Do different fats change bad cholesterol in monkeys?
Effect of palm olein oil in a moderate-fat diet on low-density lipoprotein composition in non-human primates.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Palm olein had no worse effect on LDL than lard or sunflower oil over 24 months.
Palm oil is often vilified as a 'tropical saturated fat' linked to heart disease, but this study found no difference compared to animal fat or polyunsaturated sunflower oil.
Practical Takeaways
If you're eating moderate amounts of fat, choosing palm oil over lard or sunflower oil likely won't change your LDL profile.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Palm olein had no worse effect on LDL than lard or sunflower oil over 24 months.
Palm oil is often vilified as a 'tropical saturated fat' linked to heart disease, but this study found no difference compared to animal fat or polyunsaturated sunflower oil.
Practical Takeaways
If you're eating moderate amounts of fat, choosing palm oil over lard or sunflower oil likely won't change your LDL profile.
Publication
Journal
Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition
Year
2002
Authors
P. V. van Jaarsveld, A. Benadé
Related Content
Claims (4)
When monkeys ate a high-fat diet, their bad cholesterol went up not because each particle got fuller of cholesterol, but because there were way more particles floating around in their blood.
When monkeys ate a lot of fat and cholesterol for just 6 weeks, their bad cholesterol levels went up, their good cholesterol didn't keep up, and their cholesterol particles didn't get bigger—just more numerous.
When monkeys ate a diet with moderate fat, it didn't matter if the fat came from palm oil, lard, or sunflower oil— their 'bad cholesterol' particles stayed the same in number, shape, and content.
Historical human populations consuming diets high in saturated fat from animal sources likely had higher circulating LDL cholesterol levels than contemporary populations, yet exhibited negligible rates of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.