The link between dietary fats and cardiovascular diseases has necessitated a growing research interest in palm oil, the second largest consumed vegetable oil in the world. Palm oil, obtained from a tropical plant, Elaeis guineensis contains 50% saturated fatty acids, yet it does not promote atherosclerosis and arterial thrombosis. The saturated fatty acid to unsaturated fatty acid ratio of palm oil is close to unity and it contains a high amount of the antioxidants, beta-carotene, and vitamin E. Although palm oil-based diets induce a higher blood cholesterol level than do corn, soybean, safflower seed, and sunflower oils, the consumption of palm oil causes the endogenous cholesterol level to drop. This phenomenon seems to arise from the presence of the tocotrienols and the peculiar isomeric position of its fatty acids. The benefits of palm oil to health include reduction in risk of arterial thrombosis and atherosclerosis, inhibition of endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis, platelet aggregation, and reduction in blood pressure. Palm oil has been used in the fresh state and/or at various levels of oxidation. Oxidation is a result of processing the oil for various culinary purposes. However, a considerable amount of the commonly used palm oil is in the oxidized state, which poses potential dangers to the biochemical and physiological functions of the body. Unlike fresh palm oil, oxidized palm oil induces an adverse lipid profile, reproductive toxicity and toxicity of the kidney, lung, liver, and heart. This may be as a result of the generation of toxicants brought on by oxidation. In contrast to oxidized palm oil, red or refined palm oil at moderate levels in the diet of experimental animals promotes efficient utilization of nutrients, favorable body weight gains, induction of hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes, adequate hemoglobinization of red cells and improvement of immune function. Howerer, high palm oil levels in the diet induce toxicity to the liver as shown by loss of cellular radial architecture and cell size reductions which are corroborated by alanine transaminase to asparate transaminase ratios which are higher than unity. The consumtion of moderate amounts of palm oil and reduction in the level of oxidation may reduce the health risk believed to be associated with the consumption of palm oil. Red palm oil, by virtue of its beta-carotene content, may protect against vitamin A deficiency and certain forms of cancer.

Palm oil: biochemical, physiological, nutritional, hematological, and toxicological aspects: a review.

https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/S0020-7292%2815%2930034-5

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) recommendations on adolescent, preconception, and maternal nutrition: "Think Nutrition First".

Background: The health hazards created by oil exploration and exploitation are covert and slow in action. They are not given the deserved attention in official documents in Nigeria, even as they can be major contributors to the disease burden in oil-bearing communities. This study is an interpretation of the data reported in several published studies on crude oil spills in the Niger delta region, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A manual and Internet search was conducted to extract quantitative data on the quantity of crude oil spilled; the concentrations of the pollutants in surface water, ground water, ambient air and plant and animal tissue; and the direct impact on human health and household food security. Results: An average of 240,000 barrels of crude oil are spilled in the Niger delta every year, mainly due to unknown causes (31.85%), third party activity (20.74%), and mechanical failure (17.04%). The spills contaminated the surface water, ground water, ambient air, and crops with hydrocarbons, including known carcinogens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and benxo (a) pyrene, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and trace metals that were further bioaccumulated in some food crops. The oil spills could lead to a 60% reduction in household food security and were capable of reducing the ascorbic acid content of vegetables by as much as 36% and the crude protein content of cassava by 40%. These could result in a 24% increase in the prevalence of childhood malnutrition. Animal studies indicate that contact with Nigerian crude oil could be hemotoxic and hepatotoxic, and could cause infertility and cancer. Conclusions: The oil spills in the Niger delta region have acute and long-term effects on human health. Material relief and immediate and long-term medical care are recommended, irrespective of the cause of the spill, to ensure that the potential health effects of exposures to the spills are properly addressed.

The human health implications of crude oil spills in the Niger delta, Nigeria: An interpretation of published studies

96137949 Dietary antioxidant vitamins and death from coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women

Liver and the biliary tract

The crude protein contents and amino acid compositions of two varieties of Dioscorea dumetorum (edible and wild) were determined. The crude protein (g/l00g) of the wild variety (11.37) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the edible variety (7.0). The amino acid profiles showed both varieties to be limiting in lysine, methionine and cystine. The wild variety had tryptophan (0.60g/100g total aa), phenylalanine (3.01g/100g total aa), threonine (2.93g/100g total aa) and valine (3.6g/100g total aa) in substantial amounts when compared to the reference FAO pattern. Aspartic acid (4.47-9.28/100g total aa) was the most abundant amino acid in both varieties with the highest amount recorded for the wild variety. The chemical scores of the essential amino acids were tryptophan (60.0), threonine (43.5), valine (39.6), methionine (28.0) isoleucine (34.5), leucine (32.0), tyrosine and phenylalanine (39.0) and lysine (20.72) for the edible and tryptophan (117.0), threonine (73.25), valine (72.0), methionine (54.0) isoleucine (64.75), leucine (65.71), tyrosine and phenylalanine (83.67) and lysine (44.18) for the for the wild variety. This results being the first amino acid profiles recorded for this yam suggests that the wild D. dumetorum is richer in amino acid content than the edible variety and is likely to be of more benefit in human and animal nutrition.

Amino acid composition of Dioscorea dumetorum varieties.

Summary: The haematological effects following ingestion of shellfish exposed to crude oil polluted water or the pollutant perse were investigated in albino Wistar rats. Feeding of four groups of rats for 28 days duration with two reference casein or shellfish protein control diets (Group A and B), and two test diets (Group C and D) supplemented at varying levels with shellfish which had been previously exposed to crude oil polluted water and the oral gavaging with crude oil at the rate of 3, 6 and 9 ml/kg body weight per day to three groups (groups II, III and IV respectively) of rats for 7 days duration resulted in changes in packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, and haemoglobin concentration (Hb) of rats. Group C and D respectively fed 10% and 20% polluted shellfish diets recorded significant (P < 0.05) decreases in PCV and RBC counts while Hb concentration and WBC counts increased. Groups II, III and IV gavaged with varying doses of crude oil recorded significant (P < 0.05 – 0.01) dose dependent decrease in PCV and RBC counts when compared to controls (group 1). Hb and WBC counts also increased for these groups but the increase was only significant for WBC counts (P < 0.05) when compared with controls. The results suggest that the ingestion of shellfish exposed to crude oil polluted water or the polluted perse results in haematotoxicity.

/pdf/haematoxic-effects-following-ingestion-of-nigerian-crude-oil-pi4x2wfmo6.pdf

Haematoxic effects following ingestion of nigerian crude oil and crude oil polluted shellfish by rats

Gongronema latifolium Crude Leaf Extract Reverses Alterations in Haematological Indices and Weight-loss in Diabetic Rats

Effect of Vitamin A on Weight-Loss and Haematotoxicity Associated with Gasoline Vapours Exposure in Wistar Rats

Background: Plasma alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transferase (AST), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities are known biomarkers in assessing hepatic functional integrity. A remarkable rise in the activities of these enzymes normally signifies hepatotoxicity of chemical agent(s) in the biological system. Exposure to 17.8 cm 3 h -1 m -3 of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) blend unleaded gasoline vapors (UGV) for 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 20 weeks have been reported to cause hepatotoxicity in rats. Methods: In this study, the comparative hepatoprotective effect of vitamins A (retinol) and E (α-tocopherol) against UGV-induced toxicity was assessed in male and female rats. Retinol and α-tocopherol at prophylactic dosage (400 and 200 IU/kg/day, respectively) were separately administered orally to the test rats concomitant with exposure to UGV in the last two weeks of the experiment. Results: The results of this study indicated that exposure to UGV caused significant increase (P < 0.05) in the activities of serum ALT, AST, ALP, GGT and bilirubin in male and female rats. Oral administration of prophylactic doses of retinol and α-tocopherol produced a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the activities of these param eters in male and female test rats, compared with the non-treated test rats; but insignificant increase(P ≥ 0.05), compared with the control. However, the hepatoprotective effect of α-tocopherol was observed to be more potent than that of retinol. Conclusions: The result of this study demonstrated that the hepatoprotective potency of α-tocopherol against gasoline vapors toxicity was higher than that of retinol in male and female rats, although the female gender of the animal model responded to treatment with both vitamins better than the males. Hence, the work suggested the beneficial effects of both vitamins against hepatotoxicity in indi viduals frequently exposed to gasoline vapors.

/pdf/comparative-hepatoprotective-effect-of-vitamins-a-and-e-1rkdi88kjp.pdf

Comparative Hepatoprotective Effect of Vitamins A and E Against Gasoline Vapor Toxicity in Male and Female Rats.

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