WHO article on Palm Oil insults our scientists.
I felt sickeningly surprised that WHO which is regarded as
the world authority on matters pertaining to health has published such an article without first referring to
what our scientists have published through their hard work.
In fact I was also one of the medical researchers who were
also involved in the study. It was in the year 1987 till 1990.
I lead a powerful scientific and clinical team as the Chief Coordinator
and Principal Investigator to prove that our Malaysian palm oil does not cause
heart disease as the American Soybean Association claimed?
They lobbied against our oil as tropical oil that is harmful
to the health. That damaging lobbying
caused our country, Malaysia to lose tens of hundreds of millions of ringgit
yearly.
The then Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM)
then sent high powered scientific and marketing teams to America several times to explain, but no
avail. The Americans wanted us to prove that our palm oil was a
health-promoting oil through proper scientific studies.
At that time I have just returned from the UK with my PhD. I was then called by the Director of the
Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur to lead a research team who
could support our claims that our palm oil was actually a health-promoting oil,
not what the American Soybean Association believe.
For this, we required scientific data as evidence. It was a
very tough challenge for me. I have little clue how to proceed to make it impervious
to attack.
Initially I declined the offer as it was too tough a
challenge against the Americans.
It was then I was provided with a very powerful team to help
me. The team was assembled. But we soon quarreled
a lot over minor technical details in countless technical meetings on how to
proceed in the investigations.
It was very tough and very stressful for me. The methodology
and procedure MUST be atomic bomb proof and impermeable to all attacks so that
no one, NOT EVEN the Americans with their much higher and far more advanced
scientific know-how can criticize our method and throw our findings away?
I thought of this challenge for months. My Director at IMR told me to be confident with my postgraduate training in various British universities
Then I decided I must make use of my training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at Cambridge, USA instead to defend myself and my colleagues who were going to work together in this difficult challenge.
I suppose my Director at the IMR knew this, and realize my potential at MIT.
Then I decided I must make use of my training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) at Cambridge, USA instead to defend myself and my colleagues who were going to work together in this difficult challenge.
I suppose my Director at the IMR knew this, and realize my potential at MIT.
My colleagues and I then turned the table round against the
very powerful American lobbyists. But it took us our best scientific effort initially
involving over 30 scientific, clinical and medical specialists.
Later we selected just 6 of us after so much of disagreement in the clinical procedure
Later we selected just 6 of us after so much of disagreement in the clinical procedure
It was a very difficult
and stressful study for us. Before we
could proceed, we have to submit our investigation protocol to get clearance
for safety reasons.
Our research team had to face some 30 members of the Malaysian
Medical Ethics Committee. They
interviewed us twice on separate occasions for hours each separate occasion. .
It was on the safety of the human volunteers in the clinical trial. The Attorney General (AG) was also sitting there as a Legal Adviser to the Government.
It was on the safety of the human volunteers in the clinical trial. The Attorney General (AG) was also sitting there as a Legal Adviser to the Government.
The Government in that Medical Ethics Committee was
represented by the Attorney General to ensure that the Government would not be sued
if death occurred, or injuries incurred, or if anything that went wrong should we conduct
the medical experiment.
It took us some two years of planning to conduct the trial.
But that effort was
in written in gold in the journal that
saved my beloved country - Malaysia billions of Ringgits in trade revenue after we published
our findings in the very hard to enter
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May, 1991 here:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May, 1991 here:
But see, what WHO has done to us again. This is an insult to
all of us and to all other researchers who came after us.
Why must they do this to us? I am angry as I am proud of my country and her talents
Why must they do this to us? I am angry as I am proud of my country and her talents
jb lim
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