Mumbai, September 26, 2025: The global edible oils industry received a wake-up call today as leading nutrition scientist Dr. James Brooks challenged decades of dietary dogma at Globoil India 2025, the world’s premier oils conference.
Dr. Brooks, a professor at Clemson University, addressed an audience of international industry leaders and policymakers, asserting that the widespread “fear of fats” dominating dietary advice since the 1950s is scientifically unfounded. He emphasized that palm oil deserves recognition as a valuable component of a healthy diet.
Tracing the origins of today’s fat phobia to Ancel Keys’ controversial ‘lipid-heart hypothesis’ and The Seven Countries Study, Dr. Brooks highlighted critical flaws in the decades-old approach that pushed the reduction of all fats—including total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol—in favor of polyunsaturated fats to reduce heart disease risk.
Citing research by Ateneo de Manila University chemist Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit and American physician Dr. Mary T. Newport (2024), Dr. Brooks explained that the hypothesis failed to distinguish between harmful industrial trans fats and natural saturated fats, assumed all saturated fats have the same effect, and narrowly focused on linoleic acid as the sole representative polyunsaturated fat. While these studies showed cholesterol reduction, they did not demonstrate a corresponding decrease in cardiovascular disease.
In his presentation titled “Malaysian Palm Oil in Today’s Market: Functional Nutrition, Flavor & the Future of Oils & Fats Technologies,” Dr. Brooks outlined palm oil’s balanced nutritional profile: approximately 50% saturated fat, 40% monounsaturated fat, and 10% polyunsaturated fat. He noted that palm oil is naturally free from trans fats and cholesterol, and rich in Vitamin E tocotrienols—potent antioxidants with anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective, and neuroprotective properties. Referencing studies by Teh et al. (2018), Wang (2019), and Marangoni et al. (2017), he affirmed that palm oil has neutral to beneficial effects on blood lipid profiles, comparable to olive, sunflower, and canola oils.
Linking these findings to India, Dr. Brooks highlighted the 2024 Dietary Guidelines for India released by the Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN). The guidelines recognize fats as essential to a balanced diet and advocate moderate consumption of a variety of plant-based oils, including palm oil, to optimize health outcomes.
Expanding on global evidence, Dr. Brooks referenced long-term research such as the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), which showed that simply reducing fat intake does not lower cardiovascular risk. Follow-up of nearly 49,000 women revealed that low-fat diets failed to produce meaningful weight loss or reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes, underscoring the need to focus on fat quality and dietary balance rather than fat quantity alone.
Concluding, Dr. Brooks said, “Palm oil is often misunderstood, but science confirms it can be part of a balanced, heart-healthy diet. Its unique fatty acid profile, rich Vitamin E content, and versatility make it a vital ingredient in addressing global food and nutrition needs. India’s National Mission on Edible Oils–Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMEO) exemplifies this, promoting farmer welfare, self-reliance, and sustainability, while reinforcing palm oil’s nutritional and economic relevance.”
