Health Impacts of Palm Oil
When the US Food and Drug Administration mandated that all foods sold in the US describe the types of fats they contain, consumers didn't like these large culprits of heart disease and looked elsewhere for heart-healthy products. This is when the U.S. began importing large quantities of palm kernel oil, which was thought at the time to be a healthy alternative to these trans fats found in animal fats such as butter and lard.
One palm fruit contains 82% crude palm oil, 10% palm kernel meal, and 8% palm kernel oil. Palm kernel oil comes from the seed of the oil palm as the name suggests, and is the problematic part of the plant in relation to heart health. Palm kernel oil contains about 85% saturated fat and is thus not considered 'heart healthy'. While many companies claim that palm oil has health benefits as it contains about 39% oleic acid, it also contains about 44% palmitic acid which increases LDL (the bad kind) of cholesterol. Interestingly, because palm oil is so saturated, it is not much better for you than butter.
To find out more about this issue, this is a good article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502084827.htm
One palm fruit contains 82% crude palm oil, 10% palm kernel meal, and 8% palm kernel oil. Palm kernel oil comes from the seed of the oil palm as the name suggests, and is the problematic part of the plant in relation to heart health. Palm kernel oil contains about 85% saturated fat and is thus not considered 'heart healthy'. While many companies claim that palm oil has health benefits as it contains about 39% oleic acid, it also contains about 44% palmitic acid which increases LDL (the bad kind) of cholesterol. Interestingly, because palm oil is so saturated, it is not much better for you than butter.
To find out more about this issue, this is a good article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502084827.htm
Some More Facts About Palm Oil and Americans' Health
- Cardiovascular Disease is the # 1 killer in the United States
- Palm oil can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease because 50% of Palm oil is saturated fat, which increases levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol (sciencedaily). Palm Kernel Oil is 80% saturated fat.
- It is not AS detrimental for human health as trans fat but it is still more unhealthy than olive oil (14% saturated fat) or other fats that are liquid at room temperature.
- One tablespoon of palm oil has 120 calories and 13.6 grams of fat.
- Palm Oil is commonly found in snack foods, such as cookies and breakfast bars, which are found in many American homes. Snack foods are generally not good sources of nutrients because of high fat and sugar concentrations. So eliminating these foods will not only decrease palm oil consumption but also benefit your overall health.
Palm Oil as a Health Food for Local Populations in Africa and Asia
As anthropologists and primatologists, our field sites are often in remote areas of Asia and Africa. Thus, we have seen first hand the destruction of the forests, threat to flora and fauna species and human rights issues that are hallmarks of the Palm Oil Industry. However, as we often live and work closely with the local populations in these areas, we believe that it is important to address the fact that palm fruit oil* represents an important and viable source of calories and is a major source of nutrition, particularly vitamins (C and E, but especially A) for these local populations. As a colleague who works in Benin astutely pointed out to us in an email, "as problematic as large-scale palm oil production is, the reality is that without it Beninese villagers would probably be inserted into the larger cash economy by another monoculture crop, one that they can't consume themselves. This is the case in other regions of the country where I work that are dominated by cotton, which has led to its own set of environmental problems and tremendous food insecurity. For many of the communities where I work (all my doctoral research was in palm oil areas; I ate it in every meal) palm oil is not a monoculture, but it's a really important component of the household economy, which is diversified between subsistence and export commodities. "
Therefore, while palm oil may indeed be a source of 'bad' fats for Americans, whose diets already are high in saturated and trans fats, for those in poor countries, palm fruit oil (the way it is primarily consumed in these places) represents a good source of essential calories, fats and vitamins. As this issue shows, palm oil is most definitely not a black and white issue. Efforts to deal with the problems that arise from its production and consumption need to be addressed at all levels of the local and global economies.
* Note palm fruit oil and palm kernel oil are completely different oils with vastly different nutritional profiles. Palm fruit oil is more highly nutritious and contains about equal amounts of saturated and unsaturated oils as well as a host of micronutrients. Palm kernel oil is made from the kernel, or seed of the palm fruit and contains about 85% saturated fat.
Therefore, while palm oil may indeed be a source of 'bad' fats for Americans, whose diets already are high in saturated and trans fats, for those in poor countries, palm fruit oil (the way it is primarily consumed in these places) represents a good source of essential calories, fats and vitamins. As this issue shows, palm oil is most definitely not a black and white issue. Efforts to deal with the problems that arise from its production and consumption need to be addressed at all levels of the local and global economies.
* Note palm fruit oil and palm kernel oil are completely different oils with vastly different nutritional profiles. Palm fruit oil is more highly nutritious and contains about equal amounts of saturated and unsaturated oils as well as a host of micronutrients. Palm kernel oil is made from the kernel, or seed of the palm fruit and contains about 85% saturated fat.
Sources
Celeste Robb-Nicholson. (2007). By the way, doctor: Is palm oil good for you? Harvard Women’s Health Watch. Retrieved from http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/by-the-way-doctor-is-palm-oil-good-for-you
Kannall, E. (2013). “Palm Oil Health Hazards.” Healthy Eating: SF Gate. Retrieved from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/palm-oil-health-hazards-7375.html
Lee, S. (17 September 2013). Environmental advocates, dietitians leery of palm oil. SFGate: San Francisco Bay Area. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Environmental-advocates-dietitians-leery-of-palm-4822518.php
Rainforest Action Network (12 September 2013). How U.S. snack food brands are contributing to orangutan extinction, Climate Change and human rights violations. Retrieved from http://ran.org/sites/default/files/conflict_palm_oil_lowres.pdf
USDA/Agricultural Research Service (2009, May 11). Palm Oil Not A Healthy Substitute For Trans Fats, Study Finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/05/090502084827.htm
Celeste Robb-Nicholson. (2007). By the way, doctor: Is palm oil good for you? Harvard Women’s Health Watch. Retrieved from http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/by-the-way-doctor-is-palm-oil-good-for-you
Kannall, E. (2013). “Palm Oil Health Hazards.” Healthy Eating: SF Gate. Retrieved from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/palm-oil-health-hazards-7375.html
Lee, S. (17 September 2013). Environmental advocates, dietitians leery of palm oil. SFGate: San Francisco Bay Area. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Environmental-advocates-dietitians-leery-of-palm-4822518.php
Rainforest Action Network (12 September 2013). How U.S. snack food brands are contributing to orangutan extinction, Climate Change and human rights violations. Retrieved from http://ran.org/sites/default/files/conflict_palm_oil_lowres.pdf
USDA/Agricultural Research Service (2009, May 11). Palm Oil Not A Healthy Substitute For Trans Fats, Study Finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 1, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/05/090502084827.htm