Nutrition and health

Global statistics: territorial extension in hectares for palm oil production

Palm oil is more oil in less land.

Fats and oils are an essential part of the food and nutrition of human beings. They transport a number of nutrients such as liposoluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), antioxidants, essential fatty acids, cholesterol and other substances that are essential to human nutrition.

“Palm oil is naturally free from trans fats”

Saturated fats are solid at ambient temperature. Human beings and other warm-blooded beings store fat predominantly in the form of palmitic and stearic fatty acids.

In view of its saturated fatty acid composition, the natural properties of palm oil give it greater stability and a longer shelf life. These are desirable characteristics that avoid the need for hydrogenation of other vegetable oils, and thus prevent the production of fatty acids or “trans fats” associated to cardiovascular diseases. Palm oil is therefore a better option for health.

Palm oil, safe food

Daily dietary fat recommendation

The daily fat intake recommendation for the diet of an adult Guatemalan person is between 20 and 30% of the total energy in the diet. However, the recommendation is to not exceed 25% of total energy in the diet. (Menchú, M. et al. 2012).

Saturated fat, associated to animal products (lard, cream, butter, bacon and other) are the least recommended due to their association with non-transmissible chronic diseases.

A commercial campaign of the 80s argued that tropical oils (palm oil, palm seed oil and coconut oil) had negative effects on health, particularly cardiovascular health, for their high content of saturated fatty acids, associating them to increased blood cholesterol, and therefore making them one of the causes for atherosclerosis and cardiac disease.

There is, however, no overwhelming evidence that shows that palm oil is associated to increased risk of coronary heart diseases. Quite the contrary, scientific evidence tells us this:

The American Heart Association recommends a balance between the intake of saturated and unsaturated fat to improve the bad/good cholesterol ratio (Hayes, KCM 2002).
A study showed that good cholesterol increases when the consumption of “trans” fats is replaced with palm oil. (Hornstra, Gerald).
The consumption of palm oil does not reduce total cholesterol, but it increases the proportion of good cholesterol, which improves the bad to good cholesterol ratio, and the risk of coronary disease is therefore reduced. (Wood, Randall.)

Reference: information on nutrition contained in the support document produced by Ms. Carolina Flores de Prado, nutritionist.