Alpha-Tocopherol and Tocotrienols from red palm oil can prevent cancer, CVD

Adulterated food has become a burning issue for the consumers of Bangladesh. Edible oil is one of the important items that mass people use for cooking their daily consumption. Some unscrupulous traders in our country are blending low quality oils with other brands and making consumed food of the common people adulterated and toxic. During the last holy month of Ramadan it was observed that most of the traders recycled the burning edible oil for the preparation of iftar items. The effects of burning cooking oil for iftar preparation increased the peroxidase value which is very injurious to human health. As a result a large number of people are being affected with kidney, liver diseases and gastric ulcers.
An International Workshop on Palm Oil Nutraceutical Conference was held at World Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last year. Fifty participants from Asia, Europe, USA, Australia, Africa and Canada participated in the workshop and discussed various research findings. I had the opportunity to participate in that conference as a Country Delegate and presented a paper based on palm oil. Scientists from various countries presented their valuable palm oil research papers which were very important for health benefit to human beings. Most of the scientists discussed the health benefits of alpha-tocopherols and tocotrienols to prevent cancer and Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) that are derived from the red palm oil.
Red palm oil is the oil which is first obtained while harvesting the fruit of the oil palm. It is red because it contains carotenes, tocopherols and tocotrienols. Red palm oil is the virtual powerhouse of nutrition which is different from 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, squalene, phytosterols, flavonoids, phenolic acids and glycolipids.
Red palm oil is an available and inexpensive source of beta-carotene and vitamin A. Manorama and Rukmini showed that 70 per cent to 88 per cent of the beta-carotene of red palm oil is retained during cooking. Carotenes are important and powerful antioxidants because our body can convert them into vitamin A and fat, essential for this conversion. Vitamin A deficiency can cause blindness, weaken bones, lower immunity and adversely affect learning ability and mental function. It may prevent the development of diseases such as rough skin, weakness of the mucous membranes and cancer. Red palm oil provides a perfect solution to needed fat and vitamin A precursors. It has 15 times more provitamin A carotenes than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes.
It contains the highest amount of a super potent form of vitamin E known as tocotrienols which have up to 60 times the antioxidant activity of ordinary vitamin E. Studies show that it may protect the brain's neurons against stroke induced injuries. The 4 isomers of tocotrienols are alpha, beta, gama and delta. Alpha, gama and delta tocotrienols have the ability to limit synthesis of LDL (known as bad cholesterol) in the liver. Cancer researchers called tocotrienols the most powerful natural anti-cancer substances known to science (Yano, 2005). They not only prevent cancer from taking hold but actively block its growth and initiate apoptosis (a process where diseased cells commit suicide). Research suggests that delta tocotrienols may inhibit the growth of mammary cancer cells.
Palm oil contains alpha-tocopherol and tocotrienols that can protect one against heart disease. This is confirmed in populations where palm oil consumption is particularly high. Heart diseases in Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Nigeria are among the lowest in the world where palm oil is a major daily diet (Sron, 2005). It lowers blood pressure and as a result it stoops the damage of inner lining of the arteries and decreases the risk of clogged arteries. It lowers total cholesterol ranging from 5 per cent to 35.9 per cent and the reduction of LDL cholesterols range from 0.9 per cent to 37 per cent. Alpha tocotrienol may stop the free radicals and maintain healthy body function.
Governments of different countries are incorporating red palm oil in their nutritional programmes to wipe out deficiency diseases which are still rampant in many impoverished areas. Studies show that adding red palm oil into the diet can double and triple the amount of vitamin A in mother's milk. In commercial aspects, it is available in bottle for kitchen use. It is excellent for cooking and baking that can be beneficial for confectionary and bakery industries. Carotene extracted from red palm oil has a higher market value, especially for nutraceuticals and cosmetics. It is currently being encapsulated and sold as a vitamin supplement. In June 2012 Daffodil International University organised a daylong workshop on "Suitable edible oil in Bangladesh" on its own premises where Honourable Commerce Minister said in his speech as the Chief Guest that Bangladesh imports 60 per cent palm oil and 30 per cent soybean oil, but in the local market soybean oil brand is much higher than palm oil.
Based on the scientific data obtained from a lot of studies it is evident that soybean and mustard oils are adulterated during blending with hazardous chemicals. Chemical mixture reduces the quality and standard of the oil products. Secondly, during the time of cooking, specially frying, its peroxide value exceeds the acceptable limit and ultimately becomes toxic for human consumption. Besides this, other branded oils such as corn oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil and peanut oil are not available sufficiently in local market as per consumer demand. On the other hand, pure double refined palm oil is much safe and enriched with beta carotene, tocotrienols and tocopherol compared to other brands (soybean, mustard and peanut oils). Even at high temperature of frying its peroxide value does not exceed the acceptable limit and due to its astonishing health benefit, it's highly recommended for human consumption.
Now the question may arise as to how this brand of alpha-tocotrienol and tocopherol are available in the market? Malaysian Sime Darby Edible Oil is the biggest palm oil producer in the world market. Palm oil producers' Research & Development department in Malaysia has already developed and introduced tocotrienol and tocopherol-based "Tucovid" capsule as a food supplement product in the Asian market.  At the same time they have marketed red palm oil brand among the consumers and it has become familiar. In our country we are not yet familiar with this food supplement. Malaysia Palm Oil Promotion Council (MPOC) in Dhaka can assist as a medium for making this type of food supplements and oil products available for local consumption. The intellectual people can understand the effect of tocotrienol and tocopherol having prompt activity against cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
The writer is a Nutrition Scientist, Ex-Director IFST, BCSIR and Professor & Head of Nutrition and Food Engineering (NFE) department, Daffodil International University. Email: [email protected]