Palm oil : human health and nutrition
Publicación:
Revista Palmas; Vol. 21 Núm. especial, (2000); 408-412
0121-2923
Revista Palmas; Vol. 21 Núm. especial, (2000); 408-412
0121-2923
Abstract
Palm oil has been considered harmful for health due to its moderate contents of saturated fat. The purpose of this inspection was to summarize the existing information regarding its nutritional composition and the effect of its consumption on human health. Palm oil has nearly 41 - 51% saturated fatty acid and 40 - 50% unsaturated fatty acids. 500 - 700 ppm of carotenes; 90% of them made up of and a ?-carotenes and 600 - 1000 ppm of vitamin E, resulting in a mixture of tocopherols and tocotrienols, known as antioxidant. Although palm oil has a greater saturating level than other vegetable oils, this information by itself is not sufficient to assure that its consumption is harmful for health, since investigations carried out in some regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America have demonstrated a neutral effect and even a reducing effect of the palm oil on plasmatic cholesterol. Actually, in two controlled studies carried out on Colombian population, it was observed that there are no statistically significant differences in the sericeous levels of lipids of habitual consumers of palm oil, compared with those individuals who consume oils with or without fractions of the same oil. Finally, even though the results of the investigations are contradictory, some of them suggest a beneficial effect from the consumption of palm oil, given its hypocholesterolemic and antithrombotic effect. At present. Central American and Asiatic countries include palm oil as a basic ingredient in their diet, thus establishing its massive consumption as part of the actions directed towards the prevention and handling of nutritional deficiencies. Further studies are needed to clarify the effect of palm oil consumption on human health. El aceite de palma ha sido considerado perjudicial para la salud debido a su moderado contenido de grasa saturada. La presente revisión pretende resumir la información existente relacionada con su composición nutricional y el efecto de su consumo en la salud humana. El aceite de palma contiene 41-51 % de ácidos grasos saturados y 49-59 % de ácidos grasos insaturados, 500-700 p.p.m. de carotenos, constituidos en un 90% por a y i-carotenos y 600-1000 p.p.m. de vitamina E, resultado de una mezcla de tocoferoles y tocotrienoles, potentes antioxidantes. Aunque el aceite de palma tiene un nivel de saturación mayor al de otros aceites vegetales, esta información no es por sí sola suficiente para asegurar que su consumo es perjudicial para la salud, pues investigaciones realizadas en algunas regiones de Asia, África y Latinoamérica, han mostrado un efecto neutro y/o hipocolesterolémico. En efecto, en dos estudios controlados realizados en Colombia, se observó que no existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los niveles séricos de lípidos de consumidores habituales de aceite de palma y los de aquellos sujetos que consumen aceites con o sin fracciones del mismo aceite. En últimas, aunque los resultados de las investigaciones son contradictorios, algunos de ellos sugieren un efecto benéfico del aceite de palma, por su aporte de vitaminas y efecto hipocolesterolémico y antitrombótico. Actualmente, países centroamericanos y asiáticos incluyen el aceite de palma como ingrediente básico de su dieta, estableciéndose su consumo masivo como parte de las acciones encaminadas hacia la prevención y manejo de carencias nutricionales. Estudios futuros son necesarios para aclarar el efecto del consumo del aceite de palma en la salud humana.
Palm oil has been considered harmful for health due to its moderate contents of saturated fat. The purpose of this inspection was to summarize the existing information regarding its nutritional composition and the effect of its consumption on human health. Palm oil has nearly 41 - 51% saturated fatty acid and 40 - 50% unsaturated fatty acids. 500 - 700 ppm of carotenes; 90% of them made up of and a ?-carotenes and 600 - 1000 ppm of vitamin E, resulting in a mixture of tocopherols and tocotrienols, known as antioxidant. Although palm oil has a greater saturating level than other vegetable oils, this information by itself is not sufficient to assure that its consumption is harmful for health, since investigations carried out in some regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America have demonstrated a neutral effect and even a reducing effect of the palm oil on plasmatic cholesterol. Actually, in two controlled studies carried out on Colombian population, it was observed that there are no statistically significant differences in the sericeous levels of lipids of habitual consumers of palm oil, compared with those individuals who consume oils with or without fractions of the same oil. Finally, even though the results of the investigations are contradictory, some of them suggest a beneficial effect from the consumption of palm oil, given its hypocholesterolemic and antithrombotic effect. At present. Central American and Asiatic countries include palm oil as a basic ingredient in their diet, thus establishing its massive consumption as part of the actions directed towards the prevention and handling of nutritional deficiencies. Further studies are needed to clarify the effect of palm oil consumption on human health.
Palabras clave:
aceite de palma
salud
nutrición humana
colesterol
valor nutritivo
aceite de palma
salud
nutrición humana
colesterol
valor nutritivo