Can Red Palm Oil protect the heart?

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Can Red Palm Oil protect the heart?

Dr Jacques van Rooyen

For most of us, we feel a certain twinge of guilt every time we eat a really fatty or greasy piece of food, as we know that the chances are it is increasing our risk of suffering from a heart attack… but it tastes so good. However, research conducted at the University of Stellenbosch, by Dr Jacques van Rooyen and his colleagues suggests that Red palm oil may have constituents that help in limiting damage during a heart attack.

There are different types of fatty acids which, once eaten affect our body's cholesterol levels in different ways. It is widely accepted that saturated fatty acids raise and monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids lower plasma cholesterol levels. Red palm oil contains a mixture of saturated fatty acids (51%), monounsaturated fatty acids (38%), polyunsaturated fatty acids (11%) and a whole spectrum of anti-oxidative carotenoids (vitamin A), tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E) as major constituents.

Due to its high content of saturated fatty acids several opinions have suggested that red palm oil may elevate blood cholesterol levels. The most prominent saturated fatty acid in the red palm oil is palmitic acid, which has neutral effects on plasma cholesterol. The fatty acid that gives olive oil its beneficial effects is called oleic acid. Seventy to eighty percent of the fatty acids in olive oil are oleic acid compared to the 45 % in red palm oil. In red palm oil the oleic acid is situated on a position of the triglyceride backbone (the triglyceride is a bit like a skeleton on which other molecules are attached to build a fat) which increases its ability to be absorbed.

Red palm oil is also the only oil that contains high amounts of tocotrienols, which are very potent anti-oxidants. The high vitamin A (carotenoid) content (300 times higher than tomatoes for equivalent amounts), high vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols) content and 45% oleic acid makes this oil a balanced and natural oil which can be used as a functional food. There are reports that high vitamin E intake may increase lung cancer. However, these studies have mainly used extracted vitamin E and not a natural product in combination with fatty acids. In the case of red palm oil it is this combination (oleic acid, carotenoids, tocopherols and tocotrienols) that makes it a potent and healthy functional food.

If a tissue, such as the heart is starved of oxygen, this condition is termed ischemia. Even short periods of ischemia can cause large amounts of cell damage. If the tissue is reoxygenated, this process is called reperfusion. In many cases the sudden supply of oxygen to cells that have been deprived of it causes further damage. This damage during reperfusion of a tissue or organ can be reduced by the use of certain antioxidants.
In 1992 researchers showed that red palm oil protected against the consequences of ischaemia/reperfusion injury, but could not provide any evidence of a mechanism, except that the tocopherols and tocotrienols as a combination were more important for protection than tocopherols alone. Scientists in the van Rooyen laboratory have now identified the exact mechanism by which red palm oil can protect the heart,

These scientists are now researching the effect of red palm oil on certain other aspects of the cells which may offer some protection against damage.

More information:

Dr Jacques van Rooyen is with the Department of Physiological Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

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