The Link Between Palm Oil and Cancer

Introduction:

Vegetable oil, called palm oil, is produced from the oil palm tree's fruit. Because of its durability at high temperatures and lengthy shelf life, it is commonly utilized in the food business. Yet, worries regarding a possible connection between eating palm oil and cancer have been voiced recently. Palm oil is used as the main dietary component in the day to day food consumption and is used in nearly all types of food preparations, including frying, baking, sauteing, dressing, marinating, and extrusion cooking. Vegetable oils are frequently heated at high temperatures while being used in cooking. Cooking oils that have been heated repeatedly (RCO) can produce a wide range of chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), some of which have been linked to cancer. One of the often used frying and cooking mediums is RCO. Consuming RCOs and breathing in cooking fumes, both present significant health risks. Palm oil consumption in high amounts is claimed to have the potential to cause cancer.

What Is Palm Oil?

The oil-containing fleshy orange-red mesocarp of the oil palm tree's (Elaeis guineensis) fruits, which contains 45 percen to 55 percen oil, is used to make palm oil, a lipid. The oil palm tree is a member of the Palmae family and has an unbranched stem. The tree has a 25 to 30 year economic life span and can reach a height of 20 to 30 meters. The female bunch that is generated can weigh up to 30 to 40 kg and hold up to 2000 fruits that are black when immature and turn orange-red when ripe. Palm oil is extracted from palm trees and used for various purposes.

What Are the Types of Palm Oil?

There are two types of palm oil:

• Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) - Palm kernel oil (PKO) is the minor oil obtained from the seed of the palm fruit. PKO contains about 50 percen oil. It is a hard, light yellow oil and resembles coconut oil in taste and odor. It contains a higher proportion of saturated lauric and myristic acids. It is used in edible fats, confectioneries, baked goods, ice creams, mayonnaise, manufacture of toilet soaps, soap powders, and detergents. After oil extraction from the kernels, the pressed cake (19.5 percent protein) is an important livestock feed.

• Palm Oil - Crude (red) palm oil is the fresh oil obtained from the pulp (fruit of the palm) before refining. It is produced in palm oil mills. Crude palm oil is fractionated and refined in palm oil refineries. Palm olein and super olein are the fractions obtained from the refining and bleaching of palm oil. This fractionation brings about an increase in mono-unsaturated oleic acid with the concomitant reduction of palmitic acid, the major saturated fatty acid. Palm oil contains palmitic acid (majority), oleic, and linoleic acids. The majority of palm oil (90 %) is used for edible purposes throughout the world.

What Is the Importance of Palm Oil?

The following are the uses of palm oil:

• The oil palm is important in the sociocultural activities of the inhabitants of the area in which it grows. The importance of palm plants is that every part of the tree has economic importance.

• The trunk is used as timber and a local fuel source, while the ash produced by burning the dead trees is rich in potassium oxide, used in local soap production.

• The fibers are used to make rope, and the leaf rib is used for fencing and shed-making.

• The leaves are used for thatching, and the petiole for fencing and protecting the tops of mud walls.

• The sweet drink (containing 4.3 g sucrose/100 ml and 3.4 g glucose/100 ml) is called palm wine and is extracted from the palm flower. Palm wine is an important source of B complex vitamins in inhabitants' diets in the parts of Africa where it grows.

• Palm oil gives the highest yield of oil per unit of any crop.

• Palm oil is a raw material used for the production of cosmetics, waxes, lubricants, and toothpaste.

• Traditionally, palm oil is used as an antidote to cyanide toxicity.

• As a result of its stability at high temperatures and lengthy shelf life, palm oil is widely employed in the food sector.

Can Palm Oil Cause Cancer?

There is some evidence to show that consumption of palm oil is linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer.

• This is supported by a study in the International Journal of Cancer, non-smokers who consume a lot of palm oil have an elevated chance of developing lung cancer.

• One more investigation released in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention found that consuming palm oil was linked to a higher chance of developing breast cancer in women. It is crucial to remember that these studies do not unambiguously demonstrate that palm oil causes cancer.

• Correlation does not necessarily imply causation, and other factors may be contributing to the observed associations. Additionally, the studies in question relied on self-reported data, which is not always accurate.

• Furthermore, other studies have found no significant link between palm oil consumption and cancer.

• For example, a review of the evidence published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer concluded that there is no clear evidence that palm oil intake is linked to a higher risk of cancer. It is also worth noting that palm oil is not the only vegetable oil that has been linked to cancer risk.

• For example, some studies have suggested that high consumption of soybean oil may increase the risk of certain types of cancer.

• Overall, the evidence regarding the link between palm oil consumption and cancer is inconclusive. While some studies have found an association, others have found no significant link. Further study is required to properly comprehendthe potential risks of consuming palm oil and other vegetable oils.

Conclusion:

Palm oil has many nutritional advantages in cooking. While palm oil may have certain advantageous properties, a sizable portion of it is consumed in forms other than in its raw state. The practice of heating food condiments with palm oil makes it more likely for the oil to undergo deteriorating changes like oxidation and produce harmful byproducts. Individuals who are concerned about the potential risks of palm oil may wish to limit their consumption or choose alternative oils such as olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil. Additionally, maintaining a healthy diet high in lean proteins, healthy grains, and a variety of fruits and veggies is likely to be beneficial for overall health and cancer prevention.