Comparison of PO diets with diets rich in stearic acid , monounsaturated fatty acids ( MUFAs ) , and polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFAs ) showed significantly higher TC , LDL cholesterol , apolipoprotein B , HDL cholesterol , and apolipoprotein A-I , whereas most of the same biomarkers were significantly lower when compared with diets rich in myristic/lauric acid .
Comparison of PO-rich diets with diets rich in trans fatty acids showed significantly higher concentrations of HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I and significantly lower apolipoprotein B , triacylglycerols , and TC/HDL cholesterol .
Stratified and meta-regression analyses showed that the higher concentrations of TC and LDL cholesterol , when PO was substituted for MUFAs and PUFAs , were not significant in young people and in subjects with diets with a lower percentage of energy from fat .
Both favorable and unfavorable changes in CHD/CVD risk markers occurred when PO was substituted for the primary dietary fats , whereas only favorable changes occurred when PO was substituted for trans fatty acids .
BACKGROUND Palm oil ( PO ) may be an unhealthy fat because of its high saturated fatty acid content .
OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the effect of substituting PO for other primary dietary fats on blood lipid-related markers of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) .
Effect of dietary stearic acid on plasma cholesterol and lipoprotein levels.
We studied the metabolic effects of stearic acid ( 18:0 ) on  plasma lipoprotein levels in 11 subjects during three dietary periods of three weeks each . The three liquid-formula diets , which were used in r and om order , were high in palmitic acid ( 16:0 ) , stearic acid , and oleic acid ( 18:1 ) , respectively . Caloric intakes were the same during the three periods . As compared with the values observed when the subjects were on the high-palmitic-acid diet , plasma total cholesterol decreased by an average of 14 percent during consumption of the high-stearic-acid diet ( P less than 0.005 ) and by 10 percent during consumption of the high-oleic-acid diet ( P less than 0.02 ) . Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels fell by 21 percent in subjects on the high-stearic-acid diet ( P less than 0.005 ) and by 15 percent in subjects on the high-oleic-acid diet ( P less than 0.005 ) . No significant differences were observed in the plasma levels of triglycerides or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol among the three diets . Measurements of the intestinal absorption of palmitic , stearic , and oleic acids revealed essentially complete absorption of each during the three dietary periods . The oleic acid content of plasma triglycerides and cholesteryl esters increased significantly during the high-stearic-acid period , suggesting that stearic acid is rapidly converted to oleic acid . We conclude that stearic acid appears to be as effective as oleic acid in lowering plasma cholesterol levels when either replaces palmitic acid in the diet
Comparison of PO diets with diets rich in stearic acid , monounsaturated fatty acids ( MUFAs ) , and polyunsaturated fatty acids ( PUFAs ) showed significantly higher TC , LDL cholesterol , apolipoprotein B , HDL cholesterol , and apolipoprotein A-I , whereas most of the same biomarkers were significantly lower when compared with diets rich in myristic/lauric acid .
Comparison of PO-rich diets with diets rich in trans fatty acids showed significantly higher concentrations of HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I and significantly lower apolipoprotein B , triacylglycerols , and TC/HDL cholesterol .
Stratified and meta-regression analyses showed that the higher concentrations of TC and LDL cholesterol , when PO was substituted for MUFAs and PUFAs , were not significant in young people and in subjects with diets with a lower percentage of energy from fat .
Both favorable and unfavorable changes in CHD/CVD risk markers occurred when PO was substituted for the primary dietary fats , whereas only favorable changes occurred when PO was substituted for trans fatty acids .
BACKGROUND Palm oil ( PO ) may be an unhealthy fat because of its high saturated fatty acid content .
OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the effect of substituting PO for other primary dietary fats on blood lipid-related markers of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) .