Palm oil lowers blood fats

[Guest guest]

Brazilian study claims crude unrefined palm oil lowers blood lipid

levels, possibly due to its properties: in crude palm oil, palmitic

acid is attached to the glycerol molecule in the alpha position

instead of the beta-position, like it is in butter (which is known to

raise blood fats).

34 subjects consumed 10 ml of crude palm oil after lunch or dinner

once a day for two weeks. At the end of the study, the researchers

report 11.5% decrease in concentrations of vLDL-cholesterol and

triacylglycerol.

But, men in particular showed a rise in LDL-cholesterol levels (18 per

cent), while females showed a mildly significant drop in all blood

lipid levels, except for HDL.

Facts stated seem conflicting, but interesting article nevertheless.

Dave

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link:

http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=80412 & m=1NIEO09 & c=lqeudkujayvvlpc

full text:

Crude palm oil may lower blood fat levels

By ls

09/10/2007- A diet rich in crude palm oil, different from the refined

industrial oil, may reduce blood levels of very LDL-C and

triacylglycerol in healthy, young individuals, Brazilian researchers

report.

The study, published on-line in the Elsevier journal Nutrition, adds

to the debate on palm oil and heart health - a controversial topic

with conflicting reports in the literature on the efficacy and health

profile.

The controversy is centred on the saturated fat content of palm oil,

with almost half of the oil composed of palmitic oil, a C16:0

saturated fatty acid. However, researchers have noted that the nature

of the oil may affect the cholesterol-influencing properties. In crude

palm oil, the palmitic acid is attached to the glycerol molecule in

the alpha position instead of the beta-position, as is observed in

butter - a fat with known cholesterol-raising activity

The new study, by researchers from the Bahia Foundation for the

Development of Sciences, the Federal University of Bahia Medical

School, and the Bahian Hypertension and Atherosclerosis League, looked

at the effect of a crude palm oil-rich diet on the blood lipid levels

of 34 young individuals (average age 21.9).

The subjects (average BMI 22.0 kg per sq. m), consumed 10 millilitres

of previously boiled crude palm oil after lunch or dinner once a day

for two weeks. At the end of the study, the researchers report that

all lipid fractions decreased, with a mild, statistically significant

11.5 per cent decrease in concentrations of vLDL-cholesterol and

triacylglycerol.

" This study offered an opportunity to observe the influence of the

daily consumption of boiled crude palm oil on the lipid profile of

young and healthy non-dyslipidemic subjects, " wrote lead author Ana

Marice Ladeia.

" It is important to point out that the methodology of this study tried

to reproduce the amount and conditions in which crude palm oil is

consumed with common foods typical of Bahian cuisine and its African

traditions, " she added.

The researchers also noted gender-specific effects, with men showing a

mildly significant rise in LDL-cholesterol levels (18 per cent), while

females showed a mildly significant drop in all blood lipid levels,

except for HDL-cholesterol.

The mechanism for the lipid-lowering effects of the crude palm oil may

depend on multiple factors, said the researchers, including the

attachment of plamitic acid to glycerol.

They also added that crude palm oil is a very rich source of vitamin

E, beta-carotene, and tocotrienols, previously reported to have

cholesterol-lowering effects.

" The data of the present study reinforce the evidence that palm oil

cannot be classified as a cholesterol-raising oil, " wrote Marice Ladeia.

" Plasma lipid response to a palm oil-rich diet was found to be mild in

intensity and appeared to be dependent on variables such as age,

gender, increased BMI, daily cholesterol ingestion, and the crude,

refined, or synthetic nature of the oil consumed.

" Furthermore, scientific evidence of palm oil as an atherogenic edible

oil for humans is still lacking and awaits further well-designed

studies, " she concluded.

Source: Nutrition (Elsevier)

Published on-line ahead of print, doi:10.1016/j.nut.2007.08.013

" A palm oil-rich diet may reduce serum lipids in healthy young

individuals "

Authors: Ana Marice Ladeia, E. Costa-Matos, R. Barata-Passos and A.

Costa Guimaraes