The theme "palm oil - harm and good" has been under discussion for many years by doctors and experts. On the one hand, over-saturated fats and carcinogens cause heart problems and increase the risk of cancer. On the other hand, vitamins A and E are very useful in the prevention of these diseases. The reason for this duality of judgments is in the properties of different species.
What is the origin of palm oil?
What is palm oil made of? For its production use soft parts of palm fruits, with the help of cold pressing. In the cold, the oil hardens, warms, dilutes, retains an orange color and a pleasant aroma. There are also such types:
- Red palm . It is considered more useful, because in the manufacturing process, sparing technologies that preserve useful substances are used. Color provides carotene, characterized by a sweetish taste.
- Refined . Without odor and color, special elements are introduced into the product, because of which useful substances precipitate. To remove the aftertaste of chemical components, perform cleaning. Used only for frying.
- The palm kernel . It is made from the kernel of palm fruits, it has a white color. Used in the manufacture of cosmetics, glycerin, but not products, because the composition includes many harmful fats and substances that provoke cancer, the formation of plaques in the vessels.
Palm oil - composition
Bad reputation earned this product because dishonest manufacturers often use a technical form for manufacturing products, although it contains many harmful substances for the body. And the red palm oil proved its usefulness with a rich content of vitamins A and E, triglycerins, fats, lowering cholesterol. Why is palm oil harmful, its technical appearance?
- Disrupts the digestion due to poor digestion. There is an opinion that palm oil is not excreted from the body, but this process still takes place, although it is difficult. Doctors recommend that lovers of this product consume more liquid, vegetables and fruits.
- It increases cholesterol, which can provoke heart disease.
- Carcinogenic.
Why add palm oil to food?
Consumers wonder why, with such far from beneficial effects, palm oil is not removed from production. The main reason is cheap, because:
- Palm trees provide 8 times more oils than sunflower plantations;
- These trees do not require special care;
- high yield is guaranteed.
What replaces palm oil? In Malaysia, Indonesia and other African countries, this product is exhibited as an alternative to sunflower, which there is considered not studied, and is not used for food. In Europe it is considered tropical, but it is used very carefully. Archaeologists are sure that the benefit of this product was appreciated by the ancient Egyptians. The version is confirmed by finds in amphoras, which number more than 5 thousand years.
How to identify palm oil?
The whole truth about palm oil - in the components, it is easy to identify it in products, if you carefully examine the packaging. Sometimes it is indicated how vegetable fat is without a name. Since palm oil is a product that solidifies in the cold and melts in heat, experts give advice on how to find it in products:
- Examine the shelf life of the goods. Products with maintenance of technical oil have a long time frame.
- Cheese containing oil from a palm tree, cracked at room temperature. Made in creamy - just wither.
- Ice cream, made with the use of such an oil, melts gradually, while keeping the shape. Leaves an oily taste.
What is harmful palm oil?
What is harmful to palm oil for humans? The main danger is a significant percentage of saturated fats. The main constituents, melting only with strong heating - stearin and olein, are therefore poorly excreted from the body. The quality of oils determines linoleic acid, in palm oil it is only 5%, in others - up to 75%. How harmful or useful this product is, is determined not by its elements, but by how they are assimilated. A full range of palm oil components:
- phytosterol;
- squalane hydrocarbon;
- lecithin;
- coenzyme Q10 - a source of energy and a natural antioxidant;
- vitamins A, E and D, fatty acids.
Poisoning with palm oil
What is dangerous palm oil? Eating fast food , products made on technical fat, can trigger the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. Danger and poisoning with palm oil, the symptoms in such cases are as follows:
- pain and sensation of the stone in the stomach;
- nausea, vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- headache;
- the temperature may rise.
Allergy to palm oil
Palm oil harm can bring tangible in the presence of allergies, it can cause any components of this product. Those who previously did not use such fat, it is worth starting with a small portion to check the reaction of the body. The allergy to palm oil symptoms is characteristic:
- Red spots on the skin, itching.
- Abundant tears, inflammation of the mucous membranes.
- Sneezing, coughing, runny nose.
- In severe cases, it is not excluded Quincke's edema or asthma.
Harm of palm oil in baby food
Palm oil in baby food is a special topic, as it contains many food kits for babies. This fat is readily used by producers, since palm oil provides the presence of palmitic acid, which is abundant in human milk. There are other additional advantages:
- does not cause allergies;
- contains vitamin A ;
- gives the mixture a pleasant taste that children like.
Along with this, there are also negative moments:
- poorly processed by the stomach of the baby;
- flushes calcium from the body;
- causes colic and constipation.
In which countries is it forbidden to use palm oil?
Most consumers are sure that palm oil is prohibited in Europe, but this is not entirely true. Officially, the ban on the product in any country is not fixed, it even makes up over 55 percent of the total consumption of vegetable oils in the world. But some states are concerned about the negative impact of this product and restrict the import of goods that include palm oil. Some even resort to concrete point measures:
- A large line of supermarkets in Spain removed from the list of products products that had palm oil.
- The UK filed a statement regarding the certified production of this product.
- Popular retail outlets in Italy have refused to sell this type of fat.
Myths about palm oil
On the question "is palm oil harmful?" It is difficult to answer unambiguously. It all depends on the types of this fat, and their proper use. According to scientists, the prohibition of this kind of oil can lead to increased consumption of hydrogenated fats. And their negative impact on the body has already been proven, as well as provoking oncology, vascular and cardiac muscle damage.
Studies have shown that replacing trans fats with palm oil will have a positive effect on the lipid profile of blood, which is a characteristic biomarker of the risk of heart and vascular disease. Scientists deny rumors that:
- Palm oil causes irreparable harm, "sealing" the vessels with a high melting point - up to 52 degrees. The high melting temperature has also a mutton fat - 55 degrees, but the product is perfectly digested.
- Excessive consumption leads to heart disease. For vials, an overabundance of any type of fat is harmful.
- Very carcinogenic. This property is typical for the technical kind of oil, which is added to the products of dishonest producers. If you carefully study the packaging and buy a quality product, such a danger is really avoided.
- It is difficult to digest. Like other known fats, palm oil splits splendidly, thanks to a fragment such as a lime.
- May provoke obesity by a high percentage of fat content and calorie content. This oil contains 9 kcal per gram, which coincides with the indicators of sunflower, soybean and olive oil.