Coconut oil and palm oil's role in nutrition, health and national development: A review.

Boateng L, Ansong R, Owusu WB, Steiner-Asiedu M
Ghana medical journal · 2016 · doi:10.4314/gmj.v50i3.11 · PMID:27752194 · PMC5044790
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This review examines the nutritional, health, and developmental roles of coconut and palm oils in West Africa, challenging negative perceptions regarding saturated fats to advocate for their reintroduction into local diets.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by qwen3.7-flash, 2026-08-25 · read from full text ⓘ

This review challenges the historical characterization of coconut and palm oils as unhealthy saturated fats that elevate cholesterol and increase coronary heart disease risk. It highlights recent evidence suggesting beneficial effects for nutrition, health, and national development in developing countries, particularly West Africa. The authors advocate for a return to using these local oils in diets rather than substituting them with imported vegetable products. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

Coconut and palm oils which were the major sources of dietary fats for centuries in most of West Africa have been branded as unhealthy highly saturated fats. Their consumption has been peddled to supposedly raise the level of blood cholesterol, thereby increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. This adverse view has led to a reduction in their consumption in West Africa and they have been substituted for imported vegetable oils. Recent information however, indicates some beneficial effects of these oils particularly their roles in nutrition, health and national development. There is the need for a better understanding of their effects on health, nutritional status and national development. This paper therefore attempts to review the roles which coconut and palm oils play in these respects in developing countries, as a means of advocating for a return to their use in local diets.FundingNone declared.
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Abstract

Coconut and palm oils which were the major sources of dietary fats for centuries in most of West Africa have been branded as unhealthy highly saturated fats. Their consumption has been peddled to supposedly raise the level of blood cholesterol, thereby increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. This adverse view has led to a reduction in their consumption in West Africa and they have been substituted for imported vegetable oils. Recent information however, indicates some beneficial effects of these oils particularly their roles in nutrition, health and national development. There is the need for a better understanding of their effects on health, nutritional status and national development. This paper therefore attempts to review the roles which coconut and palm oils play in these respects in developing countries, as a means of advocating for a return to their use in local diets. Funding: None declared

Keywords

Palm oil, coconut oil, nutrition, health, national development

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