I've found a study suggesting that palm oil raises LDL cholesterol less than other sources of Saturated Fatty Acids including coconut, dairy, and animal products. I know something like olive oil is the "healthier choice" when it comes to blood lipids, but I'm seeing palm oil and more and more products and have heard it vilified quite heavily. This is just one study, but is perhaps palm oil not all that harmful...environmental impact notwithstanding.
*Link to study:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1836037/
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01-19-2021, 05:29 PM #1
Palm Oil Less Harmful Than Other Sources of SFAs?
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01-19-2021, 05:39 PM #2
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I could be wrong, but I think I recall palm oil having some added issue concerning inflammation because it's also higher in n6... but I could be wrong.
I also think that calorie-for-calorie palm oil actually has less % of total fat as saturated, so maybe that plays into it?
Either way, I know what you're doing: you saw palm oil in the Mint Builder Bars and you're looking for a reason to smash a whole box.
You can't fool me, shadow.
I see you."When I die, I hope it's early in the morning so I don't have to go to work that day for no reason"
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01-19-2021, 08:05 PM #3
Have only heard it vilified due to the destruction of natural habitats of Orangutans and other primates and endangered animals who have nowhere to go once the forests are chopped down for the oil. Whereas if you chop down a corn field or olive farm you may upset some crickets and roaches.
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01-19-2021, 10:05 PM #4
I had a look at it. First thing I noticed is that there wasn't any study done, it's one author giving his opinion in 1991. That's rather old for a topic like this. He works for the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia. The paper got published in the Medical Journal of Malaysia. I've never heard of it.
Here's a more recent meta analysis:
Conclusions: Palm oil consumption results in higher LDL cholesterol than do vegetable oils low in saturated fat
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25995283/
This was a pretty good read: https://www.health.harvard.edu/stayi...l_good_for_you
From what I've seen the whole concern around n6 and inflammation is poorly supported.
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01-24-2021, 06:25 PM #5
You got me, bro. I actually recently ate about half a box in 2 days anyway. Srs. Regardless, it was worth it
Ahhh, I didn't have time to look into the article itself much when I posted but that makes sense. The Harvard thing was great. It's good to know it's a better choice than butter, though still not exactly a health food. It's also interesting to me how, despite having equal levels of SFA, different food sources have differing effects on LDL levels. I believe that full fat yogurt, for example, is less harmful for blood lipids than the same amount of of SFA coming from something like red meat. I believe this comes down to the molecular structure of the SFAs themselves. What we consider "saturated fat" is a very wide range of compounds. I'd like to see more about how different types of SFAs have divergent effects on the body. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why there's so much controversy surrounding Saturated Fat and health?
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01-25-2021, 02:03 AM #6
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01-25-2021, 04:43 AM #7
Different SFAs have been shown to have different impacts on blood cholesterol levels. Dairy typically has odd-chained SFAs which may play a role. Look here for more reading: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/9/2200
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01-25-2021, 06:03 AM #8
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01-25-2021, 06:11 AM #9
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01-25-2021, 08:18 AM #10
Unfortunately not an RCT...
the replacement of 5% of energy intake from dairy fat with equivalent energy intake from polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) or vegetable fat was associated with 24% (RR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.71, 0.81) and 10% (RR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.87, 0.93) lower risk of CVD
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27557656/
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01-25-2021, 02:35 PM #11
This is the study I was thinking of: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32020168/ They actually changed SFAs with MUFAs, not PUFAs, but regardless they saw benefit.
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01-25-2021, 05:26 PM #12
Do you think that, down the line, it'll make sense to no longer classify SFAs all under the same umbrella? I'm sure the current guidelines assume much of our SFA intake comes from things like meat, eggs, and butter. Most people aren't getting the majority of their sat fat. from things like whole milk yogurt though, so maybe that would needlessly complicate things from a public health perspective.
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01-25-2021, 05:40 PM #13
It would definitely complicate things, but from a physiological perspective I think they should be separated. As time goes on I think we will better appreciate the role of the full food matrix as opposed to the specific nutrients, but this will make everything even more confusing.
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01-25-2021, 06:23 PM #14
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01-25-2021, 11:17 PM #15
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01-25-2021, 11:34 PM #16
I have my doubts about how useful it would be. Iirc the fat in dairy is high on palmitic acid, so is beef. It seems that replacing SFA from full fat dairy with unsaturated fats still lowers LDL. Stearic acid seems to be an exception, it's a SFA that tends to lower ldl. Iirc it's in dark chocolate.
If there are differences in health outcomes it may not necessarily come from the composition of SFA but from the food matrix, as mentioned by Heisman.Last edited by Mrpb; 01-26-2021 at 03:52 AM.
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01-26-2021, 01:56 AM #17
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