Is palm oil potentially harmful to health and does it offer any nutritional advantages?
Rebooted Article:
Palm oil, derived from the fruit of oil palm trees, has been the subject of debate due to its high fat content and potential impact on health. Some folks worry it may jack up cholesterol levels and boost the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the scientific evidence backing these concerns is scant.
There's a duo of palm oil types: red and white. The former undergoes minimal processing, while the latter goes through refining, bleaching, and deodorization, which lowers its micronutrient content, including beta carotenes and vitamin E. Due to its richer nutritional profile, red palm oil is often considered the healthier option.
So, is palm oil gonna harm your health? A 2020 review claims there's no known health risk from consuming palm oil in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
You might think that palm oil's saturated fat content is a red flag for health issues. A 13.6 gram (g) tablespoon of palm oil packs 13.6 g of fat, with 6.7 g being saturated fat. Saturated fats can indeed raise cholesterol levels, which may lead to heart disease.
But, according to research, the connection between palm oil and increased cholesterol levels may not be so straightforward.
A 2021 review delved into the influence of palmitic acid on cholesterol levels. Palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid, can come from both vegetable and animal sources. The review concluded that palmitic acid from palm oil and other veggie sources has less impact on blood cholesterol levels and LDL ("bad cholesterol") than palmitic acid from animal sources.
Moreover, the review revealed that a compound in palm oil known as tocotrienols can bring down blood cholesterol levels by 7% to 38%.
An earlier study, though, found no evidence linking palm oil consumption to CVD. However, the researchers acknowledged difficulties in figuring out the exact association between palm oil intake and CVD and suggested further investigation.
Are there any health benefits we can gain from consuming palm oil? According to a 2021 review, red palm oil boasts a higher concentration of antioxidants and micronutrients like:
- Carotenoids, which aid in vitamin A synthesis
- Tocopherols and tocotrienols, types of vitamin E
- Plant sterols, which help lower cholesterol levels
- Phospholipids, crucial for cell structure and function
- Squalene, beneficial for skin health
The refinement process strips RBD (refined, bleached, deodorized) palm oil of most of these nutrients, making red palm oil a better health choice.
Here's a peek at the nutrition breakdown for palm oil:
- One 13.6g tablespoon contains approximately 120 calories and 503 kilojoules (KJ) of energy
- 13.6g of fat, with 6.7g saturated fat, 5.03g monounsaturated fat, and 1.26g polyunsaturated fat
- 2.16 milligrams (mg) vitamin E
- 1.09 micrograms (μg) vitamin K
The palm oil industry faces environmental concerns. The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) explains that while palm oil can offer a stable income for growers, its production is causing large-scale deforestation, habitat loss for critically endangered species, and global climate change. The WWF urges consumers to make ethical choices when purchasing palm oil and palm oil products.
An eco-friendly option is products featuring the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification. This global certification guarantees that palm oil growers and manufacturers have upheld sustainability practices, like:
- Policies to eliminate deforestation and human rights abuses from the supply chain
- Transparency in the sourcing and usage of palm oil
- Global adoption of certified palm oil across their operations
FAQs:
- Palm oil is not a seed oil—it comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree, not the kernel or "stone."
In a nutshell, though palm oil is high in saturated fats that could potentially affect cholesterol levels, definitive scientific evidence linking it to increased CVD risk is limited. Some research suggests red palm oil could even help lower cholesterol due to its high concentration of cholesterol-lowering plant sterols.
As you consider incorporating palm oil into your diet, keep the environmental impact in mind, opt for RSPO-certified products, and consult your doctor to ensure it won't interfere with other medications or supplements.
- The scientific evidence suggesting that palm oil may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is scant.
- Red palm oil, which undergoes minimal processing, has a richer nutritional profile compared to white palm oil.
- A 2020 review hasn't found any known health risks from consuming palm oil in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
- Saturated fats like those found in a tablespoon of palm oil can potentially raise cholesterol levels, leading to heart disease, but the connection may not be straightforward.
- A 2021 review investigating the influence of palmitic acid on cholesterol levels concluded that palmitic acid from palm oil and other vegetable sources has less impact on blood cholesterol levels and LDL ("bad cholesterol") than palmitic acid from animal sources.
- Consuming red palm oil may help lower blood cholesterol levels due to its high concentration of cholesterol-lowering plant sterols like tocotrienols.
- The production of palm oil is causing large-scale deforestation, habitat loss for critically endangered species, and global climate change, making it essential for consumers to make ethical choices when purchasing palm oil and palm oil products.
