Dr Kaku Kyiamah a renowned Ghanaian scientist has revealed that eating palm kernel oil, as part of the daily meals, prevents diseases and ailments such as piles, skin problems, eye problems, headaches, still births and diabetes.
He said other ailments such as hypertension, infertility, autism, asthma, arthritis, menstrual pains, cramps and many others could also be prevented.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, Dr Kyiamah explained that Ghanaians for many centuries used palm kernel oil until the 1960s when “we started to abandon palm kernel oil as a component of food and medical protocols”.
The result, he said had been the cause of the current high increases in the many strange ailments including procreation difficulties and attention deficiency syndrome.
The Palm Kennel oil he described as the “miraculous oil of our ancestors” was used in curing sores including male circumcision and currently being used mainly for soap and frying.
“While we import large quantities of “unhealthy trans-fat” edible oils for food. Palm kernel oil, like its relative coconut oil, can serve as a functional food and medicine. This is illustrated by how modern medicine is using derivatives of milk, palm kernel oil and coconut oil to improve the quality of life and the health of many people”, he added.
Palm kernel oil he said had about 50 per cent of saturated lauric acid, the active ingredient of Lauricidin, which the United States Food and Drugs Authority had approved for the treatment of genital herpes, hepatitis C and HIV.
“Lauricidin is also used for the management of epilepsy, autism and many other metabolic and neural ailments”, he added.
Dr Kyiamah explained that palm kernel oil had about 3.6 per cent of saturated caprylic acid, which was the most potent natural yeast fighting substance and being used in drugs such as caprinex, capricin, mycostat and caprystatin.
He noted that palm kernel oil also had about 60 per cent of medium chain saturated fatty acids, which were often used as intravenous (IV) infusion to improve extensively the health of premature babies and very young children with acute respiratory syndrome.
“Women and girls who eat meals containing palm kernel oil normal have painless and regular menses whilst lactating mothers who eat meals with palm kernel oil tend to have rich breast milk”.
Dr Kyiamah encouraged Ghanaians to adopt the use and consumption of palm kernel oil for food and other health purposes to reduce the importation of “disease bearing trans-fat” poly-unsaturated vegetable fats including margarines and shortening resulting in savings in foreign exchange expenditure.
“If we are able to use it religiously, it will also help prevent and effectively manage lifestyle diseases including headaches; improve in the overall health status of the whole population as well as potentially, increase in the export of tropical fats”.