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

Dr K M Formuzul Haque :
Adulterated food has become a burning issue for the consumers of Bangladesh. Edible oil is one of them important items that mass people are being used different brand for cooking their daily consumption. Some unscrupulous traders in our country are blending low quality oils with other brand and making adulteration and toxic for consumption of the common people. During the last holy months of Ramadan it was observed that most of the traders were recycled the burning edible oil for the preparation of iftari items. The effects of burning cooking oil for iftari preparation increased the peroxides value which very injurious to human health. As a result a large number of people are being affected with kidney, liver diseases and gastric alcers.
An International Workshop on Palm Oil Nutraceutical Conference was held at World Hotel, Kualalampur, Malaysia from 18 to 23 May, 2013. Fifty participants from Asia, Europe, USA, Australia, Africa and Canada participated in the workshop and discussed on the various research finding issues. I had the opportunity to participate in that conference as a Country Delegate and present a paper based on palm oil. Scientists from various countries presented their valuable palm oil research paper, which was very important for health benefit to human being. Most of the scientist discussed on the health benefits of alpha-tocopherols and tocotrienols to prevent cancer and Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) that derived from the red palm oil.
Red palm oil is the oil is first obtained in harvesting the fruit of the oil palm is red because it contains carotenes, tocopherols and tocotrienols. Red Palm oil is the virtual powerhouse of nutrition 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 and 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 to 88 per cent of the beta-carotene of red palm oil is retained during cooking. Carotenes are important and powerful antioxidant because our body can convert them into Vitamin A and fat is 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 of 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 anticancer substances known to science (Yano, 2005). They not only prevent cancer from taking hold but also 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 can protect 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 are among the lowest in the world where palm oil is a major in the daily diet (Sron, 2005). It lower blood pressure in subjects as a result it stooping the damage of inner lining of the arteries and decrease the risk of clogged arteries. It lowered total cholesterol ranged from 5 to 35.9 per cent and the reduction of LDL cholesterols ranged from 0.9 to 37 per cent. Alpha tocotrienol may stop the free radicals and maintaining healthy body function.
Governments of different countries are incorporating red palm oil into nutritional program to wipe out deficiency diseases, which are still rampant in many improvised areas. In that program for the treatment of nutritional deficiency, for a child a teaspoon of red palm oil is used to cook vegetable or bread which supplies them the daily recommend amount of vitamin A. 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 has high market demand. It is an 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 nutraceutical and cosmetics. It is currently being encapsulated and sold as a vitamin supplement.
In June 2012, Daffodil International University organised a day long workshop on ‘Suitable edible oil in Bangladesh’ in his own premises where as Chief Guest Commerce Minister said in his speech that Bangladesh imports 60 per cent Palm oil and 30 per cent soybean oil, but in the local market soybean oil brand much higher than palm oil. So question arose from the Minister rest of the palm oil where it goes? Most of the palm oil is blending with the soybean oil and ultimately they are selling in the
market as soya bean oil.
Based on the scientific data obtained a lot of studies that, soybean and mustard oils are adulterated during blending with hazardous chemicals. Chemically mixture reduces the quality and standard of the oil product. Secondly, during the time of cooking specially frying, its peroxide value exceeds than the acceptable limit and ultimately become toxic for human consumption. Beside this, other branded oils such as corn oil, rice bran oil (highly nutrient content), sunflower oil and peanut oils are not available sufficiently in local market as per consumer demand. On the other hand, pure double refined palm oil is much safer and enriched with beta-carotene, tocotrienols and tocopherol compared to other brand (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 how this brand of alphatocotrienol and tocopherol are available in the market. These two compounds alphatocotrienol and tocopherol having some amount existing in each brand of palm oil only the percentage is much higher in red palm oil. In Malaysia 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 familiar yet regarding this food supplement. Malaysia palm oil promotion council (MPOC) in Dhaka can assist as a media for available this type of food supplements and oil products for the local consumption. The intellectual people can understand the effect of tocotrienol and tocopherol which having prompt activity against cancer and cardiovascular diseases.