Why is palm oil controversial?

Palm oil, obtained from oil palm fruit, is one of the most commonly used vegetable oils in the world. Its popularity results from low production costs and versatility of applications. Nevertheless, palm oil is a source of numerous controversies, both in the environmental and health context.

1. Environmental impact

• Medician: The main issue related to the production of palm oil is to march tropical forests, especially in countries such as Indonesia or Malaysia. Medicine leads to the loss of habitats of many species, including critically endangered, such as orangutans <1>.
• Climate change: Medicine contributes to the emission of a large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In addition, in places where there were once forests, oil palm plants are created that are not able to absorb the same amount of CO2 as earlier ecosystems <2>.
• Soil degradation: Intensive monoculture of oil palm trees leads to soil degradation and reduction of its production capacity in the long run.

2. Health aspects

• Fatty acid: Palm oil is rich in saturated fatty acids that can contribute to an increase in LDL cholesterol in the body, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease <3>.

• Palm oil is often used for the production of hardened fats, which are a source of unhealthy trans fats <5>.

• Such fats are a source of unhealthy trans fats that: increase the risk of cardiovascular disease: trans fats increase LDL cholesterol and reduce HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol), which leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease <6>. Some studies also suggest that consuming trans fats may be associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 <4> diabetes.

Examples of products containing palm oil can be multiplied. It is worth reading the labels carefully. One of the most popular chocolate-nut creams is based on palm oil. For some time, however, you can make a much more efficient choice, enjoy the great taste of nut cream with a good, healthy composition without a gram of palm oil or white sugar. Check Protein nut cream from Supersonic.

Summary

Although palm oil is an economically attractive choice for many manufacturers, it is necessary to take into account the full image - both environmental, health and social. To counteract the negative effects, consumers can look for products with a certificate of sustainable production of palm oil or choose alternatives for this raw material. Source materials: <1> Wilcove, D.S., & KOH, L.P. (2010). "Addressing the Threats to Biodiversity From Oil-Palm Agriculture." Biodiversity and Conservation, 19 (4), 999-1007. <2> Fitzherbert, E.B., et al. (2008). "How will oil palm expansion affect biodiversity?." Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 23 (10), 538-545. <3> Sun, Y., et al. (2015). "Palm il consumption increases ldl cholesterol compared with vegetable oil low in saturated fat in a meta-analysis of clinical trials." The Journal of Nutrition, 145 (7), 1549-1558. <4> Salmerón, J., et al. (2001). "Dietary Fat Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 73(6), 1019-1026. <5> Stender, S., Dyerberg, J., & Bysted, A. (2006). "High levels of industrially produced trans fat in popular fast foods." The New England Journal of Medicine, 354 (15), 1650-1652. <6> Mozaffarian, D., et al. (2006). "Trans Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease." New England Journal of Medicine, 354 (15), 1601-1613.