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_: Olive oil is touted as the gold standard among all edible oils today; a reputation that has been gained primarily from its association of a lower incidence of heart disease among the Mediterranean populations who have traditionally consumed olive oil as their main dietary fat. The component of interest is the monounsaturated oleic acid content of olive oil, which on average is about 70% of its composition. Epidemiological studies have been further validated by clinical studies under controlled laboratory conditions that show a beneficial effect of monounsaturated oleic acid and especially that from olive oil. Other monounsaturated oils such as canola and rapeseed, although lower in their oleic acid content, have similarly piggy backed on the claim that they too are beneficial. This is despite the fact that there appears to be very little validation by direct comparison between olive and these monounsaturated oils.
An unexpected dietary oil within this group of monounsaturated oils is Palm Olein, the liquid fraction of palm oil, and a mainstay of the dietary oil consumed in many parts of the Asian continent with its large population mass. Currently, the palm olein that is available globally averages 47-53% of its composition as the same oleic acid that is found in olive oil and the other monounsaturated oils. Does lower content of oleic acid compared to olive oil mean that palm olein is not a match for olive oil in terms of its nutritional quality? Consider the following facts and make a healthy choice.
What is the level of oleic acid required for optimum human nutrition?
With all the hype about monounsaturated fatty acids, you would have thought that there would be an easy and straightforward answer to this obvious question. Unfortunately,...