Properties and Uses of Palm Oil

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms, primarily the African oil palm Elaeis guineensis,and to a lesser extent from the American oil palm Elaeis oleifera and the maripa palm Attalea maripa.

Properties

Palm oil is naturally reddish in color because of a high beta-carotene content. It is not to be confused with palm kernel oil derived from the kernel of the same fruit or coconut oil derived from the kernel of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). The differences are in color (raw palm kernel oil lacks carotenoids and is not red), and in saturated fat content: palm mesocarp oil is 49% saturated, while palm kernel oil and coconut oil are 81% and 86% saturated fats, respectively. However, crude red palm oil that has been refined, bleached and deodorized, a common commodity called RBD palm oil, does not contain carotenoids.

Uses

Palm oil is used for preventing vitamin A deficiency, cancer, brain disease, and aging. It is also used to treat malaria, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, dementia, and cyanide poisoning. Palm oil is used for weight loss and for increasing the body's metabolism.

As food, palm oil is used for frying. It is also an ingredient in many processed foods.

Industrially, palm oil is used for manufacturing cosmetics, soaps, toothpaste, waxes, lubricants, and ink.

Preventing or treating a lack of vitamin A (vitamin A deficiency). Research shows that adding red palm oil to the diets of pregnant women and children in developing countries reduces the chance of having too little vitamin A.It also seems to help increase vitamin A levels in those who have too little. Red palm oil seems to be as effective as taking a vitamin A supplement for preventing or treating low levels of vitamin A. Doses of about 8 grams or less per day seem to work best. Higher doses don't seem to have more benefit.

Special precautions & warnings

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Palm oil is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken as a medicine during the last 3 months of pregnancy. Not enough is known about the use of palm oil as medicine during breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and stick to food amounts.

Children: Palm oil is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth as a medicine. Palm oil has been used for up to 6 months in children under 5 years of age and for up to 12 months in children 5 years of age and older.

High cholesterol: Palm oil contains a type of fat that can increase cholesterol levels. Regularly eating meals containing palm oil can increase levels of "bad" low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This might be a problem for people who already have high cholesterol.