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Vitamins & Supplements

PALM OIL

Other Names:

Aceite de Palma, African Palm Oil, Crude Palm Oil, Elaeis guineensis, Elaeis melanococca, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Huile de Palme, Huile de Palme Brute, Huile de Palme Rouge, Huile de Palmiste, Main Ja, Oil Palm Tree, Palm, Palm Fruit Oil, ...
See All Names

Review this Treatment 2 User Reviews See Brand Products

PALM OIL Overview Information

Palm oil is obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree.

Palm oil is used for preventing vitamin A deficiency, cancer, brain disease, aging; and treating malaria, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cyanide poisoning. Palm oil is used for weight loss and increasing the body’s metabolism.

As food, palm oil is used for frying.

Industrially, palm oil is used for manufacturing cosmetics, soaps, toothpaste, waxes, lubricants, and ink.

How does it work?

Palm oil contains saturated and unsaturated fats, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. It might have antioxidant effects.

PALM OIL Uses & Effectiveness

Possibly Effective for:

Preventing a lack of vitamin A (vitamin A deficiency). There is some evidence that adding palm oil to the diet of pregnant women and children in developing countries might reduce the risk of developing vitamin A deficiency.

Possibly Ineffective for:

Decreasing symptoms of malaria, when added to the diet of young children (less than 5 years old) in developing countries.

Insufficient Evidence for:

High blood pressure.
Cyanide poisoning.
Weight loss agent.
Cancer.
High cholesterol.
Anti-aging.
Brain disease.
Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of palm oil for these uses.

PALM OIL Side Effects & Safety

Palm oil is safe when consumed in amounts found in foods. It seems to be safe when taken as medicine by children or adults for up to 6 months.

Do not use palm oil in amounts more than those found in foods except on medical advice if:

You are pregnant or breast-feeding.
You are scheduled for surgery in the next two weeks. Palm oil might increase the risk of bleeding.

PALM OIL Interactions

Moderate Interaction Be cautious with this combination

Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs) interacts with PALM OIL
Palm oil might increase blood clotting. Taking palm oil along with medications that slow clotting might reduce the effectiveness of these medications.
Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox) heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.

PALM OIL Dosing

We currently have no information for PALM OIL Dosing

View clinical references for this vitamin or supplement Sources

References:

Agarwal MK, Agarwal ML, Athar M, Gupta S. Tocotrienol-rich fraction of palm oil activates p53, modulates Bax/Bcl2 ratio and induces apoptosis independent of cell cycle association. Cell Cycle 2004;3;205-11.

Aguila MB, Pinheiro AR, Mandarim-de-Lacerda CA. Spontaneously hypertensive rats left ventricular cardiomyocyte loss attenuation through different edible oils long-term intake. Int J Cardiol 2005;100:461-6.

Aguila MB, Sa Silva SP, Pinheiro AR, Mandarim-de-Lacerda CA. Effects of long-term intake of edible oils on hypertension and myocardial and aortic remodelling in spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Hypertens 2004;22:921-9.

Atinmo T, Bakre AT. Palm fruit in traditional African food culture. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2003;12:350-4.

Bautista LE, Herran OF, Serrano C. Effects of palm oil and dietary cholesterol on plasma lipoproteins: results from a dietary crossover trial in free-living subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 2001;55:748-54.

Benade AJ. A place for palm fruit oil to eliminate vitamin A deficiency. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2003;12:369-72.

Bester DJ, van Rooyen J, du Toit EF, et al. Red palm oil protects against the consequences of oxidative stress when supplemented with dislipidemic diets. Med Tech SA 2006;20:3-10. Med Tech SA 2006;20:3-10.

Clandinin MT, Larsen B, Van Aerde J. Reduced bone mineralization in infants fed palm olein-containing formula: a randomized, double-blinded, prospective trial. Pediatrics 2004;114:899-900.

Cooper KA, Adelekan DA, Esimai AO, et al. Lack of influence of red palm oil on severity of malaria infection in pre-school Nigerian children. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2002;96;216-23.

Edem DO. Palm oil: biochemical, physiological, nutritional, hematological, and toxicological aspects: a review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 2002;57:319-41.

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21. Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid= 786bafc6f6343634fbf79fcdca7061e1&rgn=div5&view= text&node=21:3.0.1.1.13&idno=21

Esterhuyse AJ, du Toit EF, Benade AJ, van Rooyen J. Dietary red palm oil improves reperfusion cardiac function in the isolated perfused rat heart of animals fed a high cholesterol diet. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2005;72:153-61.

Esterhuyse AJ, du Toit EF, Benade AJS, et al. Dietary red palm oil improves reperfusion cardiac function in the isolated perfused rat heart of animals fed a high cholesterol diet. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2005;72:153-61.

Esterhuyse JS, van Rooyen J, Strijdom H, et al. Proposed mechanisms for red palm oil-induced cardioprotection in a model of hyperlipidemia in the rat. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2006;75:375-84.

Ganafa AA, Socci RR, Eatman D, et al. Effect of palm oil on oxidative stress-induced hypertension in Sprague-Dawley rats. Am J Hypertens 2002;15:725-31.

Ghosh S, An D, Pulinilkunnil T, et al. Role of dietary fatty acids and acute hyperglycemia in modulating cardiac cell death. Nutrition 2004;20:916-23.

Jaarin K, Gapor MT, Nafeeza MI, Fauzee AM. Effect of various doses of palm vitamin E and tocopherol on aspirin-induced gastric lesions in rats. Int J Exp Pathol 2002;83:295-302.

Jackson KG, Wolstencroft EJ, Bateman PA, et al. Greater enrichment of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins with apolipoproteins E and C-III after meals rich in saturated fatty acids than after meals rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81:25-34.

Kritchevsky D, Tepper SA, Czarnecki SK, Sundram K. Red palm oil in experimental atherosclerosis. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2002;11:S433-7.

Lietz G, Henry CJ, Mulokozi G, et al. Comparison of the effects of supplemental red palm oil and sunflower oil on maternal vitamin A status. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;74:501-9.

Nafeeza MI, Fauzee AM, Kamsiah J, Gapor MT. Comparative effects of a tocotrienol-rich fraction and tocopherol in aspirin-induced gastric lesions in rats. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2002;11:309-13.

Narang D, Sood S, Thomas MK, et al. Effect of dietary palm olein oil on oxidative stress associated with ischemic-reperfusion injury in isolated rat heart. BMC Pharmacol 2004;4:29.

Nesaretnam K, Ambra R, Selvaduray KR, et al. Tocotrienol-rich fraction from palm oil affects gene expression in tumors resulting from MCF-7 cell inoculation in athymic mice. Lipids 2004;39:459-67.

Nesaretnam K, Ambra R, Selvaduray KR, et al. Tocotrienol-rich fraction from palm oil and gene expression in human breast cancer cells. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2004;1031:143-57.

Nesaretnam K, Radhakrishnan A, Selvaduray KR, et al. Effect of palm oil carotene on breast cancer tumorigenicity in nude mice. Lipids 2002;37:557-60.

Ng MH, Choo YM, Ma AN, et al. Separation of vitamin E (tocopherol, tocotrienol, tocomonoenol) in palm oil. Lipids 2004;39:1031-5.

Oguntibeju OO, Esterhuyse AJ, Truter EJ. Red palm oil: nutritional, physiological and therapeutic role in improving human wellbeing and quality of life. Br J Biomed Sci 2009;66:216-22.

Olmedilla B, Granado F, Southon S, et al. A European multicentre, placebo-controlled supplementation study with alpha-tocopherol, carotene-rich palm oil, lutein or lycopene: analysis of serum responses. Clin Sci (Lond) 2002;102:447-56.

Ong AS, Goh SH. Palm oil: a healthful and cost-effective dietary component. Food Nutr Bull 2002;23;11-22.

Radhika MS, Bhaskaram P, Balakrishna N, Ramalakshmi BA. Red palm oil supplementation: a feasible diet-based approach to improve vitamin A status of pregnant women and their infants. Food Nutr Bull 2003;24:208-17.

Sanchez-Muniz FJ, Oubina P, Rodenas S, et al. Platelet aggregation, thromboxane production and thrombogenic ratio in postmenopausal women consuming high oleic acid-sunflower oil or palmolein. Eur J Nutr 2003:42:299-306.

Scholtz SC, Pieters M, Oosthuizen W, et al. The effect of red palm olein and refined palm olein on lipids and haemostatic factors in hyperfibrinogenaemic subjects. Thromb Res 2004;113:13-25.

Soelaiman IN, Ahmad NS, Khalid BA. Palm oil tocotrienol mixture is better than alpha-tocopherol acetate in protecting bones against free-radical induced elevation of bone-resorbing cytokines. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2004;13:S111.

Solomons NW, Orozco M. Alleviation of vitamin A deficiency with palm fruit and its products. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2003;12:373-84.

Sundram K, Sambanthamurthi R, Tan YA. Palm fruit chemistry and nutrition. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2003;12:369-72.

Tiahou G, Maire B, Dupuy A, et al. Lack of oxidative stress in a selenium deficient area in Ivory Coast--potential nutritional antioxidant role of crude palm oil. Eur J Nutr 2004;43:367-74.

Wattanapenpaiboon N, Wahlqvist MW. Phytonutrient deficiency: the place of palm fruit. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2003;12:363-8.

Wilson TA, Nicolosi RJ, Kotyla T, et al. Different oil preparations reduce plasma cholesterol concentrations and aortic cholesterol accumulation compared to coconut oil in hypercholesterolemic hamsters. J Biochem 2005;16:633-40.

Zagre NM, Delpeuch F, Traissac P, Delisle H. Red palm oil as a source of vitamin A for mothers and children: impact of a pilot project in Burkina Faso. Public Health Nutr 2003;6:733-42.

Zhang J, Wang CR, Xue AN, Ge KY. Effects of red palm oil on serum lipids and plasma carotenoids level in Chinese male adults. Biomed Environ Sci 2003;16:348-54.

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Conditions of Use and Important Information: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health acre professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

This copyrighted material is provided by Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version. © Therapeutic Research Faculty 2009.

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