The nutritional reputation of palm oil

✍ Scribed by John C. Stanley

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 155 KB
• Volume: 20
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0956-666X
• DOI: 10.1002/lite.200800024

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The high saturated fatty acid content of palm oil and hence its potential to raise circulating levels of cholesterol has given this tropical oil a bad nutritional reputation. Three considerations suggest that this reputation may soon need to be re‐evaluated. First, the need of the edible oil industry to find alternatives to partially hydrogenated oils has led to the reintroduction of palm oil. What evidence there is suggests that replacement of partially hydrogenated oils with palm oil leads to a rise in HDL‐cholesterol levels an effect which would be expected to lead to a fall in the risk of developing heart disease. Second, palm oil is a very rich source of tocotrienols the neglected part of the vitamin E complex. If beneficial effects of tocotrienols on health were to be demonstrated then this would inevitably improve the nutritional reputation of palm oil. Third, red palm oil is the richest and most available vegetable source of provitamin A carotenoids known and it has been shown that this oil can improve vitamin A status in populations which are deficient in this vitamin.