CONCLUSIONS Palm oil consumption results in higher LDL cholesterol than do vegetable oils low in saturated fat and higher HDL cholesterol than do trans fat-containing oils in humans .
The effects of palm oil on blood lipids are as expected on the basis of its high saturated fat content , which supports the reduction in palm oil use by replacement with vegetable oils low in saturated and trans fat .
BACKGROUND Palm oil contains a high amount of saturated fat compared with most other vegetable oils , but studies have reported inconsistent effects of palm oil on blood lipids .
OBJECTIVE We systematic ally review ed the effect of palm oil consumption on blood lipids compared with other cooking oils using data from clinical trials .
Behenic acid is a cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acid in humans.
BACKGROUND Dietary behenic acid ( 22:0 ) is poorly absorbed . Because of its low bioavailability compared with other fatty acids and because of its very long chain length , the effect of dietary behenic acid ( behenate ) on serum lipid concentrations in humans is assumed to be neutral . OBJECTIVE The objective was to establish the cholesterol-raising potential of behenic acid by comparing the effects on lipid and lipoprotein concentrations of a specially formulated fat enriched with behenic acid with those of palm oil ( rich in palmitic acid ; 16:0 ) and high-oleic acid sunflower oil ( rich in cis oleic acid ; 18:1 ) . DESIGN In a r and omized , crossover , metabolic-ward study , 7 mildly hypercholesterolemic men were fed 3 natural-food diets supplemented with behenate oil , palm oil , or high-oleic acid sunflower oil .  Mean serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations and plasma triacylglycerol fatty acid composition were determined from fasting blood drawn during the final 4 d of each 3-wk diet period . RESULTS Behenate oil produced mean concentrations of total cholesterol ( 5.87+/-0.8 mmol/L ) and LDL cholesterol ( 4.40+/-0.8 mmol/L ) not significantly different from those produced by palm oil ( 5.84+/-0.7 and 4.42+/-0.7 mmol/L , respectively ) but significantly higher than those produced by high-oleic acid sunflower oil ( 5.12+/-0.5 and 3.70+/-0.6 mmol/L , respectively ) . There were no significant differences in triacylglycerol or HDL-cholesterol concentrations . CONCLUSIONS Despite its low bioavailability compared with oleic acid , behenic acid is a cholesterol-raising fatty acid in humans and is therefore not a suitable substitute for palmitic acid in manufactured triacylglycerols
CONCLUSIONS Palm oil consumption results in higher LDL cholesterol than do vegetable oils low in saturated fat and higher HDL cholesterol than do trans fat-containing oils in humans .
The effects of palm oil on blood lipids are as expected on the basis of its high saturated fat content , which supports the reduction in palm oil use by replacement with vegetable oils low in saturated and trans fat .
BACKGROUND Palm oil contains a high amount of saturated fat compared with most other vegetable oils , but studies have reported inconsistent effects of palm oil on blood lipids .
OBJECTIVE We systematic ally review ed the effect of palm oil consumption on blood lipids compared with other cooking oils using data from clinical trials .