My household in Ntigha cooks soups with red palm oil, fries akara in palm olein and uses olive oil for other dishes. Comparing palm oil vs other cooking oils is something many families do without a chart. This page sets the oils side by side, using official data and major health reviews.
No cooking oil is a single nutrient, and each one carries its own mix of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat.
That mix explains most of the health differences between palm, olive, coconut, groundnut, soybean, sunflower and canola oils.
This page compares those fat profiles in one table, using official figures from the US Department of Agriculture.
We also look closely at what the World Health Organization and American Heart Association advise.
It also compares palm oil with each popular oil and weighs the omega-6 debate.
Red palm oil’s extra nutrients and its place in West African kitchens are covered here too.
Whichever oils share your kitchen shelf, red oil for soups should be fresh and unadulterated. The shop page sells pure, fresh red oil, shipped across Nigeria from a family farm in Abia State.
Table of Contents
What Makes One Cooking Oil Healthier Than Another?
A cooking oil’s health effect depends mainly on its fat mix, the amount eaten and the fat it replaces in the diet.
Saturated fat tends to raise LDL cholesterol, while unsaturated fats from plants tend to lower it when they replace saturated fat.
Oils also carry smaller compounds, such as vitamin E, carotenoids and polyphenols, which differ widely between oils.
How an oil is processed matters too, since refining removes many of those compounds.
No single oil is best for every dish, so the healthier choice also depends on how the oil is used.
Fat Profiles Side by Side
The table shows approximate grams of each fat type in 100 grams of oil. Figures are rounded from USDA FoodData Central, the US government’s food composition database.
| Oil | Saturated fat | Monounsaturated fat | Polyunsaturated fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm oil | 49 g | 37 g | 9 g |
| Palm kernel oil | 82 g | 11 g | 2 g |
| Coconut oil | 82 g | 6 g | 2 g |
| Butter, for reference | 51 g | 21 g | 3 g |
| Olive oil | 14 g | 73 g | 11 g |
| Groundnut oil | 17 g | 46 g | 32 g |
| Soybean oil | 16 g | 23 g | 58 g |
| Sunflower oil, standard | 10 g | 20 g | 66 g |
| Canola oil | 7 g | 63 g | 28 g |
Red palm oil has the same fatty acids as refined palm oil, so its fat profile matches the palm oil row. The four palm oils are compared in detail in red, crude, refined and kernel compared.
What Health Bodies Advise About Fat
The World Health Organization updated its guidance in 2023, advising that saturated fat supply no more than 10 percent of total energy intake. It also advised keeping trans fats below 1 percent of total energy.
The WHO suggested replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat, plant monounsaturated fat or fiber-rich carbohydrates such as whole grains and pulses.
A 2017 American Heart Association advisory reviewed trials that replaced saturated fat with polyunsaturated vegetable oil.
Those trials reduced cardiovascular disease by about 30 percent, similar to statin treatment.
Neither body bans any single oil outright, and both look at the total pattern of fat in the diet. Palm oil deserves to be judged the same way, within the whole diet.
Palm Oil vs Olive Oil
Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat, while palm oil is about half saturated fat. On the fat profile alone, olive oil fits the WHO and AHA advice more closely.
Trials comparing the two directly found palm oil raised LDL modestly against olive oil. Those trials, and their limits, are set out in the palm oil cholesterol trials.
Extra virgin olive oil also carries polyphenols, while refined palm oil loses most of its natural compounds. Olive oil costs far more than palm oil in Nigeria, which matters for most households.
Palm Oil vs Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is far more saturated than palm oil, at around four fifths of its fat. It is rich in lauric and myristic acids rather than palmitic acid.
A 2020 meta-analysis in Circulation pooled 16 clinical trials that tested coconut oil in people. Coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol by about 10 mg/dL compared with nontropical vegetable oils, though it also raised HDL.
The authors concluded that coconut oil gives clearly higher LDL than nontropical vegetable oils. Palm kernel oil shares coconut oil’s fat profile, as covered in kernel oil’s health questions.
Palm Oil vs Groundnut Oil
Groundnut oil, called peanut oil abroad, is widely sold in Nigeria and suits frying and stews. It carries about a third of palm oil’s saturated fat, with more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat.
On fat profile, groundnut oil sits closer to health body advice than palm oil does. It carries no carotenoids, however, and cannot replace red oil’s color or flavor in Nigerian soups.
Palm Oil vs Soybean, Sunflower and Canola Oils
These seed oils are low in saturated fat and high in polyunsaturated fat, and canola is rich in monounsaturated fat too. They are the oils most trials used as healthier swaps for saturated fat.
Palm oil has an edge in heat stability, since its saturated fat resists breakdown during frying. That frying behavior, and safe reuse limits, are covered in frying with palm olein.
The Omega-6 Question
Soybean, sunflower and groundnut oils are rich in omega-6 linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat.
Some online sources claim omega-6 fats cause inflammation, though the evidence for that is weak.
A 2009 American Heart Association advisory advised getting at least 5 to 10 percent of calories from omega-6 fats. Its lead author said the inflammation idea rests on assumptions rather than hard data.
The advisory noted that people eating the most omega-6 usually had the least heart disease in observational studies. Debate continues online, but major health bodies have not reversed this position.
Where Palm Oil Holds Its Own
Palm oil is not the healthiest oil on fat profile alone, but it has real strengths that tables miss.
- Nutrients in red oil. Red palm oil carries carotenoids and vitamin E that refined oils lack, as covered in carotenoids, vitamin E and red oil.
- No trans fats. Palm oil stays semi-solid without partial hydrogenation, so it replaced trans fats in many foods.
- Heat stability. Its saturated fat resists breakdown during frying better than many seed oils.
- Cost and local supply. In West Africa it is cheap, local and fresh, while olive oil is imported and costly.
The risks that balance these strengths are set out in palm oil’s health risks.
Which Oil Suits Which Use
| Use | Oils that suit it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nigerian soups and stews | Red palm oil | Nothing else gives the same color and flavor |
| Deep frying | Palm olein, groundnut oil | Both hold up well under heat |
| Salad dressings | Olive oil, canola oil | Liquid oils high in unsaturated fat |
| Gentle sautéing | Olive oil, canola oil | Suits lower heat cooking |
| Baking | Palm shortening, butter, canola oil | Solid fats give texture, liquid oils suit some cakes |
Conclusion
On fat profile, olive, canola, groundnut, soybean and sunflower oils sit closer to WHO and AHA advice than palm oil.
Coconut and palm kernel oils are more saturated than palm oil, and coconut oil raised LDL in trials.
Palm oil holds its own on heat stability, trans fat replacement and cost, while red palm oil adds carotenoids and vitamin E.
The healthiest approach for most people is a varied mix of oils, used in sensible amounts.
Talk with a qualified health professional before changing oils if cholesterol or heart health is a concern.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is palm oil healthier than olive oil?
On fat profile olive oil is healthier, being mostly monounsaturated, while palm oil is half saturated. Direct trials found that palm oil raised LDL modestly against olive oil.
Is palm oil better than coconut oil?
Palm oil is less saturated than coconut oil, at half versus four fifths of its fat. A 2020 meta-analysis found that coconut oil raised LDL against nontropical oils.
Is groundnut oil healthier than palm oil?
Groundnut oil carries a third of palm oil’s saturated fat, closer to health advice. Still, groundnut oil cannot replace red palm oil in Nigerian soups or stews either.
Do omega-6 oils cause inflammation?
A 2009 American Heart Association advisory found little hard evidence that omega-6 fats cause inflammation. It advised getting at least 5 to 10 percent of calories from them.
Disclaimer. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or nutritional advice. The author is not a registered dietitian or medical professional. Where the research on health effects is mixed or contested, this is stated clearly in the article. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes.
Chimeremeze Emeh is a tropical crop farmer and chemical engineer from Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Abia State, Eastern Nigeria, specializing in palm oil and cassava, with over 30 years of hands-on experience growing, harvesting, and processing red palm oil. He runs community engagement workshops for rural farmers in Ntigha focused on palm tree care, and operates Palm Oil Pathway as a registered agribusiness and sells red palm oil in 1L, 2L, 3L, and 25L packaging. Built around red palm oil production. He is also the founder of Cassava Pathway, a CAMA-registered agribusiness founded in 2024, where he applies the same tropical farming expertise to cassava flour and starch production.