Many people still think of palm oil as containing cholesterol and can trigger heart disease. But in fact, such assumption is wrong and not based on scientific facts. Derived from plant, the palm oil has no cholesterol content. The public should know the true facts of palm oil to enable them to make the right choice from various kinds of vegetable oils for their daily consumption.
Analysing Myths and Facts
A myth adopted by many people has it that consuming palm oil can increase the level of blood cholesterol, especially the bad cholesterol (LDL), which can cause heart disease. But as a matter of fact, the palm oil is a kind of vegetable oil derived from plant that has no cholesterol content. Naturally, only animal products, such as beef, pork, fish, chicken, and milk, contain the cholesterol.
For comparison, 100 grams of beef, pork, or fish contain around 50-70 mg of cholesterol, while palm oil contains no cholesterol at all.
Palm benefits for heart health
Palm oil is not only free from cholesterol. It also has other benefits as mentioned below:
- Increase good cholesterol (HDL)
Consuming palm oil can increase HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) levels or good cholesterol, which plays a role in protecting blood vessels from blockage. - Reduce Bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides
A number of researches show that the consumption of palm oil in reasonable quantity can reduce the LDL and triglycerides, which are two main factors of triggering cardiovascular disease.
- Rich in Bioactive content
Palm oil contains bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids, vitamin E (tocotrienols and tocopherols), squalene, and ubiquinone. Those compounds are cardio-protective, which provide protection for the health of human heart through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
It means that the palm oil is not the cause of heart disease as suggested by the myth. In fact, with its complete nutritional content and free of cholesterol, palm oil is the safe and healthy choice of vegetable oil if it is consumed in a reasonable and balanced quantity. Considering the circulation of such myth and negative campaigns among the general public, then positive campaigns based on true facts of palm oil are needed to educate the public with a view to preventing them from falling into the misleading stigmas. (*)
