Palm oil how widely used in the food industry that today it is easier to name products where it is not. Today, a cheap substitute for traditional vegetable fats is added to confectionery, semi-finished products, puff pastry products. It contains chips, crackers, almost all types of sauces. As well as processed cheese, butter, margarines, products fast food, sweets, chocolate. And it's far from full list. The exception is not even baby food.
At first glance, it may seem that if it is a product of plant origin, then it is harmless. It turns out not at all.
Harm of palm oil serious enough.
Where does it come from
Palm oil is obtained in several ways. The first is from palm seeds, it is called stone palm or kernel palm. It is widely used in cosmetology and as a medicine.
The second is obtained from the fleshy part of the fruit of the oil palm. It is used for the production of stearin, in soap making, as a material for lubricating metallurgical and other equipment. Today it is also widely used in the food industry. It has a reddish-orange color, pleasant smell, nutty taste. Despite the ability to enhance the taste culinary product palm oil is harmful to health.
According to statistics, approximately 35 million tons of palm oil are produced annually. The largest producers are located in Malaysia, Indonesia.
Improves taste - clogs blood vessels
Palm and coconut oils are very high in saturated fats. These fats from vegetable sources are very resistant to environmental influences. Therefore, the products in which they are included are stored for a long time, do not lose taste qualities. In other words, it is a good preservative. Using it, the presentation of products improves, taste characteristics increase, shelf life increases, and the cost of the product decreases. But if it is economically beneficial for producers, it is very harmful for consumers.
Nutritionists explain, saturated fat contained in palm oil are harmful to human health. The human digestive system is not adapted to such food. The use of saturated fats leads to a violation of lipid metabolism, an increase in cholesterol levels, as a result of which blood vessels are affected, atherosclerotic processes occur. The body wears out and ages faster.
Previously, it was believed that vegetable margarine is healthier than butter. But since producers began to massively replace olive, sunflower, corn oil on palm and coconut - margarine has become hazardous to health.
palm oil unhealthy
In many countries, they refused to import this product and limited its use in the food industry, since its use causes serious damage to the health of citizens. Saturated fatty acids are poorly soluble in the human digestive system. They, like plasticine, have the ability to deposit on the walls of blood vessels, forming atherosclerotic deposits, blood clots. This provokes the development of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's disease. In addition, palm oil is a very strong carcinogen. Therefore, it can cause oncological processes.
The harm of palm oil is also in the ability to cause some kind of dependence. It enhances the taste of the product, as it were, makes you want it more and more. Over time, it can be very difficult to give up your favorite dishes, such as chips, hamburgers, some types of ice cream, sweets, sauces, convenience foods.
Nutritionists advise eliminate foods containing this cheap fat substitute from your diet. When shopping at a grocery store, read the label carefully. If the product contains palm oil, do not buy it.
You should be especially careful when buying products for children. The dangerous ingredient can be used as a milk substitute, added to ready-made breakfast cereals.
Essential oils are those containing a large number of linoleic acid. The more its content, the more valuable the variety. In vegetable oil of medium quality, the content of linoleic acid is approximately 70-75%. Healthy are olive, corn, sunflower. In palm - linoleic acid is only 5%.
Be careful what you eat! Do not eat foods that are harmful to your health!
Palm oil is a fairly new product in our consumer market. According to manufacturers, the oil can be widely used not only for baking, but also in cosmetology, industry, and also for the treatment of various ailments. However, more and more nutritionists agree that this product is the strongest carcinogen, and, therefore, not only harmful, but also dangerous to human health. So is palm oil useful for humans, or is it still harmful?
Palm oil is extracted from the oil-bearing type of palm trees (namely, the pulp of the fruit, which is first boiled and then squeezed), which grow mainly in tropical countries, in particular in West Africa. V in kind the product is a liquid substance, has an orange-yellow color and has a rather pleasant aroma and sweet aftertaste. At temperatures below thirty degrees, the oil becomes solid, resembling margarine in structure. Palm oil is the only one in the world that is called solid vegetable oil, similar in composition to animal fats.
The composition of the oil contains huge quantities palmitic acid, but despite this, it also contains other saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, in particular, stearic, oleic, arachidic, linoleic, myristic, lauric, etc. In addition, the oil contains vitamins E, D, K, lecithin, phytosterols, squalene, coenzyme Q10, magnesium, phosphorus, etc. This product is quite high in calories, the energy value is about 900 kcal per 100 g of product.
The benefits and properties of palm oil.
The use of palm oil has a positive effect on the condition of the heart and blood vessels, so doctors often recommend it as a preventive measure to prevent heart attacks, strokes, inflammatory vascular diseases, cardiomyopathy - irreversible damage to the heart muscle, coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart failure, atherosclerosis and other diseases. .
This product is able to compensate for the lack of vitamin A in our body, so it is recommended to use it often when various diseases eye. In addition, its properties are the normalization of intraocular pressure, the improvement of blood supply to the eyes, as well as the protection of the lens, retina and cornea of the eyes. It is often recommended to include it in your daily diet as a prophylactic and treatment for tired eye syndrome, cataracts, conjunctivitis, night blindness, and glaucoma.
The use of palm oil also has a positive effect on the work of the gastrointestinal tract, it prevents inflammation, helps to accelerate the healing process in case of damage to the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, prevents the accumulation of excess fat in the liver, and has a stimulating effect on the formation and secretion of bile. Experts often recommend palm oil for the treatment of diseases such as biliary dyskinesia, gastric and duodenal ulcers, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, colitis and enterocolitis, gastritis and many others.
Palm oil is also useful for obesity and diabetes, with frequent colds and diseases. respiratory tract, as well as with a tendency to them, in the presence of bronchial asthma and tuberculosis.
Separately, it is worth talking about the benefits of palm oil for female body. It contains vitamins A and E, unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols that have a beneficial effect on the female reproductive system, as they have the ability to regulate hormonal balance(namely estrogen hormones), keep it in balance, and also have an anti-inflammatory effect in the presence of diseases of the uterus, breast or ovaries. In addition, these substances and vitamins contribute to the full development of the fetus during pregnancy, and during lactation increase the quality and improve the composition and taste breast milk. It can be used for both preventive and medicinal purposes, in particular with anemia and diseases of the female genital area, PMS and menopause.
Those suffering from diseases such as vaginitis, colpitis, cervical erosion are advised to insert palm oil tampons into the vagina.
Palm oil is effective means treatment of cracked nipples of the mother during the period of breastfeeding. The oil is an excellent means of protection against the penetration of infections and a means of accelerating the healing process.
The benefits of this product can be appreciated by women. Regular inclusion of palm oil in their diet, starting at the age of thirty, will help to avoid osteoporosis in the future (during menopause). Similar properties of this product make it possible to use it in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Palm oil is especially useful for children, because its constituent substances are actively involved in the formation of bones, joints and teeth, as well as organs of vision, brain and nervous tissue. In addition, its use increases the level of the body's defenses and contributes to its normal growth.
The benefits of palm oil in the daily human diet are also great. It should be used more often in the presence of chronic fatigue syndrome, psycho-emotional disorders, as well as to strengthen memory, attention, and improve mental abilities. It is also recommended for nervous and mental diseases, to strengthen the body's immune defenses, in order to prevent cancer. Palm oil is very useful to include in your diet for residents in places with unfavorable environmental conditions, as well as for patients who have survived radiation and chemotherapy.
This product has found its application in the treatment of dental problems, in particular, in case of gum disease, it is recommended to apply gauze wipes pre-soaked with this oil to the affected areas.
Microclysters are also made with this oil or tampons are administered rectally in the presence of anal fissures, hemorrhoids and constipation. In addition, palm oil is applied topically in the presence of psoriasis, burns, cuts, trophic ulcers, bedsores, neurodermatitis, acne and other skin problems. V this case oil lubricates the affected areas of the skin. To increase efficiency, the oil is taken orally.
In the field of cosmetology, palm oil has also found wide application. It is added as an ingredient in various cosmetics. For example, this product is often added to tanning products. Thanks to such products, the skin not only acquires an even and beautiful tan, but also remains protected from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, keeping youth and freshness.
In the field of culinary use, palm oil can be compared with coconut oil. Confectioners unanimously claim that this product is simply indispensable in the production of their products, especially those intended for long-term storage. It is used in the production of margarine, other substitutes for natural butter, is an ingredient in the manufacture of condensed milk, crackers, crackers.
Harm of palm oil.
Despite the many positive properties cited, nutritionists insist that palm oil has minimal benefits for our body. When it is in excess, the work of organs is disrupted. digestive system. Saturated fatty acids (palmitic acid) significantly increase the level of cholesterol in the blood, which further leads to the emergence and development of dangerous diseases - vascular thrombosis, atherosclerosis and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.
In addition, this oil is the strongest carcinogen. In many countries, a ban on the use of this product in their food industry has long been introduced, and if it is present in any product, a note about this fact must be put on the packaging!
In spite of useful composition oils, the body will not be able to process these substances and assimilate them due to the melting point (40 degrees, while the temperature of our body is 36.6 degrees). Palm oil is poorly excreted from our body, most of it settles in it in the form of toxins and clogs blood vessels, intestines and other vital organs. Fatty acids, gradually sticking together blood cells, contribute to the development of oncology various bodies, provoke a heart attack, infertility and impotence.
Palmitic acid, which is the basis of palm oil, is an essential component of infant formulas. According to the latest research by scientists, when this acid enters the body of an infant, it combines with calcium, as a result of which insoluble compounds are formed, which, when excreted from the body, take with them most of the calcium. As a result, the child does not receive the necessary amount of healthy fats and calcium, despite the remaining amount of nutrition, which are so important during the growth and development of the baby. In addition, it has been proven that mixtures with palmitic acid in the composition lead to bloating and belching in infants, cause bone mineralization and colic.
Despite all negative sides, palm oil is ubiquitous and is used in the production of products so loved by our beloved children (chocolate, condensed milk, chips, etc.). Of course, it is quite difficult to refuse a request to buy a child, but before buying another treat, read the composition, and if you find palm oil in it, think a hundred times before buying it.
What exactly is palm oil? How best to characterize it? How to determine if it is useful? So, obtained from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm, vegetable oil, which is called palm oil, began to be used in the food industry.
In general, it has been put in baked goods, sauces or confectionery for quite a long time, in large quantities as a staple containing fat. Nowadays, it is not unusual to find palm oil (P.O.) in products.
Palm oil: health benefits and harms?
The large scale application of the oily substance in the food industry has caused a wave unfavorable responses, but do they have a rationale?
TV screens often talk about harmful properties of P.m. in products; in the media they say that just this product is considered an impetus to obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, that it negatively affects health and its benefits are doubtful.
But is P.m. is that harmful? So what is it: benefit or harm to health?
Manufacturing process
F.m., which, according to the World Wildlife Fund, is found in more than 50% of food products, is made from the softest part of the oil palm fruit. It was precisely because of this that its difference from other oils appeared: linseed or sunflower, obtained from the seed of plants. This oil palm seed product is called palm kernel.
The birthplace of the oil palm tree is Malaysia, Indonesia and African states, where plantations are located, the price of labor is low and transportation is relatively affordable, which greatly reduces the cost of the manufactured product.
raw m. is a rather thick orange or reddish liquid substance with a pleasant nutty taste and aroma, reminiscent of milk cream. The composition of this substance is in many ways very similar to ordinary butter.
palm oil application
Depending on the fraction (remelting temperature P.m.), the product is used in various areas of use. So, there are 3 states of substance:
- Stearin is a hard substance with a melting point of approximately 47-52 degrees, it looks like margarine.
- The oil itself, which is a semi-liquid product, begins its melting at 40-43 degrees Celsius.
- Palm olein is an oily liquid with a melting point in the range of 18-21 degrees Celsius, in appearance it looks like a cosmetic hand cream.
food industry
Use of P.m. in the food industry dates back to the period when South American scientists studied the unique composition of the product in 1985. They examined in detail the positive properties of the harm of this product. By the way, before this stage, the oily substance was used only for technical purposes.
So what is palm oil? It is primarily used for food preparation. long term in order to storage: confectionery finished products, cottage cheese desserts , processed cheese, condensed milk, waffles, cakes and creams. It is also capable improve taste and reduce the cost of products.
Often just P.m. replace milk fat, this is especially necessary for people who suffer from intolerance to certain components of milk. So, the use of this product is less dangerous than the use of dairy products. And, accordingly, P.m. more useful.
No country in the world has banned the use of an oily substance, but some time ago a bill was introduced in the Russian Federation prohibiting the introduction of an unrefined substance in the food industry, believing that this harmful.
The law was never adopted, but the bulk of manufacturers are already "dilute" P.m. many other vegetable oils, and the product packaging shows that the composition contains " substitute milk fat”, and buyers have a question about whether such products are useful.
Next, consider the question, how often do we find palm oil in products? What specific products is it in? Almost all bakery and confectionery products, delicious pastas(chocolate, vanilla, nut, etc.), chocolate itself, semi-finished meat products, chips and french fries - this scroll pretty wide.
It is easier to list products that do not have this oily substance in their composition than those in which it is. A large number of disputes flare up around the use of the product in high-calorie dairy mixtures for babies, but the harmfulness of palm oil in baby food has not been confirmed.
Then the question begs itself, so why is palm oil dangerous? Maybe it still has more benefit than harm?
Chemical industry, cosmetology and medicine
Excellent ability heal small wounds and other skin lesions, nourishing and moisturizing qualities, excellent composition - all this makes it possible to use it in the production of creams for aging skin, healing ointments, pharmaceutical substances that are used to treat a wide range of cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal pathologies path, problems of ophthalmology. In these cases, P.m. benefits.
Where else is P.m. used, apart from the food and drug industries? In the chemical industry, the product has a useful ability to be used in the manufacture of soap, detergents
, decorative and ordinary snow-white candles, washing powders. Made from an oily substance biofuel, which can replace the usual.
There are several types of palm oil:
- red
- deodorized and refined
- hydrogenated
- technical
Therefore, palm oil can be used in:
- in the food industry
- in the technical industry (in the manufacture of various creams, soaps, etc.)
The effect of palm oil components on the body
What harm does Palm butter? The usefulness and harm of the product for humans depend on where and what type of oil is used. Reddish (raw), refined and technical oils should be used in various areas of production. So, what are the properties of palm oil? How to determine if a product is useful?
It is important to take into account, in fact, that the harm of palm oil to human well-being, as a rule, is more often caused not by its composition, but rather by chemical processing of a natural product in pursuit of cost reduction. finished products.
red oil
Red oil is a natural product of plant origin, which has rich natural red-orange pigments. It undergoes the least processing, due to which almost all the necessary properties are saved.
Raw (red) P.m. - harm or benefit? The product has some excellent features, but it also has negative qualities. So, red palm oil is a product with the highest content vitamin E and A, in fact, which gives it the ability to effectively fight free radicals that provoke cancer. Reddish palm oil positively affects appearance skin, nourishes hair, supports the immune state, also improves visual acuity.
Does the use of reddish palm oil bring or not? Its use in significant numbers has the possibility provoke disease of cardio-vascular system or add the risk of oncology (thus, the product at the same time tends to increase and decrease the risk of neoplasms).
From palm oil to huge quantities, it is possible to gain extra pounds. Due to its high melting point (40 degrees), reddish palm oil is somewhat more difficult to digest than other products and, as a rule, is poorly excreted from the body. At superfluous consumed in food, it settles in internal organs in the form of sludge.
What is the consumer to do? Is it necessary and how to exclude palm oil? The substance will not accumulate in the body if you increase the amount in the diet natural products.
Refined and deodorized
In the food industry, as a rule, it is used just refined butter. It is more profitable than unprocessed, and has a longer shelf life, which, in fact, helps to reduce the cost of finished products and extend the shelf life.
Apart from this, the oil is practically devoid of all useful qualities and has an extremely bad effect on the human body. It has a negative effect when used in food, especially on digestion and the cardiovascular system of the body.
Why is refined palm oil harmful, that is, refined oil? Most saturated fats can become premise the emergence of major problems of the cardiovascular system and exacerbate the situation of patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. It also has another negative effect: by improving the taste properties of goods, it provokes obesity.
The harm of palm oil to human well-being is not limited opportunity weight gain, since palm olein is considered a carcinogen.
used in production baby food, but absolutely not to lower the price of the finished product, as is commonly believed. The oil is a source of palimitic acid, which is important for the child for good nutrition and is found in large quantities in breast milk; pamitic acid is not found in cow's and goat's milk.
Palm olein is introduced into the composition of baby formulas precisely in order to bring the composition of nutrition as close as possible to breast milk.
hydrogenated oil
hydrogenation- the process of saturation with carbon to bring the oily solution into a solid state. Any hydrogenated fatty product literally loses all the necessary qualities and is made harmful product, since this process affects its chemical composition.
The product is hydrogenated for use in the composition margarines and margarine textures. For human well-being, the harm of hydrogenated palm oil is very great, since the necessary substances in such products (as well as in hydrogenated olive or vegetable oils) are very few.
Products made using hydrogenation technology are presented as dietary, but in fact contribute only increase the degree of cholesterol and accelerate the aging process of the arteries, provoke a violation of fat metabolism and are not recommended for use by people who are prone to diseases associated with the cardiovascular system.
Palm technical oil
Technical oily substance is used for cooking cosmetics, medicines, soaps, candles and washing powders. In the food industry, the use of this product is unacceptable. Why? The modified acid-base composition makes the oleic product absolutely inapplicable for adding it to food, makes impossible digestibility, deprives, of course, the products of all the necessary qualities and often contributes to the appearance of cholesterol plaques or malignant neoplasms.
Palm oil legends
So, the harmfulness of palm oil to the body (or its benefits) has not yet been confirmed by any authoritative medical organization or research center. This contributes to the emergence of a large number of disputes and legends around this product. Some people will try to avoid it as much as possible, others will not.
Most of the legends about palm oil is based on the false claim that the product is banned in many developed countries. In reality, for example, in the USA, the amount of use of this oily substance only grows from year to year, and in the states of Africa and Asia, it is used every day by the majority of the population for making food and is considered useful.
Palm oil has been widely used in the food industry relatively recently, but the debate about whether it is harmful or beneficial has not subsided since then. TV screens often talk about him harmful properties, The media unanimously claim that it is the main cause of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
But how is the situation really and is palm oil really so harmful or does it also have properties that are beneficial to human health? Let's look at this issue in detail.
How palm oil is made
According to WWF (World Wildlife Fund), palm oil is found in more than 50% of food. It is produced from the soft part of the oil palm fruit - this is what distinguishes it from linseed or sunflower oil, which are obtained from plant seeds. The product, which is made from oil palm seed, is called palm kernel (it resembles coconut in its structural composition and properties).
Oil palm grows in Malaysia, Indonesia and African countries. Such localization of plantations, low labor costs and relatively cheap transportation significantly reduce the cost of finished products. In addition, one hectare of oil palm plantation is capable of producing eight times more finished product than sunflower.
Raw butter is a very thick orange or red liquid with a pleasant nutty taste and smell reminiscent of milk cream, its chemical composition largely duplicates the usual cream.
Areas of use
Depending on the fraction (melting point), the product is used in various areas:
- Stearin is a solid substance with a melting point of about 47-52 degrees, it looks like margarine;
- Actually, oil - a semi-liquid product melts at 40-43 degrees Celsius;
- Palm olein is an oily liquid with a melting point of about 18-21 degrees Celsius, looks like a cosmetic hand cream.
Use in the food industry
The use of palm oil in the food industry began after a study by American scientists of the composition of the product in 1985. They also examined in detail its properties - up to this point it was used exclusively for technical purposes.
Today vegetable fat used for the manufacture of products with a long shelf life: confectionery, cottage cheese desserts, processed cheese, condensed milk, waffles, cakes and creams. In addition, it has the ability to improve the taste and appearance of products, reduces their cost.
Often it is they who replace milk fat, which is especially important for people who suffer from intolerance to certain components of milk.
There is no ban on the use of palm oil in any country in the world, but in the Russian Federation some time ago a bill appeared banning the use of an unrefined substance in the food industry. The ban was not adopted, but most manufacturers already “dilute” it with other vegetable fats, and the product packaging indicates that it contains “milk fat substitute”.
Palm oil is also found in baked goods and confectionery, sweet pastes, in chocolate, semi-finished meat products, chips and french fries - this list is very extensive. A lot of controversy flares up around the fact that the product is used in nutritious milk formulas for infants, although its harm when used in baby food has not been proven.
Chemical industry, cosmetology and medicine
The ability to heal minor skin lesions, moisturizing and nourishing properties allow the oil to be used in the production of creams for aging skin, healing ointments, medicines, which are used to treat a wide range of cardiovascular diseases, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, and ophthalmic problems.
Palm oil, in addition to the food and pharmaceutical industries, is used by the chemical industry in the production of soaps, detergents, decorative and ordinary white candles, washing powders.
Effects of palm oil on the body
The benefits and harms of a product for a person depend on what kind of it is meant - red (unprocessed), refined and technical have different properties and are used in different areas of production.
It is important to consider that the harm of palm oil to human health is more often caused not by its composition, but rather by the chemical processing of raw materials in the pursuit of reducing the cost of finished products.
red oil
This is a natural product of plant origin, which is rich in natural red-orange pigment. It undergoes minimal processing, which allows you to save many useful properties:
- it contains vitamins E and A, which allows it to effectively fight free radicals that provoke cancer;
- red palm oil has a positive effect on the condition of the skin, nourishes the hair, supports the immune system, and also improves visual acuity.
But there are also a number of negative points:
- its use in large quantities can provoke diseases of the cardiovascular system or increase the risk of oncology;
- palm oil (in large quantities) can noticeably gain weight. Due to the high melting point (40 degrees), it is digested somewhat worse than other products and, as a rule, is not completely eliminated from the body. With excessive consumption of food, most of it settles in the form of toxins.
Vegetable fat does not accumulate in the body in such volumes that any special measures are required to remove it. It is enough just to increase the amount of natural products in the diet.
Refined and deodorized
In the food industry, as a rule, it is refined oil that is used. It is an order of magnitude cheaper than unprocessed and stored longer, which can significantly reduce the cost of finished products and extend its shelf life, but in addition, it is practically devoid of all useful properties and dangerous for the human body:
- A source of large amounts of saturated fats can cause the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system and worsen the condition of patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus;
- Another negative impact is that by improving the taste of products, it provokes obesity;
- The harm of palm oil to human health is not limited to the likelihood of weight gain, because. in addition, it is a carcinogenic product.
Olein is also used in the production of baby food, but not at all to reduce the cost of the finished product, as is commonly believed.
A source of palimitic acid, which is necessary for the full development of the child and in required quantity contained in breast milk, cannot be cow or goat milk and vegetable fats, but palm olein can be brought closer to this substance. It is introduced into the composition of infant formulas precisely in order to bring the composition of nutrition as close as possible to breast milk.
hydrogenated
Hydrogenation is the process of saturation with carbon to bring the oil into a solid state. Any hydrogenated fat loses almost all of its beneficial properties and becomes a product that is unhealthy.
The product is hydrogenated for use in margarine and margarine blends. In this case, the harm of palm oil to human health is enormous, while useful substances hydrogenated foods (including hydrogenated olive or vegetable oils) contain very little.
Technical
Technical palm oil is used in the manufacture of cosmetics, medicines, soaps, candles and washing powders. In the food industry, its use is unacceptable due to the fact that:
- the changed acid-base composition makes olein completely unsuitable for adding to food;
- it significantly impairs digestibility, deprives absolutely all useful properties and often provokes the formation of cholesterol plaques or even malignant neoplasms.
Most of the myths about palm oil are based on the misconception that the product is banned in many developed countries. In reality, for example, in the United States, its consumption is growing year by year, and in the countries of Africa and the Asian region, it is used daily by the majority of the population for cooking.
If in the production of products not technical oil is used, but food oil, then it will bring no more harm than any other.
Palm oil is a vegetable product extracted from the fruit of a tropical tree called the oil palm. From the seeds of this tree, oil is also extracted, which has the name - palm kernel. This product belongs to one of the oldest on earth, according to legend, it was used by the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt.
In the modern world, palm oil has become the most actively introduced into the food industry quite recently, but the debate about its positive and negative properties continues to this day. The media convince viewers that palm oil for humans is of great harm and is the cause of diabetes, obesity and provokes the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases.
Is it so? Is oil really that dangerous, or does it have good sides?
According to research provided by the World Wide Fund for Nature, there is a significant amount of palm oil in the composition of all the food in our world. It has a lot of differences compared to some other oils derived from olive, flaxseed or sunflower.
Trees oil palms mainly grow in Malaysia, South Africa or Indonesia. These regions are distinguished by the relatively cheap cost of manual labor and low transport costs, which can significantly reduce the price of finished product. It should also be noted that one hectare of palm trees can produce many times more yield than a hectare of sunflower.
The primary unprocessed raw material is an orange mixture with a nut flavor, somewhat similar in composition to cream.
food industry
The use of palm oil in the food industry began to gain momentum at the end of the 19th century, immediately after scientists from America studied its composition. The researchers rather painstakingly evaluated all its properties, because earlier the oil was used only for technical purposes.
In the modern world, oil is widely used for the production food products:
- Dairy products (condensed milk, milk, cheese, processed cheese etc)
- Confectionery (cakes, chocolate, cookies)
- Fast food (chips and french fries)
This list is endless.
In addition to increasing the shelf life, palm surrogate improves some taste indicators and reduces the price of the product. Palm oil is the only alternative to milk fat.
Quite recently, a draft law was submitted for discussion in the Russian Government, according to which the use of an unrefined substance in the food industry was prohibited, but it was never adopted. Large manufacturers are already "diluting" such butter with other types, and on the packages they write that there are "milk fat substitutes" in the composition.
Palm oil in Russia is found in almost all food products - in bread, chocolate, confectionery and even semi-finished meat products.
In the store, carefully read the composition of the products, which is indicated on the package. If low-quality raw materials were used in the production process of the goods, then vegetable fat will be present in its composition. Please note that these items may contain a large amount of fatty acids such as palmitic acid. Due to which a sharp increase in blood cholesterol is possible, which provokes the development of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis.
According to statistics, about 90% of dairy products presented in retail outlets contain palm oil.
Based on the methods of processing the primary material, the oil is divided into several types, each of which has a certain set of useful and not very substances.
red oil
This species should be attributed to products of natural origin. The oil has a rich orange color, retains a large number of useful properties, because it undergoes minimal processing.
Beneficial features:
- The product is rich in vitamins that help the body resist disease.
- The oil improves the condition of the skin, improves hair color, improves immunity and improves vision.
Unfortunately, there are also negative properties:
- The use of oil in large volumes can cause the development of cardiovascular diseases and the growth of cancer cells;
- The risk of developing obesity increases. Due to the high melting point, the digestion of this product is not complete, and the decomposition products are not excreted from the body after the digestion process. Most of the waste remains in the digestive tract in the form of difficult-to-remove compounds.
Deodorized or refined
Modern palm oil in products is refined. Its production is much cheaper, it allows you to significantly increase the shelf life of products, but such oil is completely devoid of useful properties and vitamins and can even cause serious harm to health:
- Constant eating is the cause of cardiovascular disease and diabetes;
- Improving the taste of the product leads to the development of appetite and subsequently to overweight;
- Most products containing palm oil contain carcinogens.
hydrogenated
The process of hydrogenation is to saturate the oil with carbon in order to solidify the oil. At the same time, the product loses its vitamin base (this also applies to other hydrogenated oils - olive, sunflower), and acquires exclusively negative properties, due to which it becomes extremely dangerous.
This oil is often used in the production of margarine. The harm done to a person is simply monstrous.
Technical
The oil is used for the production of lipsticks, soaps, medicines, stearin candles or washing machine powders. The use of technical oils in the food industry is unacceptable!
- The composition makes it absolutely unsuitable for food.
- It is practically not digested and is devoid of any beneficial properties, often leading to the appearance of cholesterol plaques in the human body.
Throughout the world, technical oil is prohibited for food production, but is allowed in Russia.
What does palm oil contain?
Palm oil contains several substances, but the two main ones are olein and stearin. Their quantitative volume in oil affects the melting point.
Stearin is a solid fatty mass with a melting point of 55 degrees.
Olein is a liquid fatty substance and melts at a temperature of 20 degrees. The predominance of one or another amount of a substance in the oil allows the melting temperature of the primary raw material to change. The volume of stearin is much higher in cheap products.
- fatty acid;
- lecithin;
- vitamins E and A, as well as D;
- phytosterol;
- minerals;
- coenzyme Q10.
Remember: since the melting point of this oil is high, the absorption of vitamins and trace elements by the body will be extremely low. The harm or benefit of palm oil does not directly depend on the nutrients, but on the body's ability to absorb them.
Health impact
The main symptom that negatively affects health is the infusibility of the product. Body temperature is not enough for palm fat to completely transform into a liquid state and be completely absorbed by the digestive tract. Less dangerous is only red oil, which has a melting point close to the temperature of the human body. The vast majority of holdings use exclusively industrial oil for the production of products, while it should be taken into account that its melting point fluctuates around 40 degrees, which practically excludes its assimilation.
When it enters the digestive system, the oil passes through the esophagus, stomach, intestines, where it is partially melted, covering the organs with an oily film.
Long-term and constant use of products containing this poison leads to a layering of the film, the blocking of the organs for the absorption of vitamins occurs, and the process of normal digestion is disrupted. Slags are formed that clog the vessels, which may well provoke the appearance of atherosclerosis.
In Europe, the use of trans-fatty acids is banned, and palm oil itself is planned to be banned in the near future. Since 2015, all European manufacturers are required to indicate on the packaging the name of the oils used, as well as their type.
Baby formula
A lot of controversy has arisen around the question: is it possible to use palm oil in infant formula for babies?
Despite the fact that the mixtures were originally made exclusively for infants, and their body is still not at all adapted to digest roughage, the addition of “palms” to such mixtures is common. The product is extremely dangerous for the health of the baby. The digestive system of the baby, in the first years of life, is not yet fully formed, and palm oil in newborns causes indigestion, constant constipation and pain in the intestines.
Thanks to palmitic acid, calcium is washed out, and difficulties arise in its absorption. Often, children who are fed with such mixtures have a calcium deficiency.
Try to eat less fast food and make your choice in favor of natural products - vegetables, fruits, meat, fish. Remember, the less processed the product, the more useful it is!
