Chennai: Palm oil is one of the most versatile oils used for cooking. It contains monounsaturated fats which are proven to be beneficial for health and is free from cholesterol and trans-fat which are considered unhealthy and detrimental to the body.
There is evidence that a diet containing palm oil can actually reduce cholesterol levels: in a 2015 clinical trial published in the journal Food and Function, both palm oil and olive oil reduced cholesterol by 15 per cent.
Palm oil contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are known to be beneficial to health Vegetable oil such as soybean, rapeseed and sunflower are liquid at room temperature, so in order to be useful in many food products it has to go through an industrial process to turn it into a semi-solid. That process, known as hydrogenation, creates trans fats which are known to be linked to cardiovascular disease. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, replacing trans fats with palm oil reduces heart disease risk markers and improves blood lipids.
According to Hj Wan Zawawi Wan Ismail, CEO, Malaysian Palm Oil Council, “Due to its multifaceted composition, various benefits are attributed to the Palm Oil such as supporter of vision and health, neuroprotective, cardio protective and potential anti- carcinogenic properties.”