Speaking at a press conference organised by Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (Dab) at its office at Birdem in the city, they also laid emphasis on strict quality control of blended edible oil in the country.

"If a total of 68 countries including India, China and the United States allow the consumption of blended oil, then why it would be banned in Bangladesh?" asked Dab Secretary General Prof AK Azad Khan.

Quoting a study conducted by American Heart Association he said, "No single edible oil contains the desired proportion of saturated and un-saturated fatty acid in itself. But when it is blended with any other oil its quality improves."

The experts said the ingredients of the desired blended oil would depend on the availability of different oils and their prices and on the taste and culture of the respective community.

They suggested a blend of soyabean oil, palm oil and mustard oil in the proportion of 50: 40: 10 in the context of Bangladesh.

"The taste of this blend would not be different from that of soyabean oil," said Prof Azad.

While speaking about the quality and availability of palm oil, Prof Keramat Ali of food and nutrition department of Dhaka University said, "We are in favour of using palm oil in the blend as it is cheaper and its quality remains almost intact after several burns."

Chairman of Cardiology Department at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Prof KMHS Sirajul Haque and Chief Executive Officer of Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital and Research Institute MA Mokaddem were also present at the press conference.