Ancient but potent healing power of palm oil

FOR generations, red palm oil has been revered as both a nutritious food and a valuable medicine. Even now, scientists are beginning to recognise the value of the prized plant in the treatment and prevention of several diseases. BEN UKWUOMA writes on the latest scientific work presented at the International Biomedical Science Congress held in Birminghan United Kingdom by a Nigerian scientist, based in Cape Town South Africa on the nutritional and healing properties inherent in the plant.

IT was prized by the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt as a sacred food. The oil was so highly valued that it was entombed with the Pharaohs so that they would have access to it in the afterlife.

Indeed, throughout history, palm oil has served as the primary source of dietary fat for countless people. Its nutritional and healing properties have been recognised for generations.

Until modern medicine arrived, red palm oil was the remedy of choice for nearly every illness in many parts of Africa.

When someone was sick, downing a cup full of palm oil was common. Even today, many people in the villages rely on this age-old method of treatment. Palm oil is regarded among many as essential in the diet for pregnant and nursing women in order to assure good health for the mother and child.

Today, scientists are recognising the value of red palm oil in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. There is array of scientific presentation in this direction. For instance, recently at the International Conference Centre Birmingham at the Biomedical Science Congress, Dr. Oluwafemi O. Oguntibeju, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville Campus, South Africa further elucidated the potential of the red palm oil in the healing process.

Scientifically known as Elaeis Guineensis, palm oil is believed to originate from West Africa. However, archaeological evidence on palm oil consumption was found in Egypt over 5000 years ago.

Essentially, it contains rich, balanced mixture of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, providing a higher level of bioavaliable nutrients than any other vegetable source.

Like coconut oil, palm oil is also rich in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which mobilise body fat stores, increase the metabolic rate and are a great source of energy.

Palm oil is a rich source of antioxidants, especially Vitamin E. While the health benefits of Vitamin E are widely known, less widely known is the fact that Vitamin E is a complex of many constituents broken into two groups: tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) and tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta). And while alpha tocopherol is the form most commonly marketed as Vitamin E, the full spectrum of both tocoperols and tocotrienols are required for optimal assimilation.

The super-antioxidant tocotrienols are particularly important for optimal health. These natural antioxidants act as free radical scavengers and are believed to play a protective role in cellular aging, atherosclerosis, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers now believe that the tocopherols and tocotrienols together provide constituents that help limit damage during a heart attack.

Red palm oil not only supplies fatty acids essential for proper growth and development, but it is packed with an assortment of vitamins, antioxidants and other phytonutrients important for good health.

For instance, the red colour comes from carotenes such as beta-carotene and lycopene - the same nutrients that give tomatoes and carrots and other fruits and vegetables their rich red and orange colours.

Carotenes are valuable nutrients and powerful antioxidants. They are also important because the body can convert them into Vitamin A, an essential nutrient.

Vitamin A deficiency can cause blindness, weaken bones, lower immunity and adversely affect learning ability and mental function.

"Vitamin A is only found in animal foods. Such foods are too expensive for many people. Carotenes in fruits and vegetables can supply the needed Vitamin A if an adequate amount of fat is also consumed. Carotenes require fat for conversion into Vitamin A. Unfortunately those who can not afford animal products often do not eat much fat either.

Populations with ample carotene-rich foods available often suffer from vitamin A deficiency because they don't get enough fat in their diet," Dr. Albert Egbuehi of the Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine University of Lagos said: "Red palm oil is the richest dietary source of provitamin A carotenes (beta-carotene and alpha-carotene). It has 15 times more provitamin A carotenes than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes. This has made it a valued resource in the treatment of Vitamin A deficiency." "Just one teaspoon a day of red palm oil supplies children with the daily recommend amount of Vitamin A. Nursing mothers are encouraged to supplement their diet with palm oil to enrich their milk with the vitamin," he stressed.

Studies, however, show that adding red palm oil into the diet can double or triple the amount of Vitamin A in mother's milk.

The children are not only getting the Vitamin A they need but other important nutrients as well. Red palm oil is a virtual powerhouse of nutrition. It contains by far, more nutrients than any other dietary oil. In addition to beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and lycopene it contains at least 20 other carotenes along with Vitamin E, Vitamin K, CoQ10, squalene, phytosterols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and glycolipids.

Red palm oil is loaded with so many nutrients and antioxidants, it's like a natural dietary supplement. In fact, it is currently being encapsulated and sold as a vitamin supplement.

The depletion of antioxidants including antioxidant enzymes is known to increase the risk of complications in conditions such as CVD, diabetes and cancer.

"This study was performed to examine the influence of red palm oil (RPO) supplementation on antioxidant enzymes in a rodent model," Oguntibeju said

"Results showed that RPO caused a significant increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes: Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Glutathione reductase (GR) Catalase (CAT), but showed no observable effect on GSH.

He concluded that the oil could minimise oxidative damage through its potential ability to increase antioxidant enzymes.

"RPO may therefore play a role in the prevention and treatment of oxidative injuries to explore and support this hypothesis," he stated.

Antioxidant enzymes are the main defense components of the biological systems in both humans and animals. Endogenous antioxidants as intracellular defense systems protect cells from free radical damage and extensive lysis but are not 100 per cent.

"Therefore the intake of dietary-derived antioxidants (such as those present in RPO) could be of significant importance in curtailing the cumulative oxidative damage to macromolecules," he said.

Over the past two decades, researchers have painstakingly studied palm oil's effect on cardiovascular health. The results have been surprising to researchers. Although high in saturated fat, it protects against heart disease.

Studies show that adding palm oil into the diet can remove plaque build up in arteries and therefore, reverse the process of atherosclerosis. This has been demonstrated in both animal and human studies. In one study, for instance, 50 subjects were divided into two equal groups. All the participants had been diagnosed with atherosclerosis and had suffered at least one stroke.

At the beginning of the study the degree of blockage of their carotid arteries ranged from 15 to 79 per cent. Without any other changes to their diets or medications, half of the subjects began taking a daily palm oil supplement. The other half received placebos and served as the control. The degree of atherosclerosis was monitored using ultrasound scans over an 18-month period. In the group receiving palm oil, atherosclerosis was halted in 23 of the 25 subjects. In seven of these subjects atherosclerosis was not only stopped, but also regressed. In comparison, none of those in the control group showed any improvement, in fact, the condition in 10 of them worsened This study demonstrated that palm oil can not only stop, but even reverse atherosclerosis.

Removing plaque is not the only way, palm oil protects against strokes and heart attacks. Palm oil can also improve cholesterol values. In a study at the University of Illinois College of Medicine researchers demonstrated a 10 per cent decrease in total cholesterol in 36 hypercholesterolemic (high cholesterol) subjects given palm oil capsules for four weeks. A follow-up study of 16 subjects resulted in a 13 per cent lowering of total cholesterol.

Palm oil helps maintain proper blood pressure. The high antioxidant content of the oil quenches free radicals and keeps inflammation under control. Tocotrienols also strengthen the heart so that it can better withstand stress.

Researchers can purposely induce heart attacks in lab animals by cutting off blood flow to the heart. This causes severe injury and death. However, if the animals are fed palm oil the survival rate is greatly increased, injury is minimised, and recovery is quicker.

After looking at studies like this it becomes obvious that palm oil protects against heart disease. This is confirmed in populations where palm oil consumption is particularly high. Heart disease in Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Nigeria-where palm oil is a major if not the sole source of visible fat in the daily diet-are among the lowest in the world.

Studies show palm tocotrienols inhibit the growth of skin, stomach, pancreas, liver, lung, colon, prostate, breast and other cancers. Most of the research to date has been done with breast cancer where tocotrienols show great promise. They not only prevent cancer from taking hold, but also actively block its growth and initiate apoptosis- a process where diseased cells commit suicide. This is a normal process that is programmed into all of our cells in order to remove old and diseased cells. However, in cancer cells this process is blocked and affected cells continue to multiply and grow without restraint. Ordinary Vitamin E does not induce programmed cell death in cancer cells. Only tocotrienols have this effect.

The antioxidant power of palm oil has also shown to be of benefit in protecting against neurological degeneration. Two of the most significant factors that affect brain function are oxidative stress and poor circulation.

Oxidative stress generates free radicals that damage brain and nerve tissue. Poor circulation affects the brain by restricting oxygen and glucose, which are vital for proper brain function. Researchers have found correlations between oxidative stress and reduced blood flow to the brain to senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and even schizophrenia. All of these conditions involve brain cell death. Tocotrienols aid the brain by reducing oxidative stress and improving blood flow

Myth attached to mumps can cause deafness, meningitis, infertility

Some beliefs, traditions and myths are creating impact on the nation’s health care delivery system. A good example is the belief that childhood infections like mumps do not require prompt medical attention. Seye Adeniyi writes to correct such a wrong notion, that improperly treated mumps can wreak havoc later in life.

A sales girl once asked a nursing mother what could be responsible for the unusual swelling on her baby’s cheek after she noticed that the right cheek of the woman’s baby was swollen.

The nursing mother had gone to the medicine store to buy an analgesic. She asked why the woman failed to apply medication.

The nursing mother answered, saying that what the sales girl observed on her baby’s cheek was called mumps (Segede in Yoruba) and such a childhood infection did not require any medical treatment.

“What we used to treat mumps in those days, as we were taught by our grand parents, was traditional therapy. What needed to be done to get rid of mumps is to look for dragon fly mould or termites hill, which is usually made of clay, grind it, mix with warm water and apply on the affected area.

I can tell you that in less than three days, the swelling will disappear”, the woman replied confidently. But, can clay soil, termite’s hill or dragon fly mould be used to treat mumps? If yes, what is in the soil that tackles mumps? Also, why do many believe that mumps does not need urgent medical attention and why is it that some parents often neglect it, believing that it will naturally disappear by itself even without a single dose of antibiotics?

Going by Dr. Olubukunola Jemihusi, an Ogun State-based medical practitioner, parents, especially nursing mothers, should not see mumps as a mild infection that should be left unattended to. According to him, such a wrong belief can jeopardise the health of such a child if not immediately attended to, in future.

Mumps, according to the community health physician, usually affects children and is not common in adults. The affected child will experience pains, inflammation of the cheek and the disease is often caused by a virus known as the mump virus. It is also a common childhood disease, which does not often arrest the attention of parents due to the traditional belief and myths attached to this childhood viral infection.

According to Dr. Adebowale Ademola, a consultant paediatrician at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, mumps, a disease caused by a virus, could occur many times. Although, some children can get over it naturally, that does not give any parent the licence to overlook it or pay less attention to this infection because there could be complicated mumps at times.

Also, the doctor warned that mump could be contagious and so, can spread from one child to another, especially in a crowded environment like nursery schools, children care centres and primary schools.

In his own submission, Professor Isaac Adewole explained that mumps which is also known as parotitis, is a viral infection that typically affects the salivary glands, although it may also affect other organs of the body.

The obstetrician and gynaecologist added that mumps is not a childhood infection that should ever be overlooked by any mother, if the child is not expected to experience fertility problem in the later years of life.

But how can mumps turn out to be a dangerous disease that may affect the health of an individual in later years of life? Being a viral infection, mumps, itself is usually mild, frequently with no visible symptoms, although, swallowing food or drink that stimulates the secretion of saliva can be very painful. The virus responsible for mumps spreads through droplets produced during coughing and sneezing and the incubation period is between two to three weeks before the first symptoms will eventually mainfest.

Swelling, resulting from mumps, can be on one side of the chin or on both sides of the face and may last for three to seven days. Any child who develops mumps is infectious to other people for a few days before the jaw swells, until several days after which the swelling will appear.

Severe forms of the illness are more common in adolescents and can lead to complications, including meningitis, encephalitis and permanent deafness in one ear.

If not treated on time with appropriate medications, mumps can lead to serious problems, resulting in inflammation and the organ called the pancreas can also become inflamed. Adolescent boys may develop inflammation of the testes, while older girls and women may also develop inflamed ovaries.

Commenting on the relationship between untreated mumps and infertility, Professor Adewole said that the female ovaries might be affected, while it could affect the testes of a male child. In future, it can also cause secondary infertility in both sexes.

Dr. Ademola also butressed Professor Adewole’s assertion, that mumps can indeed, cause infertility if not properly treated. “Mump orchitis can happen and this is when it affects the testes. It could also cause encephalitis and ultimately affect the brain. The glands under the chin may also become enlarged, swollen and this may result in a slight fever.

“Orchitis, which is a painful condition, can also cause sterility in later years of life. A far more serious complications may also occur when the mump virus attacks the brain and the nervous system, causing meningoencephalitis,” he further warned.

Consequently, what should parents look out for in a child with mumps? These include headaches, reluctance to eat, swallow or even talk, dryness of the mouth, swelling at the angle of the jaw. If it attacks only one side of the mouth, the other side of the mouth may frequently swell even as the other side goes down.

Furthermore, the severe pains attached to mumps is as a result of swelling of the salivary glands which causes pain on swallowing and result in a dry mouth. The sub-maxillary gland beneath the chin may also be affected. But to minimise the pain which is felt in swallowing, parents are advised to avoid giving the affected child fruit juices, which will stimulate the salivary glands to produce saliva.

Cocoa as a solution to hypertension and diabetes

Hypertension and diabetes, two among the chronic health diseases that account for more than 50 per cent of death worldwide can be prevented or controlled by regular consumption of good quality cocoa product.

When taken regularly as beverage without added milk and sugar, natural cocoa powder keeps heart disease, stroke, cancers and age-related neuro-degenerative diseases at bay.
Cocoa prevents hypertension

Chocolate decreased arterial stiffness in healthy young adults. Dr. Vlachopoulos and fellow researchers randomised 17 healthy young volunteers to eat 100g of a commercially available dark chocolate bar rich in flavonoids or a placebo. Those on the chocolate regimen had decreased arterial stiffness but no favourable effects were observed on the placebo.

The findings have several important implications. The heart has difficulty pumping when peripheral arteries are stiff. Stiff arteries can lead to systolic hypertension, which mainly affects the elderly.
These findings were further corroborated in another study, which examined the effects of naturally occurring flavonol-rich foods and beverages for endothelial dysfunction of the ageing. According to Dr. Naomi Fisher, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, this study showed that cocoa has favourable vascular effects.

What in cocoa prevents heart disease?
It is now widely known that cocoa contains high levels of chemicals known as phenolics, which may help to lower the risk of heart disease. The bitter astringent taste of unsweetened cocoa indicates presence of the phenolics found in them. The phenolic compounds in chocolate include f1avonoids, which are well known anti-oxidants that have been chemically proven to reduce oxidation, Scientific evidnce has long indicated that damage done in the body by free oxygen radical (in oxidation) is linked to heart disease, certain cancers, and physical degeneration maladies associated with the ageing process, Anti-oxidants in the blood stream can help to eliminate free oxygen radicals, potentially reducing the risk of developing heart disease, certain cancers, and cerebrovascular disease.

How might the flavonoids in chocolate (or from other sources) prevent heart disease? There is evidence that flavonoids prevent fatlike substances in the blood stream from oxidizing and clogging the arteries. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood pumped by the heart to every part of the body. The arteries that carry blood to the wall of the heart itself are most susceptible to the formation of fatty deposits that ultimately hardens them (arteries), making them less able to perform their function.

The fatty deposits in the wall of the arteries are known as atheroma, and the hardening of the blood vessel is known as arteriosclerosis. It is now believed that arteriosclerosis present to some degree in the middle-aged and elderly is caused by oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) one of the cholesterol types. At first the atheroma causes subtle damage to the artery, but it eventually leads to the formation of advanced plague. The build up of plague can lead to the clogging of the arteries, a condition that is a major cause of heart attack.

Cocoa can help prevent diabetes
The high magnesium in cocoa, and the ability of antioxidant f1avonols to promote nitric oxide production in the body combine to make the body produce more of the hormone (insulin) that helps to utilize glucose. The insulin produced after ingestion of cocoa powder has been shown to be more active, and hence better at preventing high blood glucose levels that precede or indicate diabetes.

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Balance It Out

Eating the right foods to speed up your metabolism and supplement your diet by incorporating other good habits. Drink plenty of water during the day. Six to eight glasses is a good goal. Exercise at least three times a week. Use free weights to help stimulate your metabolism by building muscle tone.

Losing While You Eat

Know the caloric content of the foods that you eat. Nutrition Facts Labels tell the number of calories in a serving also. There are negative calorie foods that burn more calories during digestion than the foods contain themselves. For most people, a healthy number of calories per day is between 2,200 and 2,800 depending on their sex and size.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Portion control is still important. Just because these foods are good for you doesn't mean that you can go overboard. Eat several small meals and healthy snacks throughout the day. A good habit to start is reading the Nutrition Facts Labels on food containers. These labels tell what a single serving size is and the nutrients

Stocking Your Cupboard

Foods that speed up your metabolism are vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, fish, healthy fats and whole grains. Look for these vegetables when shopping: spinach, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, cabbage, beet roots, assorted beans and dark, leafy vegetables. Any type of fresh fruit is good for you, but try eating blueberries, melons, apples, citrus fruits and tomatoes. Skinless poultry and eggs are excellent sources of protein. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish boost your metabolism by burning up to 400 calories a day. The enzymes in your body that burn fat increase while those that store fat decrease. If you are not a fish eater, take omega 3 capsules that contain a minimum of 300 milligrams total of EPA and DHA. Eat healthy fats like nuts and peanut butter. Whole grains found in brown rice, cereal, barley and oats speed up your metabolism as well. Consume foods with B vitamins, magnesium and fiber to increase your metabolism.

Facts on Foods That Speed Up Metabolism

Revving Your Engine
Metabolism is a process that breaks down carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the food you eat to make the energy your body needs to build and maintain itself. Proper nutrition keeps your body functioning well, but the right foods can also speed up your metabolism. The amount of calories you eat, your genes and the amount of calories that you burn while eating and exercising determine your metabolism. The body breaks down carbohydrates, then fats and finally proteins. The food that you eat makes up 5 to 10 percent of your metabolic rate.
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