Despite containing about 42% of palmitic acid, many studies in human and animal models reported that palm oil does not behave like a saturated fat; the cholesterol-raising potential of palm oil is often much weaker than predicted by either the Keys or Hegsted equations. We now have evidence that the structure of the palm fat molecule, and the intrinsic distribution of the tocotrienols and carotenoids present in the oil, can reduce atherosclerosis.

In the present study, Kritchevsky and associates from The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia compared the atherogenic properties of red palm oil (RPO), refined palm oil (PO), and randomised PO. The test fats were incorporated at 32% kcal into atherogenic semipurified diets containing 0.2% cholesterol and fed to rabbits for 65 days, at the end of which atherosclerotic lesions at the aortic arch and thoracic aorta were measured.