(opinion article)

Apparently, everyone has heard a lot of scary myths about palm oil. But why is it still used then? Do manufacturers deliberately poison the buyers of their own products? Of course not, because it would reduce their profits.

Palm oil is very similar in consistency to butter, but is several times cheaper. Among margarine and other popular substitutes, palm oil has another advantage: it does not contain trans fats, which are very harmful to our body, because they increase the concentration of low and ultra-low-density lipoproteins, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, endocrine system, development of malignant tumors.

In general, it is believed that palm oil provokes cardiovascular disease due to the fact that it contains a large amount of saturated fat. But there is no evidence of a link between the trans-fat intake and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, saturated fats are needed by the body, just in much smaller quantities than unsaturated.

One of the reasons for all these myths about palm oil is some of the products in which it is used, namely, high-calorie foods with flavor enhancers: sweets, semi-finished products, fast food, and so on. Such food is harmful not only because of palm oil. With a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet and bad habits, any fat can be harmful.

However, I believe that the use of palm oil should be banned, but only in dairy products. After all, unscrupulous manufacturers replace part of the butter, which contains vitamins A and D, which our body needs. And yet, some manufacturers do not specify the percentage of palm oil in their product. Because of this, we occasionally have to overpay when buying a mixture of palm oil instead of a useful product.

But in general, palm oil is a safe product that helps us get delicious products at lower prices. So let’s not support stereotypes, but look for scientific explanations!