12/08/05 (The Hindu) - HEALTH and nutrition issues relating to vegetableoils in general and palm oil in particular have assumed importance inrecent years. In many of the developed economies where obesity is aserious health issue, consumption of fats has engaged the attention ofnutritionists, consumers and manufacturers.

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

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

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

On the other hand, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are generallyconsidered neutral on blood cholesterol levels. Because of thisneutrality, 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 asaturated oil or tropical oil that is not healthy. But studies that cameto this conclusion have now been reviewed and found to have compromisedexperimental conditions. The fallacies in the methodology have beenbrought to light.

On the contrary, more scientifically conducted new studies haveestablished that in terms of its cholesterol effects, palm oil can beconsidered as good as any monounsaturated oil in healthy individuals whendietary 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 ofMalaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council (MPOPC) told Business Line.

Explaining the view, he said: "The similarity of palm oil and themonounsaturated oils in terms of the geometrical position of unsaturatedfatty acids in the fat molecules could be the reason why palm oil behaveslike a monounsaturated rather than saturated oil". Therefore, whenconsumed in recommended quantities, palm oil is as good as olive orrapeseed oil, the expert added.

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

"Palm oil lowers blood cholesterol levels compared with other saturateddietary fats, which are high in the potent cholesterol-raising myristicacid," remarked Dr Koh adding that whenever palm oil replaced the habitualsaturated fats in the Western diets, palm oil diets indeed reduced theblood cholesterol levels. The blood cholesterol levels of the subjectswere reduced by anything between 7 per cent and 38 per cent.

The conclusion, therefore, of scientists is that as palm oil rich dietslower blood cholesterol levels when compared with diets rich in myristicacid - particularly diets rich in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, butter andanimal fats - palm oil should not be considered as a typical saturatedoil/fat.

Indeed, much of the controversy over the nutritional and health aspects ofpalm oil has largely arisen in the Western world where per capitaconsumption of oils and fats " both vegetable and animal fat " is ratherhigh.

For developing economies such as India where pervasive malnutrition orunder-nutrition is the norm, the controversy carries very limitedsignificance. Price, therefore, is a driving force in several developingcountry markets for palm oil, rather than health aspect. Like any othercommon edible oil and fat, palm oil is readily digested, absorbed andutilised as a source of energy. A number of recent controlled humanstudies in Europe, the US and Asia have confirmed that there is nosignificant rise in serum total cholesterol when palm oil, providing mostof the dietary fat, is used as an alternative to other fats in thehabitual diet.

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

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