Introduction
Common knowledge has now consolidated the concept according to which diets rich in animal fats and low in polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with a tangible increase in the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease in general, both in laboratory animals and in humans.
Different markers, such as apolipoprotein A1 and B or homocysteine, have offered further insights for a more careful evaluation of the real cardiovascular risk and its dependence on dietary habits. In this scenario of great attention paid to the effects of saturated fatty acids on cardiovascular health, there are numerous suspicions relating to palm oil and its repercussions on the state of health.
Palm oil
Palm oil is today the world leader, from a commercial point of view, of edible oils and fats.
Produced mainly in Malaysia, a state that is the world's leading exporter of this food, palm oil is sold in over 150 countries around the world, enjoying enormous success due to its extremely competitive price and excellent suitability for use. food and industrial.
However, despite the enormous commercial success, the chemical composition of palm oil, especially in recent years, has been at the center of many controversies regarding the potential side effects on cardiovascular health.
In fact, unlike many other vegetable oils, such as olive oil, palm oil is made up of:
- almost 50% of saturated fatty acids, with a clear prevalence of palmitic acid;
- 39% from monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid;
- 11% from polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid;
- for less than 1% from biologically active elements such as carotenoids, tocopherols, sterols, squalene, coenzyme Q10, phospholipids and polyphenols.
It is also important to remember how this composition differs significantly from palm kernel oil or palm kernel oil (a co-product widely used in the industrial sector), which is made up of over 80% saturated fatty acids, albeit mostly medium-chain.
Palm oil: yes or no?
Leaving aside the negative effects of the intensive cultivation of palm trees on biodiversity and the fauna ecosystem, a problem that is clearly comparable to any other intensive cultivation, many questions are asked regarding the effects of palm oil on the state of health.
Although in recent times there has been a general alarmism regarding the use of palm oil, partly justified by a decidedly different chemical composition compared to that of other vegetable oils, only a few scientifically valid studies have investigated the specific effects of palmitic acid. on coronary and cardiovascular risk.
Fortunately, this huge gap was partly filled by an Italian research group of Mario Negri, who with a very recent article published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has reviewed in meta-analysis the state of the art regarding the biological effects of palmitic acid.
From the literature currently published, considering the presence of numerous studies funded by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, with obvious conflicts of interest, it emerges that the replacement of dietary palmitic acid with other fatty acids could have both positive and negative effects on some cardiovascular risk markers, such as serum concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglycerides, Apolipoproteins and Homocysteine.
Although further studies are needed, these evidences would reveal the cardioprotective role of a diet with a low fat content and a higher concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids, compared to saturated and trans-hydrogenated fatty acids.
Considerations
Although public opinion has already widely expressed its negative opinion on the effects of palm oil on health, so much so that some states such as India introduce a tax on products containing palm oil, with inevitable repercussions of nature socio-economic, the scientific literature in general seems much more cautious in expressing itself.
However, the benefits of a more careful diet in preserving cardiovascular health would be indisputable. In this sense, it would therefore be appropriate:
- Reduce the consumption of saturated fatty acids, especially of animal origin;
- Reduce the consumption of trans-hydrogenated fatty acids;
- Reduce the lipid content of the diet;
- Promote the consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid;
- Preserve the correct ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Pending further studies, the replacement of palm oil with vegetable oils with a higher concentration of oleic acid therefore seems to represent a noteworthy preventive move.
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