Rich in Vitamin E, palm oil can strengthen immunity, says study

Palm oil is extracted from palm trees and is considered to be very economical. Apart from being economical, palm oil is filled with essential nutrients and vitamins that can be extremely beneficial to our overall health.

Palm oil is a powerhouse of antioxidants, vitamin A and vitamin E which can promote good health, hair and skin. In addition to these benefits, a recent study conducted published in the journal Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, found that palm oil can also improve the immune system of your body and protect you against diseases.

Here’s how palm oil can help

Palm oil contains abundant quantities of vitamin E compounds which include tocopherols and tocotrienols. These compounds have an antioxidant effect which means that they can successfully protect the cells from damage caused by the toxic chemicals produced by metabolic processes.

A team of researchers from Malaysia and Libya recently investigated the effect of tocotrienols extracted from palm oil on mice liver cells. The team investigated the expression levels of genes influenced by a transcription factor Nrf2-known to upregulate phase II drug metabolism in reaction to metabolic processes and the translocation of the same factor into the cellular nucleus.

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“Our study is the first in vivo study on the effect of tocotrienols on Nrf2 on the genetic material in the nucleus,” said Azman Abdullah, the corresponding author of the study. The team observed that the translocation of Nrf2 in mice liver cells is both dose-dependent, and functionally relevant.

Here’s what the study found out

“We observed that the maximum effect of Nrf2 translocation into the liver cell nucleus after administration of the palm oil extract occurred in 60 minutes of administration,” said Abdullah.

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“The increased concentration of liver nuclear Nrf2 corresponded with increased transcript levels of several Nrf2 regulated genes,” added Abdullah.

Palm oil is an economical source of vitamin E, and several studies have observed that it has a positive impact on the immune system. Researchers hope that these findings pave the way for easily available remedies for a variety of diseases.