Red Palm Oil Health Benefits
The world of the health conscious has recently seen a growing rise in the popularity of red palm oil. Considered to be one of the healthiest vegetable oils available, red palm oil can be used for food preparation, baking, deep-frying and cooking. The many health benefits of the oil are making it a popular choice for those seeking a healthy alternative to animal fats and oils.
While red palm oil has been used in food preparation for thousands of years in the east, only recently have scientist began to explore the hidden health benefits of the oil. As science continues to research the properties, red palm oil is becoming more readily available in the west. Today it is available in some up-scale supermarkets and health stores.
Red palm oil contains alpha and beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin-e and several other vital carotenoids. In fact, the vitamin E found within red palm oil is a unique form of vitamin E that is considered especially beneficially to humans.
Vitamin E is a form of antioxidant, as is lycopene. Both of these substances work to protect our bodies from ‘free radicals.’ Free radicals are harmful to the human body and are found in things such as cigarette smoke, pollution and the environment. Stress and poor diets also contribute to the free radicals that are constantly surrounding us. Humans need to actively protect themselves from free radicals for several reasons. Research shows that they are commonly associated with several degenerative diseases like cancer and heart disease. Free radicals also contribute to the aging process and can affect the appearance of the skin. Because free radicals can have such a negative impact on the body, it is important that we inject a sufficient amount of antioxidants. Red palm oil is an ideal source of antioxidants.
Red palm oil is also loaded with tecotrienols. These are another type of antioxidant, believed to be a ‘super’ antioxidant. Red palm oil is the only oil with such a high level of tocotrienols. Even better, while heating of oil typically loses much of its nutritional value during heating, red palm oil has the additional ‘property’ of retaining the nutritional value during cooking.
In the past few years, studies at the Universities of Wisconsin and Louisiana have revealed several key benefits.
- Red palm oil increases the efficiency of several breast cancer drugs by as much as 45%
- It can decrease the rate of arteriosclerosis, a disease in which the arteries harden and typically damage the heart.
- Red Palm Oil inhibits the growth of cancers cells in the breast.
- The oil can reduce blood cholesterol
- Red palm oil reduces the clotting function of blood, which when combined with drugs designed to dilate blood vessels, may aid in the prevention of strokes and heart attacks.
As research into red palm oil and the oil palm grows, scientists are likely to discover even more benefits. We are likely to see red palm oil become available throughout the United States.