Is palm oil harmful to health and does it offer any nutritional advantages?
Palm oil, a high-fat substance derived from the oil palm tree, has raised concerns over its impact on cardiovascular health due to its saturated fat content. However, scientific evidence suggests that the effects are nuanced and depend on dietary context.
Two main types of palm oil exist: red and white. While white palm oil undergoes refinement, bleaching, and deodorization, reducing its micronutrient content, red palm oil remains the healthier option due to its higher concentration of antioxidants and nutrients.
A 2020 review revealed that consuming palm oil in moderation, as part of a balanced diet, does not pose known health risks. A racial concern exists that palm oil's high saturated fat content can negatively affect health. A tablespoon of palm oil contains 13.6 grams of fat, of which 6.7 grams are saturated.
Interestingly, research suggests that the impact of palm oil on blood cholesterol levels might have benefits. For instance, a 2021 review indicated that palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid present in palm oil and other vegetable sources, affects blood cholesterol levels less than animal-derived palmitic acid. The review also highlighted tocotrienols, a chemical compound in palm oil, which reduces blood cholesterol levels by 7-38%.
Previous research has shown no evidence linking palm oil consumption with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, challenges in quantifying the association between the two variables prompted calls for further investigation.
Discussing potential health benefits of consuming palm oil, a 2021 review outlined the superior nutritional profile of red palm oil, which includes carotenoids, vitamin E, plant sterols, phospholipids, and squalene. The refining process used to create refined, bleached, deodorized (RBD) palm oil results in lower levels of these nutrients.
According to USDA data, one tablespoon of palm oil contains 120 calories, 503 kilojoules of energy, 13.6 grams of fat, 6.7 grams of saturated fat, 5.03 grams of monounsaturated fat, 1.26 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 2.16 milligrams of vitamin E, and 1.09 micrograms of vitamin K.
On the environmental front, the palm oil industry is implicated in extensive deforestation, critically endangered species habitat destruction, and global climate change. The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) advises individuals to make ethical choices when purchasing palm oil, focusing on Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification, which ensures adherence to sustainable practices, transparency, and global buying and use of certified palm oil.
In terms of cardiovascular health, while evidence shows that palm oil can raise cholesterol levels, its overall impact is contingent upon the broader dietary context. Moderate consumption and a balanced diet, including unsaturated fats like olive or canola oil, are recommended. Balancing these factors can help mitigate potential risks.
- In addition to cardiovascular health, recent scientific studies also delve into other aspects of nutrition, highlighting potential benefits of palm oil.
- Balanced diets, as per medical-condition and chronic-disease research, should incorporate various dietary elements, such as palmitic acid found in palm oil, CBD, and antioxidants from red palm oil.
- The science of nutrition suggests that therapies-and-treatments for chronic kidney disease and cancer might benefit from certain components found in palm oil, besides fitness-and-exercise and environmental-science strategies.
- Some scientists argue that climate change could impact the availability and quality of nutrition in the future, making it crucial to focus on the sustainable production of palm oil through practices certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
- The health-and-wellness community calls for a holistic approach to maintain cardiovascular-health, urging the intake of unsaturated fats like olive or canola oil to balance the saturated fat content from palm oil.
- Understanding the impact of palm oil on health involves considering its effects on blood cholesterol levels, considering that the saturated fatty acid in palm oil might not elevate blood cholesterol levels as much as animal-derived sources.
- A balanced approach to diet and nutrition should include an awareness of the environmental ramifications, such as deforestation and habitat destruction caused by the palm oil industry, and making informed choices to promote climate-change mitigation.
- The combination of a balanced diet, sustainable palm oil production, exercise, and stress-management techniques can help mitigate chronic-disease risks, promote environmental-science stewardship, and contribute to overall health-and-wellness.
