Is palm oil good or bad for health?

Palm oil is not purely one or the other. It gives energy and some vitamin E, but its saturated fat content means eating a lot of it regularly can raise cholesterol over time.

Is palm oil worse than other cooking oils?

Palm oil has more saturated fat than oils like sunflower, groundnut or olive oil, but less than ghee or butter. How it affects health also depends on how much of it is eaten overall.

Why is palm oil used in so many packaged foods?

It is cheap to produce, stays solid at room temperature, and helps give biscuits and snacks a longer shelf life and a crisp texture.

Does palm oil cause heart disease?

Eating a lot of saturated fat, including from palm oil, over a long time is linked with higher LDL cholesterol, which is a known risk factor for heart disease.

Is palm oil the same as vegetable oil written on a label?

In India, labels sometimes just say edible vegetable oil or vegetable oil without naming palm specifically, so checking the ingredient list details can help identify if palm oil is used.

Palm Oil

palm oil

Palm oil is a vegetable oil taken from the fruit of the oil palm tree. It is used widely in packaged foods because it stays solid at room temperature and can contribute to raised cholesterol when eaten in large regular amounts.

Not a declarable allergen

This is not on India’s mandatory declaration list. It may still matter to you, and you can add it to your own avoid list.

What it is

Palm oil comes from pressing the fleshy fruit of the oil palm tree. The crude oil is reddish and is often refined, bleached and deodorised to get a clear oil with little smell or taste. It can be further processed into palm olein, a liquid fraction, or palm stearin, a harder solid fraction, depending on how it will be used.

Nutrition

Palm oil is a source of fat and energy, giving about 9 calories per gram like any other oil or fat. It is roughly half saturated fat and half unsaturated fat, which is why it is more solid than oils like sunflower or groundnut oil. It also naturally contains some vitamin E compounds called tocotrienols.

How it can affect health

Can affect: Because it is high in saturated fat, eating a lot of palm oil regularly can raise LDL cholesterol, sometimes called bad cholesterol, in the blood. In normal amounts as part of varied food, it does not cause any notable immediate effects for most people.

May contribute to:

raised LDL cholesterol
heart disease risk over time
weight gain when eaten in excess calories

Who should limit it

People who have been advised to watch their saturated fat intake, such as those with high cholesterol or heart disease, may want to limit foods high in palm oil. Anyone managing their weight may also want to watch total intake of all added fats and oils, including palm oil.

Where it is found

Palm oil is common in biscuits, instant noodles, namkeen, bread, margarine, vanaspati, packaged snacks and many fried or baked foods. It is popular with food makers because it is cheap, stable, and keeps baked goods solid and crisp.

Also written as

The same word, written in another script

পাম তেলbn
पाम तेलhi
ಪಾಮ್ ಎಣ್ಣೆkn
பாமாயில்ta
పామాయిల్te

A different word for the same thing

crude palm oilen
dehydrated vegetableen
edible vegetable oilen
edible vegetable oil (palm)en
palm faten
palm oleinen
refined palm oilen
vegetable oil (palm oil)en

Names in other languages

English: Palm Oil
हिन्दी: पाम ऑयल
मराठी: पाम तेल
বাংলা: পাম তেল
தமிழ்: பாம் எண்ணெய்
తెలుగు: పామాయిల్
ಕನ್ನಡ: ಪಾಮ್ ಎಣ್ಣೆ

Products on Laddoo that list it

In alphabetical order.

Matched against each printed ingredient list. A pack not listed here may still contain it under a name we have not matched: check its label.

Questions people ask

Is palm oil good or bad for health?: Palm oil is not purely one or the other. It gives energy and some vitamin E, but its saturated fat content means eating a lot of it regularly can raise cholesterol over time.
Is palm oil worse than other cooking oils?: Palm oil has more saturated fat than oils like sunflower, groundnut or olive oil, but less than ghee or butter. How it affects health also depends on how much of it is eaten overall.
Why is palm oil used in so many packaged foods?: It is cheap to produce, stays solid at room temperature, and helps give biscuits and snacks a longer shelf life and a crisp texture.
Does palm oil cause heart disease?: Eating a lot of saturated fat, including from palm oil, over a long time is linked with higher LDL cholesterol, which is a known risk factor for heart disease.
Is palm oil the same as vegetable oil written on a label?: In India, labels sometimes just say edible vegetable oil or vegetable oil without naming palm specifically, so checking the ingredient list details can help identify if palm oil is used.

This page is written by AI as general information about the ingredient, not about any pack. It is not medical advice.