Comparative Study of the Lipid and Lipoprotein Profile of Overweight Consumers Versus Non-consumers of Palm Oil at the National Institute of Public Health, Côte d’Ivoire

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Palm oil is often not recommended to overweight patients, on the pretext that it provides saturated fat and cardiovascular diseases. This work studied variations in lipid and lipoprotein parameters in overweight consumers versus non-consumers of palm oil who came for visits at the nutrition department of the National Institute of Public Health of Adjamé in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. We included 328 overweight subjects, including 227 palm oil consumers and 101 non-consumers, in a three-month descriptive and analytical cross-sectional, prospective study. The lipid parameters analysed by enzymatic technique were total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterol. The atherogenicity index was also determined. The comparison of proportions was made by the chi square-test (5%). Moderate obesity accounted for 41.6%, overweight 31.2%. Among the patients, 89% consumed palm oil, and 11% did not. In palm oil consumers, 64.2% had normal cholesterol, while 16.1% had hypercholesterolemia. Among non-consumers, 75% had normal cholesterol compared to 25% hypercholesterolemia. The difference was not significant in both groups. Serum triglycerides, HDL, LDL cholesterols, and atherogenicity index varied in the same range as total cholesterol, with no significant difference observable, whatever the form of palm oil consumed. The non-significative variation of lipid and lipoprotein parameters in palm oil consumers and non-consumers, showed that normal consumption of palm oil has no significant effect on weight gain. This consumption is beneficial because of the presence of antioxidants in palm oil, which gives it its health and nutritional benefits.