Red palm oil: nutritional, physiological and therapeutic roles in improving human wellbeing and quality of life

Abstract

The link between dietary fats and cardiovascular disease has created a growing interest in dietary red palm oil research. Also, the link between nutrition and health, oxidative stress and the severity or progression of disease has stimulated further interest in the potential role of red palm oil (a natural antioxidant product) to improve oxidative status by reducing oxidative stress in patients with cardiovascular disease, cancer and other chronic diseases. In spite of its level of saturated fatty acid content (50%), red palm oil has not been found to promote atherosclerosis and/or arterial thrombosis. This is probably due to the ratio of its saturated fatty acid to unsaturated fatty acid content and its high concentration of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, tocotrienols, tocopherols and vitamin E. It has also been reported that the consumption of red palm oil reduces the level of endogenous cholesterol, and this seems to be due to the presence of the tocotrienols and the peculiar isomeric position of its fatty acids. The benefits of red palm oil to health include a reduction in the risk of arterial thrombosis and/or atherosclerosis, inhibition of endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis, platelet aggregation, a reduction in oxidative stress and a reduction in blood pressure. It has also been shown that dietary red palm oil, taken in moderation in animals and humans, promotes the efficient utilisation of nutrients, activates hepatic drug metabolising enzymes, facilitates the haemoglobinisation of red blood cells and improves immune function. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the nutritional, physiological and biochemical roles of red palm oil in improving wellbeing and quality of life.

Effects of red palm oil and rooibos on sperm motility parameters in streptozotocininduced diabetic rats

“…Red palm oil (RPO) which originated from the tropical area of Africa is natural oil obtained from the fleshy orange-red mesocarp of the fruit of palm tree (Elaeis guineensis). It contains lipid-soluble antioxidants such as carotenoids (α-and β-carotenes, lycopenes), vitamin E (in the form of α-, β-, δ-tocotrienols and tocopherol) and ubiquinone (Oguntibeju et al, 2009). Red palm oil is distinctive from other plant and animal oil because it contains 50% saturated fatty acids, 40% unsaturated fatty acids, and 10% polyunsaturated fatty acids (Atawodi et al, 2011).…”

Nutrigenomics and Its Application in Palm Oil Nutrition and Health Research

“…In addition, it also promotes efficient utilisation of nutrients, activates hepatic drug metabolising enzymes, facilitates the haemoglobinisation of red blood cells and improves immune function (Oguntibeju et al, 2009). Carotenoids, especially as supplements, are poorly absorbed in our body due to reasons related to food matrix.…”

“…In this context, there is immense possibilities to improve and value add palm oil to more effectively market it as a healthy vegetable oil similar or more superior to virgin olive oil. Although red (virgin) palm oil is already enriched in health benefiting components, further biofortifications or modifications of processing Sambanthamurthi et al (2011a); Bolsinger et al (2014); Leow et al (2013); Che Anishas et al (2014); Nesaretnam et al (2012); Oguntibeju et al (2009 (Ruth and Wrick, 2005). New upcoming areas that will enable us to have a deeper understanding and further unravel the complex interaction between genes and dietary components in palm oil would be nutrigenetics.…”

“…According to Sundram et al (2003), red palm oil is the richest naturally occurring source of beta-carotene where approximately 500-800 mg of pro-vitamin A carotenoids are obtained in 1 kg of oil, which is 15 times higher than the carotenoid content in carrots (weight-by-weight basis). A review by Oguntibeju et al (2009) outlined some of the additional benefits of palm oil with higher carotenes. These include reduction in the risk of arterial thrombosis and/or atherosclerosis, inhibition of endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis, platelet aggregation, a reduction in oxidative stress and a reduction in blood pressure.…”

Assessment of an oil palm population from Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) for simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker application

“…Oil palms allow the production of two distinct kinds of oils from two different tissues within the fruits: (red) palm oil from the fruit pulp (mesocarp) around the nut and palm kernel oil from the kernel (Akapanabiatu et al, 2001;Asemota et al, 2004). Red palm oil as a saturated fat contains 44% palmitic acid, 39% oleic acid and smaller percentage of stearic, linolenic, lauric, myristic and linoleic acid (Burri, 2012;Oguntibeju et al, 2009). In addition, RPO is rich in provitamin A carotenoids (alpha-and beta-carotene) as well as vitamin E (both tocopherols and tocotrienols) (Burri, 2012).…”