The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.

Palm oil: truth and myths about the cheapest fat

'24.03.2022'

Source: Rbc style

Benefits for the brain or irreparable harm to health and the environment? What doctors and new research say about palm oil Rbc style.

Photo: Shutterstock

What is palm oil?

The oil, around which there are so many rumors and conflicting opinions, is produced from the fleshy fruits of oil palms. The crude product is called red because of the terracotta hue.

The main source of palm oil is the Elaeis guineensis tree, which grows in West and Southwest Africa. The locals ate its fruits long before the oil was produced from them on a global scale. A similar oil palm, known as Elaeis oleifera, is found in South America, but is rarely commercially grown.

Screenshot: Business Insider / YouTube

However, a hybrid of the two plants is sometimes used in the production of palm oil. More than 80% of today's product is prepared in Malaysia and Indonesia, mainly for imports around the world.

The nutritional value

Palm oil is 100% fat. At the same time, it contains 50% of saturated acids, 40% of monounsaturated acids, and 10% of polyunsaturated acids.

One tablespoon of palm oil contains:

  • 114 calories
  • 14 g of fat;
  • 5 g monounsaturated fat;
  • 1,5 g polyunsaturated fat;
  • 11% of the daily value for vitamin E.

The main fats in palm oil are palmitic acid, in addition to it, it also contains oleic, linoleic and stearic acids. The reddish-yellow pigment appears due to carotenoids, which are antioxidants, which include beta-carotene. The body converts it into vitamin A.

Like coconut oil, palm oil solidifies at room temperature, but melts at 24 degrees, while the former melts at 35 degrees. This indicates a different composition of fatty acids in two types of plant products.

Use in products

Palm oil is popular with growers due to its relatively low price. It accounts for a third of the world's vegetable fat production. Its zesty and earthy flavor, like pumpkin or carrot, pairs well with peanut butter and chocolate.

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In addition to candy bars and candy bars, palm oil is added to cream, margarine, bread, cookies, muffins, canned food, and baby food. Fat is found in some non-food products such as toothpaste, soaps, body lotions, and hair conditioners.

Screenshot: Palm Oil TV / YouTube

In addition, it can be used to create biodiesel, which serves as an alternative energy source. Palm oil is purchased by the largest food companies (according to WWF's 2020 report):

  • Unilever (1,04 million tonnes);
  • PepsiCo (0,5 million tonnes);
  • Nestle (0,43 million tons);
  • Colgate-Palmolive (0,138 million tonnes);
  • McDonald's (0,09 million tonnes).

Palm oil damage

In the 1980s, fearing a possible risk to the heart, the product began to be replaced with trans fats. Many studies report conflicting results of palm oil on the body.

Scientists have conducted experiments with women who have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels. With the use of palm oil, this figure became even higher, namely, it is associated with diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Screenshot: Palm Oil TV / YouTube

Interestingly, many other vegetable fats have been shown to lower cholesterol, including when combined with palm oil.

In 2019, WHO experts published a report mentioning articles on the benefits of palm oil. However, upon closer examination, it turned out that four of the nine articles mentioned in the report were written by employees of the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture, who are responsible for the development of the industry.

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One of numerous studies has shown that reheating hardened palm oil makes it dangerous. Continuous use of this product leads to the formation of deposits in the arteries due to a decrease in the antioxidant properties of vegetable fat. At the same time, adding fresh oil to food did not lead to such consequences.

Russia has repeatedly planned to introduce excise taxes on the use of palm oil, but this idea was abandoned.

The Benefits of Palm Oil

The product may provide health benefits. Palm oil improves cognitive functions and has a positive effect on the brain. It is used to prevent vitamin A deficiency and is an excellent source of tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E with strong antioxidant properties. Studies show that these substances help protect polyunsaturated fats in the body from breakdown, as well as slow the development of dementia, reduce the risk of stroke, and prevent the growth of lesions in the cerebral cortex.

During the experiment, scientists divided 120 people into two groups, one of which was given a placebo, and the other - tocotrienols from palm oil. As a result, the former showed an increase in brain lesions, while the indicators of the latter remained stable. A large analysis of 50 studies found that total and LDL cholesterol levels were lower in people who ate the palm oil diet.

Palm oil myths

This is a very harmful product.

Like any fat, palm oil can lead to health problems if consumed in excess in the diet. But this is not the only product with similar properties. Harmful glycidyl esters, released when palm oil is heated, appear in any fat at temperatures above 200 degrees. Red meat - lamb, beef and pork - belongs to the same group of carcinogenicity.

Palm oil causes cancer

A study by the European Food Safety Authority confirms that vegetable oils release potentially harmful carcinogens when heated. But doctors do not associate glycidyl ethers with cancer. Agency officials say they investigated potential risks rather than trying to confirm the safety of palm oil.

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Fat manufacturers take steps to gently cleanse the product and reduce the formation of carcinogenic substances. In March 2018, the EU established acceptable levels of glycidyl esters for vegetable oils and fats.

The product is poorly digested

Palm oil breaks down in the intestines into fatty acids and glycerin as well as any other vegetable fat. It is important to note that the ban on the use of the product may apply to people with individual diseases of the body. For example, when the pancreas is inadequate, the breakdown products of palm oil are actually less digestible.

Any vegetable oil is useful

It is best to choose foods that are lower in saturated fats. Nutritionists urge to add olive, rapeseed, corn and conventional sunflower oils to food. At the same time, they are suitable for adding to ready-made dishes, but you should not fry them.

It is important to consider the combustion temperature of the oil. Many types of food are suitable for frying and baking as they do not smoke or impair the taste of food. For cooking, peanut, coconut and sesame oils should be preferred.

Impact on the environment

There is also an ethical side to the issue. In recent decades, palm oil production has grown markedly due to demand. Most of the fat is produced in countries with hot tropical climates, which are ideal for growing large numbers of oil palms. To expand plantations, forests are cut down and peatlands are destroyed.

Screenshot: Business Insider / YouTube

A recent analysis showed that 45% of the land in Southeast Asia that is now used for palm oil production was impenetrable jungle back in 1990. Deforestation accelerates global warming, as forests play a critical role in absorbing carbon dioxide. The destruction of natural landscapes causes changes in the ecosystem, because of which wildlife suffers. So, the Bornean orangutans almost disappeared due to the disappearance of the habitat.

Doctor's comment

Should you give up a treat if it contains palm oil?

Raw palm oil contains a large amount of saturated fatty acids, antioxidants, palm oil also serves as the richest vegetable source of vitamins A, D, carotene, does not contain cholesterol and trans fats. Thanks to this, palm oil has antioxidant properties: it neutralizes the action of free radicals, prevents the destruction of nerve cells and the brain, improves heart function, thereby preventing the development of cardiovascular diseases. The vitamins found in palm oil allow the body to better use insulin and improve sugar metabolism. This oil is expensive and has a very short shelf life.

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Palm oil is also refined, the content of useful properties in it decreases several times. It is the second grade of oil that is used in the food industry.

It is not the palm oil itself that can harm our body, but the excess of its use with food.

Is it true that low-quality and harmful palm oil is imported to Russia?

Both our country and other countries import the same palm oil. It is squeezed out of the pulp of the oil palm, then refined, deodorized, and thus it is supplied to various countries of the world. Already there, the oil goes to factories, where it is processed again and used in food production.

The requirements for the quality and safety of the supplied oil to our country are exactly the same as in other countries of the world.

Are there risks of using palm oil products for babies, including newborns?

Any manufacturer of baby food is trying to make a mixture that is as close as possible in composition to breast milk. Breast milk is made up of many acids, including palmitic.

But palmitic acid in breast milk and palm oil differ in the position of the fat molecules, which affects the body's ability to absorb this fat in the intestines. And if palmitic acid is well absorbed from breast milk, then from the adapted mixture it can bind with calcium and form insoluble compounds that are excreted in the feces. This is why toddlers who receive a palm oil blend may be prone to constipation and lose some of their healthy fats and calcium.

It should be noted that, unlike other industries, the production of baby food uses highly refined palm oil, which goes through many stages of processing and quality control, which, in turn, guarantees the quality and safety of baby food products containing palm oil.

The material is published for educational purposes and is not a recommendation. ForumDaily Woman is not responsible for any diagnosis made by the reader based on the materials of the site, as well as for the consequences of self-medication, and may not share the point of view of the author or expert.

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