Palm oil might not be as unhealthy as they say

Have you ever heard that palm oil is unhealthy? That it raises blood cholesterol or that it even CONTAINS cholesterol? This research took me a long time because I wanted to make sure I was looking through the right research papers. And from the information I found, it seems like the idea that palm oil is unhealthy came from just the fact that it is saturated fat. A researcher even claimed that that notion was developed as a way to boost the sales of vegetable oils. In other words, it was a political agenda that was orchestrated almost 40 years ago. Sigh!

The reason why I got interested in this topic was because I have high levels of cholesterol (LDL) which seem to be genetic and hasn’t reduced (I’m still hoping it does as I get stricter with my diet and work out). As a result of this condition, I cut down on a lot of oils and food types, and palm oil was one of them. It was really hard because that’s a staple in Nigeria that I grew up with. But I just thought I should find out how ‘unhealthy’ it really is.

I initially struggled with how to put out the information; whether to group into myths and facts or to say good and bad, but who am I to do that…LOL. I’m just a researcher. So, I will, instead, put out common questions, that I at least have, and give you the answers that I found in scientific journals. How does that sound? Good? I hope 😁. And don’t worry, I will keep all the scientific jargon for the lecture hall and talk in plain and simple English like I always have.

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So, what is saturated fat to begin with?

To put it plainly, it is fat that is generally solid at room temperature, hence ‘tightly packed’. Examples are butter, cheese, and the likes, just to give you a visual. They are known to increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and cause heart disease in the long run. This is because they mostly contain lauric and myristic acid, which are the culprits for LDL increase.

So, is palm oil saturated?

It would interest you to know that palm oil is actually 50% saturated and 50% unsaturated. And, the study that began the discussion of saturated fats increasing blood cholesterol did not have palm oil included in that experiment. The oils tested were corn, soybeans, coconut, olive, cottonseed, rapeseed, safflower, peanut, mustardseed, sardine, menhaden oils and butterfat, but-not-palm-oil.

That being said, the saturated portion of palm oil is made up of 44% palmitic acid, 1% myristic acid and 5% stearic acid, while the unsaturated part is made up of 39% monounsaturated oleic acid, and 11% polyunsaturated linoleic which can equally be found in the commercial oils that are considered healthier, such as canola, olive, sunflowerseed oils and so forth. Some papers have different compositions that show lauric acid but it’s obvious it is so little that it is sometimes missed out. However, they all agree that palm oil is equally as unsaturated as it is saturated. So, again, should it be termed ‘unsaturated’? I’ll leave that to you to decide.

Is palm oil the same as palm kernel oil?

No. Palm oil is from the ‘skin’ of the plant and is 50% saturated, while palm kernel oil is from the seed of the plant and is 80% saturated.

Does palm oil contain cholesterol?

No, it does not contain cholesterol. It’s from a plant. Only animals and animal products have cholesterol.

So, if it does not have cholesterol, how come it supposedly increases blood cholesterol?

The reason why it has been termed ‘unhealthy’ is because it is considered saturated and it contains myristic and lauric acid. But I bet that it takes more than 1% myristic acid to increase LDL. In fact, I’d say that 8 out of 10 research papers I found proved that it either lowers your LDL or it does nothing.

There was this research that tried to prove otherwise using olive oil, palm oil and lard, and they reached the conclusion that palm oil increased LDL. HOWEVER, they went on to point out the limitation of the study stating that when it was time for the test subjects to eat palm oil, they recorded eating other foods that where high in cholesterol only during that time and not during the olive oil and lard diet. But they still went ahead to say that the extra cholesterol non-test food couldn’t have affected their result because a paper said that eating cholesterol-rich foods has negligible effects on hypercholesteremia in healthy adults. When I zoomed in in these papers they were using to support their conclusion, one paper claimed that since eggs increased HDL (which is the good cholesterol that you indeed want to increase), it was safe to say that eggs should be avoided in diet. The other paper said that men have a different response of LDL cholesterol to saturated fat. *Crickets* Really? How do you use these finding to support your already faulty finding? Are you as confused as I am? Well, at least they were transparent about it. Long story short, the palmitic acid in palm oil has been shown to either lower LDL or not do anything at all.

Other blog posts that mention the 'health hazards' don't put any links to scientific papers that back up that claim, or they use the saturated fat content as proof. I wouldn't take those to heart if I were you. 

Does it cause heart disease?

Well, the reason for this notion is, again, because it is considered saturated fat, and saturated fat is notorious for increasing LDL, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease. But guess what? No research has been able to prove that palm oil is linked to coronary disease. So, it is safe to say that it is in fact safe for the heart until proven otherwise

So, is palm oil safe for cooking/frying?

Yes! Saturated fat is actually the safest for cooking or frying because it can withstand the heat and oxidation. The next best group for that would be monounsaturated fats such as peanut oil, canola oil and olive oil, and the least would be polyunsaturated fats such as corn oil, flaxseed oil, soybean oil. The rule is that fats with a smoke point higher than 200 ^oC (392 ^oF) are better for deep frying. Palm oil has a smoke point of 235 ^oC (455 ^oF) and unrefined coconut oil has 117 ^oC (243 ^oF), and they are both saturated fats. Since that is the case, coconut oil will do better for just shallow frying and palm oil will do well for both.

HOWEVER, it is not advisable to reheat used oils because…I’m thinking of a very simple way to put it…initial heating causes oxidation of the oil, which leads to reduction in the smoke point and increase in free fatty acids. Free fatty acids cause the muscles in the body to resist insulin, and that could lead to diabetes and other health conditions. Funny enough, I grew up eating plantain fried with old oil…LOL! The most delicious actually. Who knew?

What really are the benefits of palm oil in summary?

·      It is cholesterol free

·      As long as you are healthy and your LDL receptors have not been affected through genetics or dietary means, be rest assured that the palmitic acid in palm oil, which is the major source of saturation, has been proven to have no adverse effect on cholesterol levels

·      Palm oil contains vitamin E tocotrienol antioxidants that ironically reduce blood cholesterol

·      And let’s not forget the famous vitamin A and carotene it is known for providing

·      It literally has the same components of your favorite ‘healthy oils’ such as olive oil, only tougher with regards to cooking

I could go on and on about the details of palm oil but I hope this gives you a better understanding of things. Points to remember are:

·      Know your health status! Not just for HIV, for everything. Know where you are at health-wise so that you can have better control

·      If drinking too much water can lead to water intoxication and possible death, then you know that palm oil, or food in general, would be no exception. So, everything in moderation. The good old balanced diet sermon has never been proven wrong!

·      Again, your doctor knows best but don’t be afraid to ask questions

Cheers to good health!

DISCLAIMER: Most of the information on my blog are from scientific research papers which have been interpreted using my best judgement. Please feel free to click the link for yourself and read those sources but use discretion when using the information on this blog.