Palm Oil

[Morgan]

Thanks R.B, I don't particulary want to include palm oil. I don't really eat processed foods but have noticed that the organic oatcakes and cereal bars I sometimes eat have palm oil in them and just wondered if it was "good or bad"

[R.B.]

Good or bad.

In strict moderation I would put delicately treated palm oil as neutral to negative. It has about 10% omega 6 and no Omega 3, but as positive in so far as it is used to replace high Omega 6 sources / trans fats etc where fat use is unavoidable eg baking.

I have not found much information on the organic plant compounds that may also be found in oils, but there are several suggestions of significant amounts of antioxidants and vitamin E but there is always the danger of these being diminished in treatment.

Palm oil rich in plant compounds is suggested in trial to have antiinflammatroy properties. But we may be talking red unrefined palm oil here which is high in carotenoids.

There is suggestion that heated palm oil may have negative heatlh effects, but this was at 15% of diet and heating 10 times

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

"Fresh palm oil has no deleterious effects on blood pressure and cardiac tissue but prolonged consumption of repeatedly heated palm oil may result in an increase in blood pressure level with necrosis of cardiac tissue.".

When used to replace a high six oil like soy providing they have not been heated more than once they offer a better health risk profile

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17704019?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez. Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.P ubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=3&log$=relatedarticles& logdbfrom=pubmed

"These oils were mixed with rat chow at weight ratio of 15:100 and were given to the rats daily for six months. Ovariectomy had caused negative effects on the bone histomorphometric parameters. Ingestion of both fresh and once-heated oils, were able to offer protections against the negative effects of ovariectomy, but these protections were lost when the oils were heated five times. Soy oil that was heated five times actually worsens the histomorphometric parameters of ovariectomised rats. Therefore, it may be better for postmenopausal who are at risk of osteoporosis to use palm oil as frying oil especially if they practice recycling of frying oils."

[fullofbeans]

What about avocado oil and macadamian oil to use in our kitchen is that a good choice (on top of olive oil and flax seed unfortunatly do not like taste of flax oil and it cannot be cooked..).

Also there is lots of rapeseed/canola oil in food that can be bought is that a good choice to go for these? even if these have been heated/fryied?

[R.B.]

Thanks Full of Beans that is a useful question and observation. I suspect you already know most of the answer (-:.

Thank you


Monosaturates / saturates are better for cooking so Macademia is probably best followed by olive and avocado BUT cooking is going to destroy some of the plant compounds which protect the fruit on the tree and have in olive oil be associated with a range of benefits.

Macadamia has a better Omega 3 :6 balance, where Olive and Advocado are about 10%, but Olive oil has been more extensively trialled.

All oils are high in calories and in nature access would be restricted. So how much is ideal we dont know, but the body will survive on quite low levels of Omega 6 some say 1% calories some a 1/2% and some lower, at 9 cals to a gram of oil and 70% of that in say sunflower being Omega 6 you are looking at under a teaspoon of sunflower. People including GG Pique who wrote a book OMEGA-6 EXCESS POLYUNSATURATE FOLLY 20 years ago suggests that maybe 8 or 9 grams a day is the level at which Omega 6 starts to have a negative influence but I have not as yet found the trials.


Canola has about 20% Omega 6 and 10% Omega 3 (which are both polyunsaturates and so more heat sensitive) so is arguably not good for high temperature cooking. Also some suggest that the treatment processes may cause some damage to the oils. Cold pressed canola is starting to make an appearance.

Different people hold different views.
http://editor.nourishedmagazine.com....la-oil-healthy