PLEASE NOTE: The information in this blog is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.
Seed oils have taken the health world by storm. Even though their benefits and dangers are hotly debated, more and more people are starting to take a closer look at the cooking oils in their pantries and the ingredients on food labels.
Palm oil is one of the most common oils you’ll find in processed foods, cosmetics, and dozens of other products.
If you’re here for an answer to the question of is palm oil a seed oil, the short answer is no. Palm oil is not a seed oil, but it is now the #1 most popular vegetable oil on the planet.
This article walks you through a brief rundown of seed oils alongside palm oil benefits and risks.
Let’s take a look!
Seed Oils 101: Is Palm Oil a Seed Oil?
Is palm oil a seed oil? No, it’s a vegetable oil and has a variety of key differences compared to soybean oil, canola oil, and other popular seed oils.
Seed oils are a type of vegetable oil that comes from the seeds of crops and contain high levels of linoleic acid, an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA).
While linoleic acid is needed by the human body in small amounts, the excessive quantities found in seed oils can contribute to the most common chronic diseases like obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes (1, 2).
These oils did not rise to prominence until the 1900’s and now global consumption is around 200 million tons per year as they’re found in ultra processed foods, infant formulas, and used in most restaurants (3).
What is Palm Oil?
Extracted from the fruit and seed of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), palm oil is the most popular edible oil on the planet, accounting for over 30% of global edible oil production (4).
Consumed for over 5,000 years (mainly in Africa and Asia), the palm oil industry now brings in over $60 billion per year and employs upwards of 6 million people (5, 6). This huge economic value stems from it having the lowest production cost of all vegetable oils and the potential for massive yields on a small plot of land (7).
Palm oil is also incredibly versatile, finding its way into processed foods, cosmetics, cleaners, personal care products, plywood, and animal feed (8, 9).
Compared to seed oils and other vegetable oils, palm oil is higher in antioxidants and saturated fat, lower in linoleic acid, and is more stable (10). This stability makes it popular for cooking, baking, and frying.
The fat breakdown of palm oil is (11):
- 50% saturated fat
- 40% monounsaturated fat
- 10% polyunsaturated fat
Palm oil is not to be confused with palm kernel oil. Palm oil is a semi-solid obtained from the mesocarp, while palm kernel oil comes from the seed (12, 13).
Given its use in traditional societies stretching from Africa to Asia, this tropical oil provides a variety of key benefits.
5 Palm Oil Benefits: How It Impacts Your Health
Over three billion people consume palm oil on a daily basis and it potentially offers some important benefits (14).
1. Antioxidants
Vitamin A and vitamin E are known antioxidants found in palm oil (15). Unrefined, crude palm oil is an incredible natural source of tocopherols, carotenoids, and tocotrienols (16). Each are phytonutrients and antioxidants, with beneficial health effects.
Much of the vitamin E in palm oil is found in the form of tocotrienols, which can have antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties (17).
Palm oil is also a source of coenzyme Q10, a potent antioxidant, and a scavenger of free radicals (18). CoQ10 can also assist with energy production (19).
2. Improved Heart Health
Just like butter and other animal foods, palm oil is criticized for being unhealthy due to its saturated fat content (20). The World Health Organization even claims that risk of cardiovascular disease may increase from a diet rich in palm oil (21).
Despite these claims, some studies have determined that modest amounts of palm oil actually protect the heart from damage (22, 23). Some studies also state that “Palm oil consumed as a dietary fat as a part of a healthy balanced diet does not have incremental risk for cardiovascular disease” (24).
3. An Alternative to Trans Fat
Due to its affordability and flexibility, palm oil is the main vegetable oil used in place of industrial trans fats (25). Trans fatty acids have been shown to negatively impact health, potentially contributing to cardiovascular disease, infertility, diabetes, and other serious health issues (26, 27, 28).
4. Stability
Thanks to its antioxidant and saturated fat content, palm oil is very stable compared to other processed oils (29). This stability can extend shelf life and allows it to be used for cooking, frying, and baking.
5. Lower Levels of Linoleic Acid
Compared to seed oils, palm oil contains far less linoleic acid.
Linoleic acid is not inherently bad, but the excessive amounts consumed today may contribute to numerous issues. We have an estimated need of 1-2% of daily energy for normal growth and development, yet the average intake is generally much higher (30).
The ratio of omega-6 (ex., seed oils) to omega-3 consumption by humans was around 4:1 (or less) until about 100 years ago (31). Current estimates differ, but this ratio appears to be anywhere from 15-20:1 (32, 33) or up to 50:1 (34). Seed oils are the primary contributor to these changes.
While not as low in linoleic acid as butter or tallow, palm oil is lower in linoleic acid than soybean oil and other popular seed oils. Palm oil’s linoleic acid content is similar to avocado oil and olive oil.
Even with the potential benefits, palm oil has a number of potential dangers to be aware of.
The Downsides of Palm Oil
The connection between palm oil and challenges like obesity is complex, given its widespread use. But, some important downsides have emerged.
Obesity
Almost 2 billion people worldwide are obese, along with a massive increase in diseases related to obesity, like hypertension and cardiovascular disease (35). Part of these shocking numbers is the high intake of ultra-processed junk food (36).
As we saw earlier, palm oil is often found in highly processed foods such as cookies, cake, doughnuts, chips, chocolate, and fried foods.
Although the evidence can vary, some studies found a connection between weight gain and palm oil consumption (37). But, this evidence is considered weak and the connection may be related to processed food intake and other lifestyle factors such as a sedentary lifestyle.
Excessive Reheating
In order to cut costs, many restaurants will reuse the cooking oil in their fryers. This overuse of cooking oils exposed to high temperatures can reduce the antioxidant content, create free radicals, and may lead to challenges like atherosclerosis which can contribute to cardiovascular disease (38, 39).
For these reasons, the use of palm oil that’s been repeatedly heated is discouraged.
Antioxidant Loss From Processing
Although palm oil contains antioxidants such as vitamin E, the refining process can drastically reduce these beneficial components (40).
High temperatures from refinement may also contribute to the development of toxic contaminants.
Environmental Concerns
About 85% of palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia, but it’s also produced in Brazil, India, Nigeria, Thailand, and other countries (41). Palm oil is widely criticized for its environmental impact in these areas.
The main impact of the palm oil industry is the conversion of rainforests into plantations, but other concerns include (42):
- Biodiversity loss and deforestation (43)
- Destruction of essential nutrients in the soil (44)
- Large levels of greenhouse gas emissions (45)
- Water and soil pollution (46)
It’s also common to clear forests using fire. This technique can turn the sky red and has been implicated in over 100,000 deaths from a 2015 incident alone (47, 48).
Pesticides
Another environmental impact of palm oil is pesticide exposure. Pesticides are used to combat weeds and pests, and regular exposure to pesticides may be connected to asthma, skin conditions like psoriasis, sperm count reduction, and certain cancers (49).
Palm oil workers are commonly exposed to pesticides, and up to 300,000 people die each year from pesticide poisoning (50, 51).
Pesticides from palm oil production can also find their way into wells, streams, and other water sources (52).
Healthy Alternatives to Seed Oils & Vegetable Oils
We believe that high-quality animal fats, like butter and tallow (rendered beef fat), are among the most beneficial fats for optimal health. Unlike seed oils, animal fats offer a balanced fatty acid profile that supports metabolic health, satiety, cognitive performance, hormone balance, and more.
Animal fats contain only about 1-2% linoleic acid and are rich in stable saturated and monounsaturated fats, which are less prone to oxidation.
Here are some high-quality options to consider:
- Butter is often considered the oldest known animal fat. Due to its nutrient density and appealing flavor, humans have used it for centuries (53).
- Tallow is low in linoleic acid and provides a small amount of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, selenium, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (54).
- Ghee has been used for centuries to combat disease, promote longevity, and offer vitamins A, E, and K (55, 56).
The Bottom Line: Palm Oil is Not Perfect
Palm oil has taken over the top spot as the most used vegetable oil in the world and may offer benefits for heart health, reducing inflammation, and avoiding trans fat from other industrial oils.
But, palm oil consumption has notable potential downsides such as pesticide exposure, toxins from excessive heating, and major environmental damage. Palm oil is also commonly found in highly processed food, which can contribute to obesity and other serious diseases.
Although it’s not perfect, palm oil can be a better alternative than seed oils. Just like butter, tallow, and coconut oil, palm oil has stood the test of time and provided value for thousands of years.
Subscribe to future articles like this: