Fatty acid requirements
The recommendations for total fat intake are subdivided for specific fatty acids. Several organisations suggest keeping SFA consumption below 10%E.
However, a meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal in 2015 found no association between high levels of saturated fats in the diet and coronary heart disease (CHD); and no association was found between saturated fat consumption and other life-threatening diseases like stroke or type 2 diabetes.
It is trans fats that are associated with all-cause mortality, total CHD and CHD mortality. Due to this, the recommendation is to restrict intake to below 1%E.
The recommended PUFA intake ranges between 5% and 12%E. However, some set recommendations for specific PUFA including Omega-3 fatty acids like ALA, EPA and DHA; and Omega-6 fatty acids like LA and, in some cases, also arachidonic acid.
The recommendation for LA (Omega-6) is about 1-10E%, with the FAO/WHO advising 2.5-9%E. For ALA (Omega-3), the recommendation is 0.2-2E%, with the FAO/WHO advising about 2%E. For EPA/DHA, most organisations recommend 0.25-2gm per day.
The majority of dietary recommendations do not have specific advice for MUFA, although there is an indication of 10-20%E by the FAO.
Finding the right balance
All the fatty acids should be consumed in a balanced manner to prevent deficiency symptoms. Unfortunately, no single vegetable oil or fat can meet all the nutritional and dietetic requirements with a well-defined fatty acid balance.
The solution lies in the blending of oils to provide the proportionate requirements of SFA, MUFA and PUFA. One of the best combinations to obtain the required balanced fatty acid composition could be palm oil and soybean oil in equal proportions.
Soybean oil provides Omega-3 fatty acids. Palm oil contains 40-45% SFA (palmitic acid), 35-40% MUFA (oleic acid) and about 10% PUFA (linoleic acid). Whenever MUFA- or PUFA-rich oils have to be balanced with SFA, palm oil is the only optimum source of SFA. It is also a natural substitute for hydrogenated oils that create trans fats.
In addition, palm oil contains unique nutraceuticals such as beta carotene and tocotrienols along with tocopherols and squalene. Tocotrienols are isomers of Vitamin E and are known to exhibit powerful antioxidant properties with anti-inflammatory effects. They also impact lipid metabolism via a key regulatory enzyme.
Dr RBN Prasad
Platinum Jubilee Mentor & Former Chief Scientist,
Centre for Lipid Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology
Hyderabad, India
