People all over the world habitually use oils and fats for their daily cooking, in order to add quick energy and taste, but also to complement their food with certain health benefits. Different oilseeds and nuts, as well as animal fats, have served as the source for these fats. Among these, palm oil has been historically one of the most commonly used fats in the world.
African populations have traditionally relied upon red palm oil and coconut oil, as well as groundnut and sesame oil. Palm oil is from the fruit of the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis.
Palm oil and coconut oil gained a bad press in the past few decades because of their extremely high saturated fat content. The allegations of the link between saturated fats, blood cholesterol, obesity …show more content…
The chief SFA is palmitic acid, but lauric and myristic acid are present in minute amounts.
Research has shown that palm oil in a low-fat diet keeps the total cholesterol within normal limits, because of the presence of palmitic acid at the alpha-position of the fatty acid. Many studies report that palm oil (when added to the diet in rodents) prevents lipid peroxidation and inflammatory damage to tissues even when ischemic injury occurs followed by reperfusion.
In human studies its total cholesterol lowering effects were comparable to those of polyunsaturated oils. This is because the stearic, oleic and linoleic acids counteract the cholesterol-raising effects of palmitic, lauric and myristic acid. In fact, palm oil is capable of being safely substituted for olive oil with the same heart health benefits.
Palm oil is also solid at cooler temperatures, which confers a benefit in the form of not needing to be hydrogenated to make it solid. This avoids the formation of trans fats during the hydrogenation process. Palm oil has a smoke point of 235% and thus it can be deemed suitable for even deep frying, as it fails to volatilize quickly. This prevents the formation of many toxic products such as …show more content…
This is the only measure capable of alleviating poverty in such regions. Hence it is necessary to promote and properly regulate the farming and harvesting of oil palms in areas where it is cultivated in order to help the people there reap the benefits of a commercially viable and healthy indigenous oil for cooking use.
Indonesia and Malaysia are currently the top producers of palm oil, but indignation is rife over the alleged destruction of rain forests in these countries in order to gain more area to plant palm trees. While ecological sensibility is required and desirable, it is also necessary to keep human interests in mind and evolve a gradated and locally mediated, as well as locally sustainable alternative to rain forest removal while keeping the production of palm oil viable and growing in these poverty-stricken areas.
In conclusion, it is unnecessary to advocate replacing the use of palm oil with other vegetable or oilseed-derived oils rich in PUFA and MUFA because such a substitution does not bring about any beneficial change in the ratio of ‘good’ HDL to ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. It is as effective as oleic acid, widely recognized to be a heart-healthy fatty acid, in maintaining lipoprotein levels and improving cardiovascular
African populations have traditionally relied upon red palm oil and coconut oil, as well as groundnut and sesame oil. Palm oil is from the fruit of the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis.
Palm oil and coconut oil gained a bad press in the past few decades because of their extremely high saturated fat content. The allegations of the link between saturated fats, blood cholesterol, obesity …show more content…
The chief SFA is palmitic acid, but lauric and myristic acid are present in minute amounts.
Research has shown that palm oil in a low-fat diet keeps the total cholesterol within normal limits, because of the presence of palmitic acid at the alpha-position of the fatty acid. Many studies report that palm oil (when added to the diet in rodents) prevents lipid peroxidation and inflammatory damage to tissues even when ischemic injury occurs followed by reperfusion.
In human studies its total cholesterol lowering effects were comparable to those of polyunsaturated oils. This is because the stearic, oleic and linoleic acids counteract the cholesterol-raising effects of palmitic, lauric and myristic acid. In fact, palm oil is capable of being safely substituted for olive oil with the same heart health benefits.
Palm oil is also solid at cooler temperatures, which confers a benefit in the form of not needing to be hydrogenated to make it solid. This avoids the formation of trans fats during the hydrogenation process. Palm oil has a smoke point of 235% and thus it can be deemed suitable for even deep frying, as it fails to volatilize quickly. This prevents the formation of many toxic products such as …show more content…
This is the only measure capable of alleviating poverty in such regions. Hence it is necessary to promote and properly regulate the farming and harvesting of oil palms in areas where it is cultivated in order to help the people there reap the benefits of a commercially viable and healthy indigenous oil for cooking use.
Indonesia and Malaysia are currently the top producers of palm oil, but indignation is rife over the alleged destruction of rain forests in these countries in order to gain more area to plant palm trees. While ecological sensibility is required and desirable, it is also necessary to keep human interests in mind and evolve a gradated and locally mediated, as well as locally sustainable alternative to rain forest removal while keeping the production of palm oil viable and growing in these poverty-stricken areas.
In conclusion, it is unnecessary to advocate replacing the use of palm oil with other vegetable or oilseed-derived oils rich in PUFA and MUFA because such a substitution does not bring about any beneficial change in the ratio of ‘good’ HDL to ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. It is as effective as oleic acid, widely recognized to be a heart-healthy fatty acid, in maintaining lipoprotein levels and improving cardiovascular