ARS: Palm Oil Not a Healthy Substitute for Trans Fats

WASHINGTON—A new Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-supported study suggests that palm oil is not a good substitute for trans fats by the food industry.

The clinical trial was designed to compare—on heart disease risk—the effect of four different oils as they are commonly consumed.

Fifteen adults volunteered for the study. Their levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol were moderately high at 130 milligrams per deciliter of blood or above, and all were aged 50 or older. They each consumed each of four 35-day experimental diets. The fats tested were partially hydrogenated soybean oil (moderately high in trans fat), palm oil (high in saturated fat), canola oil (high in monounsaturated fat), and soybean oil (high in polyunsaturated fat).

The findings suggest that consuming either of the diets enriched with equivalent high amounts of palm oil or partially hydrogenated soybean oil would result in similar unfavorable levels of LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B. That's when compared to consuming either of the diets enriched with canola and soybean oils high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, respectively.