First off, I need to point out that Palm oil and Palm kernel Oil are fairly different. Both are is high in saturated fat and low in polyunsaturated fats, but palm kernel oil is extremely high in saturated fat. Palm oil consists of 50 percent saturated fat, Palm Kernel oil is around 80% SFA, 15% MUFA, and 2.5% PUFA. Palm kernel Oil is supposedly virtually identical in nature to coconut oil. Palm kernel oil also contains vitamin K.
According to the Palm Oil Action Group of 2011 Palm Oil was the second most consumed edible oil in the world (behind soybean oil). Palm oil in its natural raw form (red palm oil) promises to deliver many health benefits. Most of these benefits are linked to the high concentration of Vitamin E-tocotrienols (phytonutrient) it contains. Tocotrienol is a form of natural vitamin E that can protect against brain cell damage, prevent cancer and reduce cholesterol
There are many that make the claim that because of the triglyceride structure, coconut oil is far healthier than palm oil since it contains much higher amounts of myristic, lauric, and capric acid which are extremely low in palm oil, and palm oil contains about 9 times the ratio of palmitic acid than coconut oil. When isolated, palmitic acid has been shown to have negative effects on health. It is toxic to skeletal muscle cells, impairs glucose uptake, increases insulin resistance and induces inflammation.
However, palmitic acid mixed with other types of fatty acids and nutrients – also known as food – has a very different effect. Arachidonic acid, a polyunsaturated fat found in animal products often alongside palmitic acid, prevents lipotoxicity, and introducing a little bit of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat almost invariably found alongside palmitic acid in the animals we eat (or in the olive oil we use to dress our meat), completely obliterates the inflammation. Interestingly, palmitic acid is the body’s preferred storage form of energy, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids, and is one of the most prevalent saturated fatty acids in body lipids. In aging skin, levels of palmitic acid can be decreased by as much as 56%.
One thing I read stated that whether refined, pure, organic or virgin, Palm oil goes through extensive processing, which is a bad thing. It also appears that the production of palm oil is unsustainable and has resulted in mass deforestation, social upheaval and the near extinction of several animal species including: the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) and the Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus).
Have a Great Day!
Lubimûr
– http://www.marksdailyapple.com/palmitic-acid-and-eating-speed/
– http://www.livestrong.com/article/314809-what-are-the-benefits-of-palm-kernel-oil/
Man vs. Suburb 