Towards improved fat intake and nutrition for Malaysians

An examination of the fat composition of the diet of a Malaysian urban hostel population obtained by chemical analysis of representative meals prepared by a 7-day rotation menu, revealed both nutritional attributes and limitations when compared against the dietary messages contained in the American Heart Association (AHA) and World Health Organisation (WHO) models. The Malaysian diet supplies 26% kcal i.e. 66 g total fat (51 g vegetable fats, 15 g animal fats) and contains <300 mg cholesterol, which are below the upper limits for these dietary constituents in the AHA and WHO models and conflicts with the perception that Malaysians in general, may be consuming too much fat and cholesterol. The supply of essential fatty acids (EFA), however, appears sub-optimal at 3.2% kcal mainly due to the comparatively low content of both the omega-6 (linoleic acid) and omega-3 [alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoate (EPA) and docosahexaenoate (DHA)] fatty acids in the Malaysian diet. The estimated omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 10 further reflects an imbalance of these two families of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which can be corrected to a ratio of 5 to 7 by moderate increases in the consumption of fish, soyabean-based foods, and pulses and nuts. Considering the current status of knowledge on the health effects of the different families of fatty acids, the ratio of 2:3:1 for the saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and PUFA in the diet is judged to improve fat intake and nutrition in Malaysians. Such a dietary fatty acids ratio can be satisfied by the use of a cooking oil containing 28% SFA, 53% MUFA, and 19% PUFA, which may obtained by the judicious blending of palm olein with MUFA-rich and PUFA-rich vegetable oils. Alternatively, moderate increases in the consumption of marine fish, pulses, nuts, soybean-based foods and their products would also serve the same end.