Isn palm oil a tropical oil, which is high in saturated fats and should be avoided?
Tropical oils are generally thought of as having a high saturated fat content and should be avoided. Although, palm oil is grown in the tropical regions, compared to other tropical oils, its saturated fat content is approximately 30% less. Palm oil is often confused with the more highly saturated palm kernel oil and coconut oil. Studies have found that, unlike coconut oil, palm oil’s impact on serum lipid and lipoprotein profiles compares favorably to corn oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, and olive oil. A 1995 study comparing the effect of palm olein and olive oil diets on twenty-one healthy, free-living normocholesterolemic subjects found no difference in total and LDL-cholesterol levels. In sum, palm oil appears to affect serum lipids more like a monounsaturated than a saturated oil.
