Research proves the links between Palm Oil and Cancer metastasis , Nov 2021
Recent research has confirmed the harmful effects that Palm Oil has on the health of the human population, let alone the health of the planet. Palm Oil has had much media coverage over the years, mainly due to problems with deforestation to enable the farming of more Palm trees. The use of Palm Oil in the food industry has grown exponentially worldwide, as the growth of the packaged food industry and the beauty industries continue to expand. Poorer countries have been trying to cash-in on the demand for this oil, causing mass destruction of forests and other farmland, to produce the highly sort after palm oil.
The oil itself is extremely versatile with a long shelf life that can withstand high temperatures. It is relatively cheap to produce and worldwide demand has never been higher. It is used in all kinds of products including personal care products, processed and packaged foods and cleaning products.
Food packaging Laws in Australia mean that packaged foods must list all the ingredients used to make the product, however, Palm Oil has many other names, allowing the disassociation of Palm Oil to the food within the packet. The most commonly used name being “vegetable oil” and just about every processed food contains it. Big junk food companies are huge users of palm oil, as it forms part of their bread products, pizza dough, cookies, ice cream and just about anything else you can imagine on their menus. But don’t take my word for it. Read the labels, check the websites for the ingredient lists, and see for yourself. Palm oil’s cheap and heat stable qualities makes it a viable ingredient in a high amount of processed and packaged foods.
The use of Palm Oil doesn’t stop at the food industry, but also moves into other areas such as cosmetics, shampoos, detergents, cleaning products and soaps. So why is vegetable oil from palm oil so bad? Recent research has shown a very strong connection between the main compound in palm oil called palmitic acid, and the metastatic spread of cancer. Palm oil is made by pressing the flesh and kernel of the palm oil tree fruit, and is produced at a rate of 47 million tons per year. This is different from Coconut Oil, which comes from the white flesh or meat of the brown-husked coconut fruit. The nutrient profiles are extremely different, with Palm Oil being highly inflammatory, and Coconut oil being anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial.
Compounds found in olive oil, oleic acid, and flax oil, linoleic acid, have also displayed positive health and anti-inflammatory effects within the body, meaning, not all oils are the same. Remembering an old car oil TV Commercial from years ago, “oils ain’t oils”, has never been more relevant.
What is somewhat as concerning, or in my opinion, more concerning, is when science and research confirms this connection around vegetable oils and cancer, the solution is not to remove the harmful substance from the food industry, but rather, create targeted drugs and therapies around the harmful substances. Researchers can be quoted as saying “researchers have warned people not to put themselves on specific diets without clinical trials”. This makes my blood boil. So ingrained is vegetable oil into our society, the thought of not using it in food or household products, means all these industries will breakdown. The thought of eating a “Whole Food, Non-processed food diet, being too dangerous”, and we need more research to prove or disprove its safety. Meanwhile, the rates of cancer continue to rise, and the death rate from cancer, continues to cut lives short, but hey, let’s wait for the research before we adopt an eating routine as our grand parents did. Besides, drive-throughs and Uber eats are just too necessary for our busy lifestyles right?
If by now you might be thinking I’m a little angry, you’d be right, and you should be too. You see, Nutritionists are not part of the allied health system. Doctors are not allowed to recommend us to their patients, but instead, recommend to Dietitians, who will prescribe diets full of processed foods. Think about the food served in hospitals, which is almost all packaged and highly processed foods. This food is designed and recommended by Dietitians, and is in no way “healing or healthful food”. That’s not to say that all Dietitians design poor diets, but they are bound by the National Food Industry Guidelines, which we know are flawed.
Natural Health Practitioners have known the harmful effects of Palm Oil for many many years. The inflammation it causes, and the lack of nutrient content, mean we are constantly recommending our clients to stay away from any food that comes in a packet, and absolutely giving the fast food industry a wide berth. High inflammation, toxicity and nutrient deficiencies, pretty much sum up the underlying causes of 90% of our client’s health problems. No one is immune, as processed and convenience foods are all around us, and it is common to adopt short cuts in food preparation to allow us more time in our busy days.
Sometimes however, when we know better, we do better. Understanding the dangers and inflammatory nature of Palm Oil, and understanding that cancer cells will feed of sugars and inflammation, mean we can avoid serious disease when we stay away from foods made from palm oil. Reading food labels and understanding the many other names that are used in labelling, can help you to make informed choices when buying food. The following are the most common names used;
Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol
Here are some examples of the ingredients that go into popular fast food chains, including those who claim they have “health” at the centre of their business model. If this describes health, then I believe we are all destined for health challenges. Note all the chemical numbering in the ingredients, meaning, they are chemical compounds from a lab and not a whole food.
Understanding the deception in food labelling means we can make informed choices when we look at packets of food, and while there are some foods out there that do not include palm oil, finding ways to produce your own foods with a long shelf life is always going to be a healthier option. Think about how our grand parents and great grand parents prepared food. We can make things in bulk and freeze them. Baking healthy muffins, protein balls, soups and casseroles, means you always have something you can grab for those busy days or lunchboxes.
Nobody wants to go through a cancer journey, and realising that a high majority of cancers could be avoided if we made the nourishment of our bodies a priority, is the message I want to portray. Let’s not look for a “cure” for cancer, but “avoid” it in the first place. Everyone deserves a healthy and happy life, and this includes our kids. We can vote for healthier foods with our wallets, each and every time we go to the supermarket. What will you chose this week?
Reference;
Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain. Gloria.pascual@irbbarcelona.org.
Dietary palmitic acid promotes a prometastatic memory via Schwann cells, Nov 2021