Myth:
Palm Oil is unhealthy oil full of saturated fats that promotes heart disease.

Facts:
Two Oils
Oil Palm fruit produces two types of oil. Palm Oil (PO) from the flesh of the fruit and Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) from the seed kernel - in the ratio of 4 to 1. PO is around 40-50% saturated, whilst PKO is around 75-80% saturated. Saturated fat is defined as solid at room temperature and whose fatty acid chain cannot incorporate additional hydrogen atom.

No all Saturated Fats are bad for Cholesterol
The general hypothesis that all forms of saturated fat are bad for health is simply wrong, because many past studies concluding saturated fat promotes heart disease were actually done using hydrogenated polyunsaturated fats (associated with trans-fat). Studies have shown that there is no relation between saturated fat intake and risk of coronary heart disease.

Saturated fats are needed for many bodily processes, such as the following:

• They are needed to maintain cell membranes, which are at least 50% saturated fat, giving them stiffness and integrity.
• They keep our bones strong and healthy by allowing calcium to be incorporated into them. This requires >50% of dietary fat to be saturated.
• They enhance the immune system
• They aid in utilization of essential fatty acids, and help to retain omega 3's in the tissues Short & medium chain fatty acids have anti-microbial properties and protect against harmful micro-organisms in the digestive tract

Studies have shown that not all saturated fats alleviate cholesterol, and not all cholesterol promotes heart disease. It's the low-density-lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) that poses health threats. High-density-lipoprotein (good cholesterol) serves as transporter that removes cholesterol from vulnerable areas, taking it back to the liver for recycling & disposal.

Palm oil's saturated fats have been shown to have neutral to favorable impact on cholesterol. Palm Oil's unsaturated fats comprise of largely monounsaturated fats that tend to lower bad cholesterol without also lowering the good cholesterol (unlike polyunsaturated fats). To top that off, palm oil is rich source of nutrients such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, vitamin E tocotrienols, Iycopene and other carotenoids which acts as super-antioxidant that helps reduce cancer risks and fight free radicals in the body. Palm oil also contains linoleic acid, which is an essential fatty acid that the body cannot produce.

The best part is that palm oil has similar functional properties of hydrogenated oils without the associated health threats. Other liquid oils are hydrogenated into solid fats to increase stability, shelf live, and melting points for broader food industry use. The hydrogenation process alters the fat molecules configuration from a state known as 'cis' form to a 'trans' form. Similar molecular transformation also happens when deep-frying with oils that has low heat stability. Trans-fat (named after its configuration) when consumed takes around 3 times longer to metabolize in the body, increases bad cholesterol, and reduces good cholesterol. Trans-fat is dangerous and more harmful than saturated fats. Palm oil is trans-free, cholesterol-free, and has high oxidative stability.