Red Palm Oil by DietWorks

LIKELY EFFECTIVE

• Vitamin A deficiency. Oral palm oil is likely effective for preventing or treating vitamin A deficiency. Details: Clinical studies in pregnant individuals and in children in developing countries shows that dietary supplementation with red palm oil reduces the risk of developing vitamin A deficiency and treats existing vitamin A deficiency (14030,14031,14032,34466,34474,67509,67510,67511,67534,67571). A meta-analysis of these and other clinical studies primarily involving children or those who are pregnant or lactating shows that taking red palm oil increases levels of serum retinol, a marker of vitamin A status, by 0.09 mcmol/L and reduces the rate of vitamin A deficiency by 45% when compared with placebo. Intake of red palm oil appears to be comparable to taking vitamin A supplements for preventing vitamin A deficiency. Red palm oil in doses of about 3-8 grams daily seems to be most beneficial; higher intake does not appear to have additional benefit (97572).

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although there has been interest in using oral palm oil for CVD, including atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of palm oil for these conditions.
• Malaria. It is unclear if oral palm oil is beneficial in children with malaria. Details: Dietary consumption of palm oil by children under 5 years of age in developing countries where malaria is endemic does not seem to be associated with a reduced severity of malaria (14034). More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of palm oil for this use.

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LIKELY SAFE ...when used orally in food amounts. Palm oil can be safely consumed as a component of the diet (14031,14032). However, palm oil should not be considered a healthy alternative to other saturated fats. Palm oil contains more saturated fat than animal-based fats, including lard and butter, and increased consumption of palm oil has been associated with a higher risk for mortality from ischemic heart disease (14021,17739,94918,94920). Therefore, like all saturated fats, palm oil should be used in moderation.

POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally and appropriately in medicinal amounts, short-term. Palm oil has been used with apparent safety in clinical studies at doses of about 7-12 grams daily for up to 6 months (14030,14032,97572).

CHILDREN: POSSIBLY SAFE
when used orally and appropriately in medicinal amounts. Palm oil has been used with apparent safety in clinical studies in children under 5 years of age at doses of 6 grams daily for up to 6 months and in children 5 years of age and older at doses of 9 grams daily for up to 12 months (14032,34466,67509,67534,67571,97572).

PREGNANCY: POSSIBLY SAFE
when used orally and appropriately in medicinal amounts. Diets rich in palm oil or supplemented with palm oil have been used safely during the third trimester of pregnancy (14030,14031,14032).

LACTATION:
There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of palm oil when used in medicinal amounts during lactation; avoid amounts in excess of those found in foods.

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ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = High •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = B Theoretically, palm oil might decrease the effectiveness of antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs.  Details The palm olein constituent in palm oil seems to increase platelet aggregation (14037).

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General ...Orally, palm oil is well tolerated.

Cardiovascular ...In population research, increased dietary intake of palm oil has been associated with a higher risk for mortality from ischemic heart disease, but not stroke (94920). The effect of oral palm oil on blood lipid levels differs depending on the diet to which it is compared and the patient population being studied. Some research suggests that diets rich in palm oil can increase levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol when compared with diets rich in monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids (106719). When substituted for other saturated fats in the diet, palm oil reduces total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol levels better than myristic and lauric acids, but increases these when compared with stearic acid (67533,67569,94913,94919). However, meta-analyses of studies in healthy individuals show that palm oil has no significant effects on total or LDL cholesterol or triglycerides when compared with unsaturated fatty acids, although it may increase HDL cholesterol in these individuals (103847,103848). If substituted for trans fatty acids, palm oil increases HDL cholesterol levels, with no impact on total or LDL cholesterol levels. When substituted for hydrogenated vegetable oils, the effect of palm oil on cholesterol levels is neutral. The effect of palm oil on cholesterol levels, regardless of the comparator fat source, appears to be more pronounced with older age, higher total intake of fat in the diet, and higher baseline cholesterol levels (94913).

Dermatologic ...Orally, red palm oil may cause carotenosis (also called carotenoderma), which is a yellow to yellow-orange discoloration of the skin caused by increased serum carotenoids and their subsequent deposition in the outermost layer of skin (14053). Due to the lipophilic nature of the carotenoids, the onset may be delayed and persist for up to 5 months after ceasing red palm oil consumption (67547).

Musculoskeletal ...In one clinical study, infants fed formula containing palm olein oil (a palm oil derivative) had reduced bone mineral content and bone mineral density at 3 and 6 months when compared with infants fed milk-based formula. However, this reduction is not considered clinically significant, as the values for all infants were within the normal range (14033).

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