Vegetable edible oil is an indispensable nutritional source for humans especially for fatty acids and vitamin E and is commonly used in cooking. The sources of vegetable edible oils are varied and include the seeds, pulps, fruits, and plumules of various plants. Palm, soybean, sunflower and rapeseed (canola) oils top the oils traded globally. In this article, review of literature on the availability of vegetable edible oils and its potential human health implications in Kenya was explored. Kenya is a net importer of edible oils mainly in the form of palm oil. Consequently, the main edible oils refiners in Kenya majorly produce palm oil/olein edible derivatives. This dominancy of palm oil/olein, oil mainly rich in saturated fatty acids in the Kenyan market, raises health concerns as palm oil has been postulated to raise low density lipoprotein cholesterol that gives rise to hypercholesterolemia in comparison to vegetable edible oils with lower saturated but higher unsaturated fatty acids that are cardioprotective such as in corn and sunflower oils. Inarguably, the increasing availability of edible oils and fats is driving their higher consumption, along with deep-fried foods that are rich in trans fats. Therefore, it is an opportune time for a more holistic approach to dietary recommendations and safety considerations of edible oils and plausible movement from the current palm oil-dominated market towards the incorporation of a greater variety of edible oils and/or as palm oil blends with pure vegetable edibles oils as the importance of fatty acid intake is associated with a number of non-communicable diseases which are increasingly becoming a threat in Kenya.
Cite this paper
Tuei, V. C. (2023). Availability of Vegetable Edible Oils and Potential Health Implications in Kenya. Open Access Library Journal, 10, e9756. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1109756.
Zhou, Y., Zhao, W., Lai, Y., et al. (2020) Edible Plant Oil: Global Status, Health Issues, and Perspectives. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 1315.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.01315
Shankar, B., Thaiprasert, N., Gheewala, S. and Smith, R. (2017) Policies for Healthy and Sustainable Edible Oil Consumption: A Stakeholder Analysis for Thailand. Public Health Nutrition, 20, 1126-1134. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980016003037
Maiyoh, G.K. and Tuei, V.C. (2019) Rising Cancer Incidence and Role of the Evolving Diet in Kenya. Nutrition and Cancer, 71, 531-546.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2018.1542010
Tuei, V.C., Maiyoh, G.K. and Ha, C.E. (2010) Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews, 26, 433-445.
https://doi.org/10.1002/dmrr.1106
Steyn, N.P. and McHiza, Z.J. (2014) Obesity and the Nutrition Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1311, 88-101.
https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12433
Li, Y., Hruby, A., Bernstein, A.M., et al. (2015) Saturated Fats Compared with Unsaturated Fats and Sources of Carbohydrates in Relation to Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study. JACC: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 66, 1538-1548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2015.07.055
Minihane, A.M. and Harland, J.I. (2007) Impact of Oil Used by the Frying Industry on Population Fat Intake. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 47, 287-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390600737821
Raschke, V. and Cheema, B. (2008) Colonisation, the New World Order, and the Eradication of Traditional Food Habits in East Africa: Historical Perspective on the Nutrition Transition. Public Health Nutrition, 11, 662-674.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980007001140
Mwangi, K., Gathecha, G., Nyamongo, M., Kimaiyo, S., et al. (2021) Reframing Non-Communicable Diseases and Injuries for Equity in the Era of Universal Health Coverage: Findings and Recommendations from the Kenya NCDI Poverty Commission. Annals of Global Health, 87, 3. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.3085
Popkin, B.M., Adair, L.S. and Ng, S.W. (2012) Global Nutrition Transition and the Pandemic of Obesity in Developing Countries. Nutrition Reviews, 70, 3-21.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00456.x
Teasdale, S.B., Marshall, S., Abbott, K., et al. (2022) How Should We Judge Edible Oils and Fats? An Umbrella Review of the Health Effects of Nutrient and Bioactive Components Found in Edible Oils and Fats. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 62, 5167-5182. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1882382
Meijaard, E., Abrams, J.F., Slavin, J.L. and Sheil, D. (2022) Dietary Fats, Human Nutrition and the Environment: Balance and Sustainability. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, Article ID: 878644. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.878644
Odia, O.J., Ofori, S. and Maduka, O. (2015) Palm Oil and the Heart: A Review. World Journal of Cardiology, 7, 144-149. https://doi.org/10.4330/wjc.v7.i3.144
Mozaffarian, D. and Clarke, R. (2009) Quantitative Effects on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease Risk of Replacing Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils with Other Fats and Oils. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, S22-S33. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602976
Oteng, A.B. and Kersten, S. (2020) Mechanisms of Action of Trans Fatty Acids. Advances in Nutrition, 11, 697-708. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz125
Bajzelj, B., Laguzzi, F. and Roos, E. (2021) The Role of Fats in the Transition to Sustainable Diets. The Lancet Planet Health, 5, e644-e653.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00194-7
Ginter, E. and Simko, V. (2016) New Data on Harmful Effects of Trans-Fatty Acids. Bratislavske Lekarske Listy, 117, 251-253. https://doi.org/10.4149/BLL_2016_048
Karimi, S., Wawire, M. and Mathooko, M.F. (2017) Impact of Frying Practices and Frying Conditions on the Quality and Safety of Frying Oils Used by Street Vendors and Restaurants in Nairobi, Kenya. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 62, 239-244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.07.004
Falade, O.A., Oboh, G. and Okoh, I.A. (2017) Potential Health Implications of the Consumption of Thermally-Oxidized Cooking Oils—A Review. Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 67, 95-105. https://doi.org/10.1515/pjfns-2016-0028