingen A.C., Kester A.D. (1992) Replacement of dietary fat with palm oil: effect on human serum lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins. Br. J. Nutr. 68:677-692.
• Ng T.K., Hayes K.C., DeWitt G.F., Jegathesan M., Satgunasingam N., Ong A.S., Tan D. (1992) Dietary palmitic and oleic acids exert similar effects on serum cholesterol and lipoprotein profiles in normocholesterolemic men and women. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 11:383-390.

13. What is hydrogenation?

Hydrogenation of fats is the addition of hydrogen to the double bonds in the fatty acid chains. This process is very important in the food industry. Two major objectives are accomplished through hydrogenation of fats, (1) the allowance of the conversion of a liquid oil to a semisolid fat that is more suitable for specific food applications such as margarines and shortenings, and (2) the improvement of oxidative stability of the oil. A major disadvantage of the hydrogenation process is the formation of trans fats (see 'Which is better trans fats or saturated fats?').

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