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Tag: palm oil

  • 3-MCPD in Refined Cooking Oils | NutritionFacts.org

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    There is another reason to avoid palm oil and question the authenticity of extra-virgin olive oil.

    The most commonly used vegetable oil in the world today is palm oil. Pick up any package of processed food in a box, bag, bottle, or jar, and the odds are it will have palm oil. Palm oil not only contains the primary cholesterol-raising saturated fat found mostly in meat and dairy, but concerns have been raised about its safety, given the finding that it may contain a potentially toxic chemical contaminant known as 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol, otherwise known as 3-MCPD, which is formed during the heat treatment involved in the refining of vegetable oils. So, these contaminants end up being “widespread in refined vegetable oils and fats and have been detected in vegetable fat-containing products, including infant formulas.”

    Although 3-MCPD has been found in all refined vegetable oils, some are worse than others. The lowest levels of the toxic contaminants were found in canola oil, and the highest levels were in palm oil. Based on the available data, this may result in “a significant amount of human exposure,” especially when used to deep-fry salty foods, like french fries. In fact, just five fries could blow through the tolerable daily intake set by the European Food Safety Authority. If you only eat such foods once in a while, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re eating fries every day or so, this could definitely be a health concern.

    Because the daily upper limit is based on body weight, particularly high exposure values were calculated for infants who were on formula rather than breast milk, since formula is made from refined oils, which—according to the European Food Safety Authority—may present a health risk. Estimated U.S. infant exposures may be three to four times worse.

    If infants don’t get breast milk, “there is basically no alternative to industrially produced infant formula.” As such, the vegetable oil industry needs to find a way to reduce the levels of these contaminants. This is yet another reason that breastfeeding is best whenever possible.

    What can adults do to avoid exposure? Since these chemicals are created in the refining process of oils, what about sticking to unrefined oils? Refined oils have up to 32 times the 3-MCPD compared to their unrefined counterparts, but there is an exception: toasted sesame oil. Sesame oil is unrefined; manufacturers just squeeze the sesame seeds. But, because they are squeezing toasted sesame seeds, the 3-MCPD may have come pre-formed.

    Virgin oils are, by definition, unrefined. They haven’t been deodorized, the process by which most of the 3-MCPD is formed. In fact, that’s how you can discriminate between the various processing grades of olive oil. If your so-called extra virgin olive oil contains MCPD, then it must have been diluted with some refined olive oil. The ease of adulterating extra virgin olive oil, the difficulty of detection, the economic drivers, and the lack of control measures all contribute to extra virgin olive oil’s susceptibility to fraud. How widespread a problem is it?

    Researchers tested 88 bottles labeled as extra virgin olive oil and found that only 33 were found to be authentic. Does it help to stick to the top-selling imported brands of extra virgin olive oil? In that case, 73% of those samples failed. Only about one in four appeared to be genuine, and not a single brand had even half its samples pass the test, as you can see here and at 3:32 in my video 3-MCPD in Refined Cooking Oils.

    Doctor’s Note

    If you missed the previous post where I introduced 3-MCPD, see The Side Effects of 3-MCPD in Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.

    There is no substitute for human breast milk. We understand this may not be possible for adoptive families or those who use surrogates, though. In those cases, look for a nearby milk bank.

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • Indonesia set for palm-oil boost in EU trade deal

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    The EU and Indonesia have concluded talks on a free-trade deal that includes zero tariffs on palm oil exports from the South East Asian country.

    The draft agreement, described by EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič as “a game-changer for both our economies”, removes Indonesia’s duties on certain EU agri-food products.

    EU farming lobby groups Copa and Cogeca welcomed the deal, which will head to the European Council and European Parliament for approval.

    However, the zero-tariff rate on Indonesian palm oil has attracted criticism in campaign circles.

    Under the agreement, palm oil from Indonesia will face zero tariffs within a defined quota. EU tariffs on all palm oil imports range up to 12.8%. Much of Indonesia’s palm oil shipments to the EU already face a 0% tariff, Just Food understands.

    The EU said the so-called Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, announced yesterday (23 September), includes a “protocol” on palm oil, “geared towards maximising the potential of CEPA to support trade in sustainable palm oil”.

    In a statement, the EU said: “It does so by establishing a platform for dialogue, including on regulatory developments of relevance for the palm oil sector, and creating a framework to work more closely together in areas of specific importance for the sustainability of palm oil production.”

    Reacting to the news of the agreement, Eddy Martono, chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), said the deal was “good news” but he expressed concern about the EU’s planned deforestation regulations, or EUDR.

    “The IEU-CEPA is good news but if the EUDR cannot be fulfilled, then zero tariffs are useless. Our exports will still be hampered,” Martono said in a statement.

    In a separate announcement yesterday, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said it would propose another delay to EUDR coming into force.

    The regulations were set be implemented in December after already being pushed back.

    Under EUDR, companies marketing products including cocoa, coffee and palm oil, as well as foods that contain the ingredients, in the EU will have to demonstrate their supply chains are free from deforestation-related impacts.

    EUDR, first announced in 2021, was originally due to be enforced on 30 December this year but the Commission faced pressure from parts of the food industry to extend the deadline. Brussels agreed to a one-year delay last December.

    IT problems have now led the Commission to put forward plans for another postponement of one year.

    Fern, an NGO working to protect forests and the rights of forest peoples, hit out at the deal between the EU and Indonesia and the prospect of another delay to EUDR.

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  • Eating to Help Control Cancer Metastasis  | NutritionFacts.org

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    Randomized controlled trials show that lowering saturated fat intake can lead to improved breast cancer survival.

    The leading cause of cancer-related death is metastasis. Cancer kills because cancer spreads. The five-year survival rate for women with localized breast cancer is nearly 99 percent, for example, but that falls to only 27 percent in women with metastasized cancer. Yet, “our ability to effectively treat metastatic disease has not changed significantly in the past few decades…” The desperation is evident when there are such papers as “Targeting Metastasis with Snake Toxins: Molecular Mechanisms.”

    We have built-in defenses, natural killer cells that roam the body, killing off budding tumors. But, as I’ve discussed, there’s a fat receptor called CD36 that appears to be essential for cancer cells to spread, and these cancer cells respond to dietary fat intake, but not all fat.

    CD36 is upregulated by palmitic acid, as much as a 50-fold increase within 12 hours of consumption, as shown below and at 1:13 in my video How to Help Control Cancer Metastasis with Diet.

    Palmitic acid is a saturated fat made from palm oil that can be found in junk food, but it is most concentrated in meat and dairy. This may explain why, when looking at breast cancer mortality and dietary fat, “there was no difference in risk of breast-cancer-specific death…for women in the highest versus the lowest category of total fat intake,” but there’s about a 50 percent greater likelihood of dying of breast cancer with higher intake of saturated fat. Researchers conclude: “These meta-analyses have shown that saturated fat intake negatively impacts breast cancer survival.”

    This may also explain why “intake of high-fat dairy, but not low-fat dairy, was related to a higher risk of mortality after breast cancer diagnosis.” If a protein in dairy, like casein, was the problem, skim milk might be even worse, but that wasn’t the case. It’s the saturated butterfat, perhaps because it triggered that cancer-spreading mechanism induced by CD36. Women who consumed one or more daily servings of high-fat dairy had about a 50 percent higher risk of dying from breast cancer.

    We see the same with dairy and its relationship to prostate cancer survival. Researchers found that “drinking high-fat milk increased the risk of dying from prostate cancer by as much as 600% in patients with localized prostate cancer. Low-fat milk was not associated with such an increase in risk.” So, it seems to be the animal fat, rather than the animal protein, and these findings are consistent with analyses from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Physicians’ Health Study (PHS), conducted by Harvard researchers.

    There is even more evidence that the fat receptor CD36 is involved. The “risk of colorectal cancer for meat consumption” increased from a doubling to an octupling—that is, the odds of getting cancer multiplied eightfold for those who carry a specific type of CD36 gene. So, “Is It Time to Give Breast Cancer Patients a Prescription for a Low-Fat Diet?” A cancer diagnosis is often referred to as a ‘teachable moment’ when patients are motivated to make changes to their lifestyle, and so provision of evidence-based guidelines is essential.”

    In a randomized, prospective, multicenter clinical trial, researchers set out “to test the effect of a dietary intervention designed to reduce fat intake in women with resected, early-stage breast cancer,” meaning the women had had their breast cancer surgically removed. As shown below and at 4:02 in my video, the study participants in the dietary intervention group dropped their fat intake from about 30 percent of calories down to 20 percent, reduced their saturated fat intake by about 40 percent, and maintained it for five years. “After approximately 5 years of follow-up, women in the dietary intervention group had a 24% lower risk of relapse”—a 24-percent lower risk of the cancer coming back—“than those in the control group.” 

    That was the WINS study, the Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study. Then there was the Women’s Health Initiative study, where, again, women were randomized to lower their fat intake down to 20 percent of calories, and, again, “those randomized to a low-fat dietary pattern had increased breast cancer overall survival. Meaning: A dietary change may be able to influence breast cancer outcome.” What’s more, not only was their breast cancer survival significantly greater, but the women also experienced a reduction in heart disease and a reduction in diabetes.

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • Dietary Components That May Cause Cancer to Metastasize  | NutritionFacts.org

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    Palmitic acid, a saturated fat concentrated in meat and dairy, can boost the metastatic potential of cancer cells through the fat receptor CD36.

    The leading cause of death in cancer patients is metastasis formation. That’s how most people die of cancer—not from the primary tumor, but the cancer spreading through the body. “It is estimated that metastasis is responsible for ~90% of cancer deaths,” and little progress has been made in stopping the spread, despite our modern medical armamentarium. In fact, we can sometimes make matters worse. In an editorial entitled “Therapy-Induced Metastasis,” its authors “provide evidence that all the common therapies, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, fine needle biopsies, surgical procedures and anaesthesia, have the potential to contribute to tumour progression.” You can imagine how cutting around a tumor and severing blood vessels might lead to the “migration of residual tumour cells,” but why chemotherapy? How might chemo exacerbate metastases? “Despite reducing the size of primary tumors, chemotherapy changes the tumor microenvironment”—its surrounding tissues—“resulting in an increased escape of cancer cells into the blood stream.” Sometimes, chemo, surgery, and radiation are entirely justified, but, again, other times, these treatments can make matters worse. If only we had a way to treat the cause of the cancer’s spreading.

    The development of antimetastatic therapies has been hampered by the fact that the cells that initiate metastasis remain unidentified. Then, a landmark study was published: “Targeting Metastasis-Initiating Cells Through the Fatty Acid Receptor CD36.” Researchers found a subpopulation of human cancer cells “unique in their ability to initiate metastasis”; they all express high levels of a fat receptor known as CD36, dubbed “the fat controller.” It turns out that palmitic acid or a high-fat diet specifically boosts the metastatic potential of these cancer cells. Where is palmitic acid found? Although it was originally discovered in palm oil, palmitic acid is most concentrated in meat and dairy. “Emerging evidence shows that palmitic acid (PA), a common fatty acid in the human diet, serves as a signaling molecule regulating the progression and development of many diseases at the molecular level.” It is the saturated fat that is recognized by CD36 receptors on cancer cells, and we know it is to blame, because if the CD36 receptor is blocked, so are metastases.

    The study was of a human cancer, but it was a human cancer implanted into mice. However, clinically (meaning in cancer patients themselves), the presence of these CD36-studded metastasis-initiating cells does indeed correlate with a poor prognosis. CD36 appears to drive the progression of brain tumors, for example. As seen in the survival curves shown below and at 3:21 in my video What Causes Cancer to Metastasize?, those with tumors with less CD36 expression lived significantly longer. It is the same with breast cancer mortality: “In this study, we correlated the mortality of breast cancer patients to tumor CD36 expression levels.” That isn’t a surprise, since “CD36 plays a critical role in proliferation, migration and…growth of…breast cancer cells.” If we inhibit CD36, we can inhibit “the migration and invasion of the breast cancer cells.” 

    Below and at 3:46 in my video, you can see breast cancer cell migration and invasion, before and after CD36 inhibition. (The top lines with circles are before CD36 inhibition, and the bottom lines with squares are after.)

    This isn’t only in “human melanoma- and breast cancer–derived tumours” either. Now we suspect that “CD36 expression drives ovarian cancer progression and metastasis,” too, since we can inhibit ovarian cancer cell invasion and migration, as well as block both lymph node and blood-borne metastasis, by blocking CD36. We also see the same kind of effect with prostate cancer; suppress the uptake of fat by prostate cancer cells and suppress the tumor. This was all studied with receptor-blocking drugs and antibodies in a laboratory setting, though. If these “metastasis-initiating cancer cells particularly rely on dietary lipids [fat] to promote metastasis,” the spread of cancer, why not just block the dietary fat in the first place?

    “Lipid metabolism fuels cancer’s spread.” Cancer cells love fat and cholesterol. The reason is that so much energy is stored in fat. “Hence, CD36+ metastatic cells might take advantage of this feature to obtain the high amount of energy that is likely to be required for them to anchor and survive at sites distant from the primary tumour”—to set up shop throughout the body.

    “The time when glucose [sugar] was considered as the major, if not only, fuel to support cancer cell proliferation is over.” There appears to be “a fatter way to metastasize.” No wonder high-fat diets (HFD) may “play a crucial role in increasing the risk of different cancer types, and a number of clinical studies have linked HFD with several advanced cancers.”

    If dietary fat may be “greasing the wheels of the cancer machine,” might there be “specific dietary regimens” we could use to starve cancers of dietary fat? You don’t know until you put it to the test, which we’ll look at next.

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    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • Indigenous Palm Oil Farmers Urge French Government to Reconsider Position on Palm Oil Biofuels

    Indigenous Palm Oil Farmers Urge French Government to Reconsider Position on Palm Oil Biofuels

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    Press Release
    –


    updated: Feb 15, 2019


    MIRI, Malaysia, February 15, 2019 (Newswire.com)
    –
     The Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (DOPPA) which represents indigenous farmers of oil palm in Sarawak, Malaysia, is urging the French government to reconsider its position on the use of palm oil for French biofuels.

    The French government is proposing to stop the usage of palm oil as feedstock for biofuels as part of its overall attempt to reduce imported deforestation.

    DOPPA had issued a similar plea to the EU Commission as it was considering an EU wide ban on the use of palm for the EU’s biofuels needs. The association was pleased with the commission’s decisions in February of 2019 to provide an exception for small farmer-produced palm oil. DOPPA which represents the indigenous oil palm farmers of Sarawak state in Malaysia, however, remains concerned with the French parliament which seeks to phase out palm oil biofuels despite the fact that bioenergy in France needs palm oil as a feedstock.

    According to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board which oversees small farmers in Malaysia, there are 28,000 indigenous farmers in Sarawak that grow oil palm as a cash crop. DOPPA urged the French government to consider all the facts on palm oil before making a decision.

    Vice President of DOPPA, Rita Insol said:

    “We admire the French government’s ambition to save forests by not importing any products that cause deforestation. As indigenous people who depended on forests for survival for centuries, we share that ambition as our forests still provide sustenance for many of Sarawak’s indigenous peoples.

    “Therefore, the allegations that all palm oil causes deforestation is simply not true. Our oil palm is planted on farmlands that were inherited from our forefathers. At one time, these lands were planted with rice or rubber as cash crops so that we could buy what cannot grow but it is oil palm that has proven to be the most consistent provider of income. Many of Sarawak’s indigenous farmers have been able to afford better houses and send their children for higher education because of what oil palm provides.

    “Now with the implementation of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil scheme, many of us are looking forward to better incomes through higher yields through the training in better farming techniques. It is, therefore, a source of great concern and disappointment among the indigenous farmers that France would consider a ban on palm oil in its biofuels policies. We would consider this to be a discriminatory act against the indigenous farmers of Sarawak.

    “We hope that by informing them that a policy that seemingly discriminates palm oil is essentially discrimination against the rights of indigenous peoples and they will not deprive us of the right to development.

    “It is a right we toil for in our daily lives. Many of us maintain our small oil palm farms by ourselves. This includes carrying several tons of harvests every month, even for our women. But we do not complain about the hard work, we only ask for a chance for buyers like the French to support us when they need palm oil because we would rather work with pride than beg.

    “We hope the French ambassador can visit our farms to see the truth and pass that on to his government. These are farms that grow fruits and vegetables as food for our families, with oil palm being planted as a way out of poverty.”

    For media inquiries, please contact:

    Rita Insol, Vice-President of Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association, (DOPPA)

    Email: ritasarimah@gmail.com

    Note to Editors. DOPPA is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 to represent the indigenous palm oil farmers in Sarawak state, Malaysia. Based on data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) which issues licenses and regulates to all palm oil production in Malaysia, there are 28,000 indigenous palm oil farmers out of the total of 36,000 registered smallholders in Sarawak state. Estimated acreage of palm oil farms cultivated by indigenous peoples in Sarawak state is under 100,000 hectares. Their harvests are an integral supply to the Malaysian palm oil production which is working towards national sustainability certification by 2020 under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) scheme. The MPOB has allocated funds to assist smallholders by paying fully towards the costs of upgrading their farms to meet certification criteria.

    DOPPA expects to register all Dayak smallholders and have them certified under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil scheme (MSPO) by 2020. The driving force for the certification of all smallholders under the MSPO is the MSPO requirement to be certified or lose their license to grow palm oil. Palm oil production in Malaysia is heavily regulated by state and federal laws from all aspects, including the planting of high-yielding species to the employment standards of workers. These practices have been in place but are only now being documented to meet the demands for sustainability and traceability by buyer countries, especially those from developed countries.

    Source: Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (DOPPA)

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  • Indigenous Dayak Farmers Speak Out on Discrimination Against Palm Oil

    Indigenous Dayak Farmers Speak Out on Discrimination Against Palm Oil

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    Discrimination against palm oil is discrimination against indigenous peoples who depend on the crop for empowerment.

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Jan 16, 2018


    MIRI, Malaysia, January 16, 2018 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Indigenous Dayak palm oil farmers in Sarawak state of Malaysia launched a photo campaign today to tell their side of the story on palm oil. The campaign was created to present the facts on palm oil from the indigenous farmers perspective. The organizers of the campaign, Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association of Sarawak (DOPPA) is a unique entity globally as it is the only organized group to represent the interests of indigenous small holders in the palm oil industry.

    DOPPA, hopes the project will clarify once and for all, that not all palm oil causes environmental destruction and human rights abuses. Speaking in reference to a call by 174 scientists against the use of palm oil in bio-fuels which argued that palm oil causes socio-environmental disasters without exception, Vice-President of DOPPA, Rita Insol, stated:

    But today we speak for ourselves as we have noticed other NGOs who are threatening our livelihoods when they attack palm oil which we rely on heavily as a cash crop to enable us to enjoy the same standards of living as these NGOs.

    Rita Insol, Vice President-DOPPA

    “We are small farmers. We work on lands passed down to us by our forefathers who have cultivated these lands for decades. Some of us have lost our lands which we used for shifting cultivation. So as we enter the 21st century, we recognize the need to create stable and permanent farms from which we hope to better our livelihoods and provide a better future for the coming generations of indigenous people in Sarawak.

    ”For years, we have noticed the conflicting news on palm oil. It was a source of amusement to see ‘experts’ arguing about our rights as indigenous peoples as if we could not speak ourselves. This is not true. We, as indigenous peoples of Borneo have fought for our rights for a long time already. You may not have heard about our struggles to have our rights as indigenous peoples recognized and for that, we are grateful to the NGOs for speaking on our behalf here and there. But today we speak for ourselves as we have noticed other NGOs who are threatening our livelihoods when they attack palm oil which we rely on heavily as a cash crop to enable us to enjoy the same standards of living as these NGOs.

    ”Our parents fought alongside the Australian and British soldiers to protect our lands. We remain always grateful to these countries for helping us to preserve our lands. We remain especially grateful to the United Kingdom for their guidance of the development of Sarawak. The palm oil tree which was introduced to Sarawak by the British government in the 1960s as a pathway towards self-sustenance has proven itself.

    ”As indigenous peoples of Borneo and farmers in the 21st century, we are now finally able to fend for ourselves on the lands our parents fought to protect alongside the Australian and British soldiers. Many of us grow rice, fruits and vegetables on our indigenous lands for survival and depend on the cash sales from palm oil fruits to buy what we cannot grow. Our palm oil trees empower us as indigenous peoples.

    ”We hope with this campaign, to deliver a message to those that are against palm oil, to tell these people that we are indigenous peoples and your discrimination against palm oil is hurting us.”

    Dayak Oil Palm Producers Association (DOPPA)

    Miri, Malaysia ritasarimah@gmail.com

    END

    ###

     

    Note to Editors. DOPPA is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 to represent the indigenous palm oil farmers in Sarawak state, Malaysia. Based on data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) which issues licenses and regulates to all palm oil production in Malaysia, there are 28,000 indigenous palm oil farmers out of the total of 36,000 registered smallholders in Sarawak state. Estimated acreage of palm oil farms cultivated by indigenous peoples in Sarawak state is under 100,000 hectares. Their harvests are an integral supply to the Malaysian palm oil production which is working towards national sustainability certification by 2020 under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) scheme. The MPOB has allocated funds to assist smallholders by paying fully towards the costs of upgrading their farms to meet certification criteria.

    DOPPA expects to register all Dayak smallholders and have them certified under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil scheme (MSPO) by 2020. The driving force for the certification of all smallholders under the MSPO is the MSPO requirement to be certified or lose their license to grow palm oil. Palm oil production in Malaysia is heavily regulated by state and federal laws from all aspects including the planting of high yielding species to the employment standards of workers. These practices have been in place but is only now being documented to meet the demands for sustainability and traceability by buyer countries especially those from developed countries.

    Photos included show Dayak palm oil farmers from Sarawak, Malaysia. These belong to the Iban tribes which form the majority of lowland tribes in Sarawak. The word “ak” in between names is the traditional way of naming Ibans to keep their lineage. Example: Ludai ak Manggat means Ludai, child of Manggat.

    Source: Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association (DOPPA)

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