Palm oil danger to veg-community

[Guest guest]

I wanted to respond to Doug's posting last Thursday, in which he asserted

that palm fruit oil is dangerous. I have cooked and baked with naturally

trans-fat free palm shortening for years and have seen studies and research

that extol the benefits of palm oil (palm fruit, not palm kernal) in the

diet. An Integrative Physician and Cardiologist in Massachusetts, Dr.

Richard Delany (http://www.drdelany.com/home.htm) sent me this paper that he

wrote on the subject:

 

 

Saturated Fats: Palm Fruit Oil - A Better Choice

Richard M. Delany, M.D., F.A.C.C

 

Excess saturated fats in the human diet, especially from animal sources,

have been shown to be quite harmful. These fats increase the incidence of

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) by increasing the level of the “bad” LDL

cholesterol while also promoting the development of truncal obesity and an

increased tendency toward the formation of blood clots. Limiting the daily

consumption of saturated fats to less than 20 grams has been a national goal

to help prevent these harmful effects. However there is very little

discussion about the varying risks associated with the various types of

saturated fats and the potential beneficial effects of simultaneously

consuming specific combinations of different fats in a person’s diet.

 

Saturated fats consist of primarily five different types: (1) palmitic acid,

(2) stearic acid, (3) myristic acid, (4) lauric acid, and (5) butyric acid.

Myristic and lauric acids are felt to be the most potent atherosclerotic

promoting saturated fats, while palmitic acid has a moderate LDL raising

effect and stearic acid has a surprisingly neutral effect. Butyric acid is

mostly confined to butter in a low amount ( 3%) unless it becomes rancid.

Butter contains 57 % saturated fats with the combined amounts of the higher

risk myristic and lauric fatty acids accounting for almost half of the

saturated fatty acids present.

 

Palm oil possesses a unique combination of saturated, monounsaturated, and

polyunsaturated fats. Palm oil contains 50% saturated fats ( 45% palmitic

acid, and 5% stearic acid), 40% monounsaturated fat (oleic acid), and 10%

polyunsaturated fat (linoleic acid). Thus palm oil supplies a moderate

amount of healthy monounsaturated fat, a small amount of essential omega 6

fat, a small amount of neutral saturated fat (stearic acid), and 45% of a

saturated fat (palmitic acid) that is not the most potent atherosclerotic

promoting type of saturated fat. Unlike butter, palm oil does not contain

the highest risk myristic and lauric saturated fats. Clinical studies have

shown that palm oil consumption with its unique fatty acid composition

actually lowers the “bad” LDL cholesterol and raises the “good” HDL

cholesterol when it is used as a replacement for trans fats and other

saturated fats.1,2

 

Unlike like other products containing saturated fats, alone or in other

combinations, palm fruit oil when consumed in combination with

monounsaturated fat (oleic acid) can actually improve a person’s lipid

profile. These beneficial blood lipid effects would be best seen when palm

fruit oil shortening replaces the trans fats and other saturated fats

present in a person’s diet.3

 

Shortening made from 100% palm oil represents a healthy choice for patients

at risk of heart disease.

 

Footnotes:

1 Sundram K, Hornstra G, et al. Replacement of dietary fat with palm oil:

effect on human serum lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins. Br. J

Nutrition 1992 Nov; 68 (3) 677-692.

2 Zhang J, Ping W, et al. Nonhypercholesterolemic effects of palm oil diet

in Chinese adults. J. Nutrition. 1997 Mar; 127 (3):509S-513S

3 Sundram K, French MA, et al. Exchanging partially hydrogenated fat for

palmitic acid in the diet increases LDL-cholesterol and endogenous LDL

synthesis in normocholesterolemic women. Eur J Nutrition 2003 Aug; 42 (4):

188-194.

 

 

denise

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Animals are my friends . . . and I don't eat my friends.

George Bernard Shaw

 

 

 

_____________________________

Thu, 4 Nov 2004 09:30:25 -0800 (PST)

Papaya Lime2005 <papayalime2005

Palm oil danger to veg-community

 

There has been a recent disturbing trend in the area of vegan food products.

Within the last year, there has been a significant increase in the amount

of products that contain palm oil. While this oil is not hydrogenated and

is not an animal fat, it acts no differently than any animal fat because

like animal fat, it is highly saturated. Palm oil is 50% saturated while

canola and olive oils are 10-14% saturated. As most of you already know,

saturated fat causes heart disease and stroke. Now there are some

individuals and corporations who claim that palm oil has no detrimental

effect. Do not believe the corporate lies or the lies of individuals who

want to sell books or other various products. There is a lot of scientific

evidence that shows that palm oil raises cholesterol levels. The palm oil

industry has engaged in their own research, but this research is biased and

severely flawed. Believing in the notion that palm oil is a healthful oil

is like believing that George Bush

can move us forward in the world.

 

The vegetarian community correctly states that a vegan diet is advantageous

for many reasons, one of which includes that vegan diets are low in

saturated fat. This indeed is backed by a large amount of scientific

evidence. If properly planned, vegan diets will lower the risk of heart

disease, cancer, stroke, and numerous other diseases. One of the main

reasons for this reduction in chronic disease is the low intake of saturated

fat. Vegans/vegetarians rely on healthful fats such as those from nuts,

avocados, olive oil, canola oil, etc. In addition to the heart disease

risk, there may be a cancer risk. A considerable amount of studies show a

connection between saturated fats and breast cancer, prostate cancer, and

colon cancer.

 

Consuming products that are free of cholesterol and saturated fat from

animal fats but high in saturated fat from palm oil is hypocritical and,

more importantly, dangerous. In the long run, if the vegan/vegetarian

community consumes these products on a long term basis, this will serve to

undermine the healthful effects of a vegan diet. In turn, vegans will

actually not have lower rates of heart diseaseor cancer, and the medical

community and meat industry will be sure to emphasize this.

 

If you care about the success and proliferation of veganism/vegetarianism,

It is absolutely vital that we as a community do not allow this dangerous

trend to continue. For margarine, use margarines that are low in saturated

fat and made without trans-fats. For baking, utilize safflower oil,

sunflower oil, canola oil, or margarines (low in sat fat and free of

trans-fats). When purchasing vegan baked goods, be sure the product does

not contain palm oil. When sauteing vegetables or making other dishes, use

pure canola, olive, safflower, sunflower oils that are not hydrogenated.

 

When shopping for baked goods, look at the label to see if it says palm oil

or palm fruit oil or palm kernel oil. Also, although it's not nearly as

common, avoid coconut oil too. Companies that sell products in the bay area

that don't use palm oil:

 

Sweet Earth Natural Foods: (vegan apple, blueberry, and chocolate pies; they

use canola oil)

Whole Foods Sandwich cookies (canola and soybean oils)

Frookie Cookie Company

Organica Foods cookie company (look at the labels, some of their products

contain palm)

 

We urge all of you to contact the companies that are utilizing palm

shortening or palm oil in their products and ask them to stop harming the

vegetarian/vegan community for their profits. Below is a list of companies

that use a large amount of palm oil in their baked goods. Some of them even

say their products are healthy. Contact them as soon as possible and urge

them to use a vegetable oil that is unsaturated.

 

Black China Bakery

104 Bronson St

Santa Cruz, CA 95062-3489

831-457-2068

 

Also, contact Whole Foods and let them know you do not want them to sell

baked goods that use palm oil as the first ingredient in the product

www.wholefoods.com

 

Sincerely,

 

Doug

 

 

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Animals are my friends . . . and I don't eat my friends.

George Bernard Shaw

 

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