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 .
Comparison of palmolein and olive oil: effects on plasma lipids and vitamin E in young adults.
Twenty-one healthy normocholesterolemic young adults , men and women , completed a r and omized 30-d/30-d crossover comparison of the effect of palmolein and olive oil on plasma lipids . The subjects were free-living volunteers who changed to low-fat diets  to which one of the test oils was added ( used as a spread , for baking , or for frying ) in turn . Complete food records were kept throughout : the test oils were compared at 17 % of total dietary energy . Under the conditions of this experiment plasma total and low-density-lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol were almost identical with the two oils , so that when the palmitic acid ( 16:0 ) in palm oil replaced oleic acid ( 18:1 ) in olive oil the expected increase in LDL cholesterol was not seen . These results indicate that 16:0 , though saturated , is not always a plasma cholesterol-raising fatty acid . Palmolein is rich in vitamin E , alpha-tocopherol , and especially tocotrienols , but the latter were barely detectable in plasma
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 .