Palm oil is one of the vegetable oils extracted from palm trees. This oil is characterized by a reddish color because it contains beta-carotene, and it also contains antioxidants and unsaturated fats. In this article, we will learn about the most prominent health benefits of this oil and how to use it.

Palm oil benefits

There are many health benefits of this oil, and we mention some of them as follows:

1. Promote heart and brain health

According to some studies, the use of this oil in a small amount may contribute to promoting heart and brain health, because it contains antioxidants and tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E. However, regarding heart health, the results were conflicting, as it also contains an amount of saturated fat.

2. Cancer resistance

This oil is one of the most vegetable oils rich in vitamin A and vitamin E, two of the most nutrients resistant to cancer, because these vitamins contain antioxidants that reduce the production of free radicals, which are a major cause of cancer, and given the balanced proportion of fats in this oil, Helps reduce the risk of colon, stomach, pancreatic, prostate and liver cancer.

3. Promote eye health

Vitamin A deficiency is the main cause of visual defects in young age and cataracts, so this oil can be used to promote eye health because it contains a rich percentage of vitamin A and the antioxidant beta-carotene, which helps fight free radicals, improve vision and reduce the risk of disease. related to the eye.

4. Promote a healthy immune system

This oil contains a rich percentage of antioxidants, which help protect the body from infection and the risk of chronic diseases, and the rich percentage of vitamins such as vitamin K and vitamin D contribute to increasing the metabolism and production of white blood cells, which reduces the incidence of infection.

5. Palm oil benefits for the skin

The use of this oil helps to add freshness and softness to the skin, without appearing greasy, so this oil is used in the manufacture of cosmetics for skin care, and helps reduce skin itching.

6. Promote healthy hair

Palm kernel oil, one of the derivatives of this oil, helps moisturize, intensify and strengthen hair, and reduce hair loss.

Palm oil uses

It should be noted that this oil should be used in small quantities, and there are many uses for this oil, including the following:

• Refined palm oil is used for frying, because it is one of the oils with a high combustion rate.
• It is used to make peanut butter and other nut butters, as well as chocolate, baked goods, cookies, muffins, and cereals.
• It is used in the manufacture of toothpaste, cosmetics and soap.

Palm oil side effects

There are a number of harms that may occur when using this oil, including:

1. Increased cholesterol

We mentioned at the beginning of the article about the role of this oil in reducing the proportion of harmful cholesterol and increasing the proportion of good cholesterol, but when excessive use of this oil may cause a high level of cholesterol in the blood, and to avoid this it is necessary to take it in moderation.

2. Atherosclerosis

Repeated use of this oil leads to a loss of the nutritional value provided by this oil in maintaining heart health, and even increases the risk of atherosclerosis.

3. A high percentage of saturated fats

This oil contains 34% of saturated fat, compared to olive oil, which contains less than half this amount, which can cause heart disease and chronic diseases.

4. Avoid use in case of pregnancy and lactation

There are not enough scientific studies that determine the risk of taking this oil on pregnant and lactating women, so it is necessary to consult a specialist before taking it.

5. Interaction with other drugs

This oil helps reduce blood clotting, so taking it with medications that reduce blood clotting may affect bruising and bleeding.

After learning about the benefits of palm oil, it is necessary to eat this oil in appropriate quantities and not to overdo it, to avoid the risk of cardiovascular disease.