Palm oil : health risks and benefits

Recently, there has been growing discussion on the use of palm oil in the preparation of food products. In this review, we first examine the criticism of palm oil, in particular the supposed contribution to increase cardiovascular disease risk factors because of the high content in saturated fatty acid and the content of potential toxic compound formed during the refining processes, such as glycidols and chloropropanediols. The results of the main publications on these topics demonstrate that the massive attack against palm oil is largely unjustified if palm oil is assumed within the limits of a balanced diet. Finally, we discuss the possible benefits on health of the minor components of palm oil, such as tocopherols, tocotrienols and carotenoids.