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 .
Replacement of partially hydrogenated soybean oil by palm oil in margarine without unfavorable effects on serum lipoproteins
We have compared the effects of three different margarines , one based on palm oil ( PALM-margarine ) , one based on partially hydrogenated soybean oil ( TRANS-margarine ) and one with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFA-margarine ) , on serum lipids in 27 young women . The main purpose of the study was to test if replacement of trans fatty acids in margarine by palmitic acid results in unfavorable effects on serum lipids . The sum of saturated fatty acids ( 12∶0 , 14∶0 , 16∶0 ) was 36.3 % of total fatty acids in the PALM-diet , the same as the sum of saturated ( 12∶0 , 14∶0 , 16∶0 ) ( 12.5 % ) and trans ( 23.1 % ) fatty acids in the TRANS-diet . This sum was 20.7 % in the PUFA-diet . The content of oleic acid was 37.9 , 35.2 , and 38.6 % , respectively , in the three diets , whereas linoleic acid amounted to 16 , 13.5 , and 27.3 % , respectively . Total fat provided 30–31 % and the test margarines 26 % of total energy in all three diets . The subjects consumed each of the diets for 17 d in a Latin-square crossover design . There were no significant differences in total cholesterol , low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B ( apoB ) between the TRANS- and the PALM-diets . High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and apoA-I were significantly higher on the PALM-diet compared to the TRANS-diet whereas the ratio of LDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol was lower , although not significantly ( P=0.077 ) on the PALM-diet . Total cholesterol , LDL-cholesterol , and apoB were significantly lower on the PUFA-diet compared to the two other diets . HDL-cholesterol was not different on the PALM- and the PUFA-diets but it was significantly lower on the TRANS-diet compared to the PUFA diet . Compared to the PUFA-diet  the ratio of LDL-to HDL-cholesterol was higher on both the PALM- and the TRANS-diets whereas apoA-I was not different . Triglycerides and lipoprotein ( a ) were not significantly different among the three diets . We concluded that nutritionally , palmitic acid from palm oil may be a reasonable alternative to trans fatty acids from partially hydrogenated soybean oil in margarine if the aim is to avoid trans fatty acids . A palm oil-based margarine is , however , less favorable than one based on a more polyunsaturated vegetable oil
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 .