27/2/07 (NSTP)  - Palm oil is no longer the 'bad boy' of oils as research extols its antioxidant properties.

MOST of us feel a twinge of guilt every time we eat a really greasy piece of food, as we know that it increases our risk of heart disease. But we can’t help it... it tastes so good.

So for those, like me, who are despairing over their lack of willpower, common sense tells us to choose a brand of vegetable oil that is least harmful to our health.

For example, we all know olive oil has long been considered the alternative oil of choice for those concerned with their cholesterol level. Its reputation is largely based on the lower incidence of heart disease among the Mediterranean population who have traditionally consumed olive oil as their main dietary fat.

But what we fail to realise is that our humble, economical and locally-produced palm oil has been receiving accolades worldwide over the last decade or so for its health benefits.
Tan Sri Dr Augustine S. H. Ong, president of the Confederation of Scientific and Technological Associations in Malaysia (COSTAM), can attest to this.

“Palm oil is currently enjoying strong appeal worldwide as a cooking aid because it is free of artery-clogging trans-fats, formed when fats are hydrogenated to make them more solid and extend their shelf life,” explains Ong, who is affectionately referred to as the ‘Palm Oil Man’.

By now, most Malaysians know that the hydrogenated vegetable oils we rely on for our cooking needs boost levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).

“Its greatest benefit is that palm oil has the same functional properties as hydrogenated oil — thus it may be effectively substituted — but without the health problems,” he says.

Ong remembers a time, in the mid-80s, when palm oil became the target of a massive negative advertising campaign in the United States, including widely published allegations that palm oil is “hazardous to health” on grounds that it is higher in saturated fats than soybean oil.

As he was Director-General of Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia [PORIM, currently Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)] during “the war of the oils”, as he calls it, he was in a position, together with his team, to instigate an accelerated research programme aimed at examining palm oil and its health effects, using established nutrition research facilities from all corners of the globe.

Evidence soon proved the Americans completely wrong.

“They didn’t know any better,” says Ong. “People were told that saturated fats like palm oil were bad for them so they started looking for alternatives. Well it turned out that the alternatives were even worse.”

And since the early 1990’s, there has been a phenomenal increase in the scientific literature published in relation to the health effects of palm oil, almost all of them listing its health benefits.

Some studies compared olive oil and palm olein, the liquid fraction of palm oil, and found the same beneficial effects on cholesterol levels. Studies suggest palm oil increases the good HDL cholesterol levels while having a neutral to beneficial effect on the bad LDL cholesterol levels, thus promoting cardiovascular health.

Ong, also currently chairman of the Society for Free Radical Research in Asean and concurrently chairman of the Malaysia Chapter, is quick to add that the other reason for palm oil’s popularity is that research shows it to be a nutrient-dense oil containing many potent antioxidants including beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A and tocotreinols, a potent form of vitamin E.

He goes on to explain that our bodies need antioxidants to counteract so-called free radicals. “When we are exposed to pollutants in cigarette smoke, industrial pollution, stress, unbalanced diets, pesticide and insecticide residues in food and water, and many other negative environmental influences, we are also exposed to free radicals.

A build-up of free radicals in the body is associated with degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer, as well as general ageing. It is, therefore, in our own best interest to ensure that we eat a diet rich in antioxidants that will prevent the damage that is done to our bodies by free radicals.”

“In fact, no other vegetable oil has as much Vitamin E compared to palm oil,” he says. “These natural antioxidants act as buffers against free radicals and are believed to play a protective role in cellular ageing, atherosclerosis, cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease.”

And let’s not forget the cost. “While the cost of extra-virgin olive oil can leave you gasping, palm olein costs roughly a fifth the price of olive oil,” he grins.

According to the Malaysian Oil Palm Statistics 2005, it may have now surpassed soybean oil as the most widely produced vegetable oil in the world.

Well, no prizes for guessing what cooking oil the Ongs use at home. Being cleaner and more stable, he says, cooking with palm oil leaves the kitchen less greasy and easy to clean.

There you have it. A handy household tip straight from the mouth of the Palm Oil Man.