Stop Blaming Palm Oil for America’s Nutrition Crisis
30/11/2023 (Real Clear Policy) - As a physician, social epidemiologist and hospital executive, it’s important to me that consumers have accurate and up-to-date nutrition information, so that they can make informed choices about the food they eat and the products they use. In particular, it’s vital that they’re aware of the kinds of lifestyle choices they can make to maximize their chances to live long, healthy lives.
Thanks to technology, consumers now have more access to such nutrition information than ever before. But the growth of the online healthcare marketplace is not without its warts. The spread of dubious misinformation and context-free discussion around perfectly safe consumer products has led many people to falsely believe that these products are harmful to them, driving anxiety and poor dietary choices that do nothing to improve their health.
Perhaps the perfect illustration of this phenomenon is the ongoing discussion about palm oil, the edible vegetable oil found in many of the foods and cosmetics we use every day, from chocolate bars to lipstick. Ideological opponents and competitors insist that consumption of this natural edible oil should be eliminated from our diets, despite overwhelming evidence that it is consistency and balance, not prohibition and deprivation, that keep us healthy.
Palm oil has long been widely used for decades, but in recent years, opponents have promulgated a pervasive misconception that palm oil’s high saturated fat content makes it unhealthy for human consumption. In particular, critics dubiously group palm oil in with other oils containing a high composition of trans-fats. Search the internet, and you’re likely to find dozens of articles warning of the unparalleled dangers of palm oil.
These recommendations are not only scientifically unsound, but they also represent a total disregard for the sort of incremental progress that’s essential to improving overall health outcomes. Over the last decade, the use of palm oil has rapidly increased, as regulators in the United States and abroad have looked to phase out harmful trans-fats. Trans-fats, which were once added to food as partially hydrogenated oils, can lead to higher LDL cholesterol, a significant driver of heart disease and the number one killer of American adults.
Contrary to popular disinformation, the widespread replacement of hydrogenated oils with palm oils is actually a positive step for global cardiac health. Palm oil is a semi-solid fat, which means it’s never partially hydrogenated. This makes it naturally free of trans-fats that regulators and the health care community want people to avoid. And unlike its trans-fat-laden predecessors, studies have demonstrated that palm oil, when consumed as part of a balanced diet, has a neutral influence on cardiovascular health, since it does not raise the level of good or bad cholesterol.
A large body of scientific research also suggests there are real, varied benefits to the abundant adoption of red palm oil. Red palm oil is a rich source of carotenoids, a natural chemical compound found in vegetable oils that contain 15 times more of these compounds than carrots and 50 times that of tomatoes. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that support immune function. Red palm oil is also extremely rich in Vitamin E tocotrienols, a nutrient prized for its ability to reduce the risks of cancer, support brain and heart health, slow aging, and improve bone and eye health.
Policymakers facing pressure campaigns would do well to ignore the most heated rhetoric and focus on the best available data. This is especially true as the world manages another year of a cardiac crisis. According to World Health Organization (WHO) figures, cardiovascular diseases are the leading global cause of death, with 17.9 million people succumbing to some form of cardiovascular illness each year. A 2023 WHO report found that 500,000 premature global deaths could be attributed to regular trans-fat consumption, and urged nations to adopt strategies to phase out these dangerous compounds.
Instead, policymakers should thoughtfully address the multitude of nutritional, agricultural and social conditions that have made our population unhealthy. Then, they should enact plans and promote policies that take a holistic approach to health - eating well to fuel our bodies, staying physically fit and prioritizing our mental and emotional well-being. Together, these factors do wonders to save and extend our lives.
And although many uncredentialed online healthcare experts might suggest otherwise, relatively healthy, inexpensive and plentiful palm oil may end up playing an important part in enhancing our quality of life and improving overall global health outcomes. We should all be able to agree that’s a major step forward.
Dr. Jonathan Ellen is the CEO of Connections for Health, a social needs mitigation company serving patients. He previously served as CEO of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. He is a social and behavioral epidemiologist, pediatrician and retired medical school professor.