DO WE STILL HAVE TO DEFEND IT?
MPOC Corrects Jane Brody's Statement
This article was published in the New Straits Times, Friday, 22 September 2006

FOR so long, the leading commodity export of Malaysia has been maligned by competitors unable to face the heat of the competition from Malaysian palm oil. One of these attacks came in a report by Jane E. Brody "The loaded message of margarine" (NST, Sept 19). To be fair, the report itself raised awareness among consumers of the health hazards of margarine made from hydrogenated fats. As Malaysians, we are probably the only nation in the world today that has been spared this nutritional malaise because of our now traditional use of palm oil in place of hydrogenated fats.

The sensitive issue to us is this reference by Brody: "Tropical oils like palm oil, are reintroducing more heart damaging saturated fats and causing environmental devastation in several countries where palm trees grow."

In our eyes, Brody has taken up the campaign against palm oil even when the evidence points otherwise.

Is there any truth in the claim by Brody when she refers to palm oil and heart health?

When the issue of hydrogenated fats first exploded in 1990, our research team at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) led by Dr Kalyana Sundram quickly established a significant benefit against cardiovascular risk (reduced blood cholesterol levels) through the consumption of palm oil versus trans fats.

This and other ground-breaking work was published in leading American and European biomedical journals and became a work of reference that received citations from leaders in the field, including those from Harvard Medical school.

The significance of these efforts is further underwritten by the fact that we have been called upon to provide expert consultation on the very subject of trans fatty acids to the likes of Canadian, Codex Alimentarius (under the Food and Agricultural Organisation and World Health Organisation), Indian and various other health authorities.

We are currently in the process of participating in another trans fat consultation through an invitation by the American Heart Association early next month in the United States.

We have continuously risen to greater heights in this and other areas of palm oil research.

The fact that the American food industry is faced with a major dilemma in its efforts to overcome the trans issue in the American food chain and the fact that palm oil is increasingly being eyed as the logical natural alternative to this peculiar American problem says it all.

Further testimony comes from the success of a joint research between Sundram and Hayes (Brandeis University) that resulted in several biomedical patents based on palm oil.

These patents led to the evolution of a trans health margarine product series called "Smart Balance".

Today, this palm-based innovation is worth almost RM500 million per annum in the US alone.

By TAN SRI DATUK DR YUSOF BASIRON,
Chief Executive Officer, Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC)