Become a palm reader -- on labels
You may think of palm trees as a symbol of a tropical paradise, but palm oil is far from a thing of beauty when you ingest it. A new study in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism says that saturated-fat-laden palm oil, which is very common in packaged foods, fuels insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes by triggering inflammation, toxic fat buildup, and cellular stress.
Without knowing it, you may be consuming palm oil and palmic acid (the saturated fatty acid it contains) and their derivatives many times a day. It shows up on ingredient labels of packaged foods as palm oil or palmitic acid, and as sodium lauryl sulfate, palmitate, glyceryl stearate, and cetyl alcohol, and sometimes simply as "vegetable oil."
The good news? The study also looked at the impact that olive oil has on your risk for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. It appears that this monounsaturated fat, an omega-9 containing oleic acid, is not only heart-healthy, it also protects insulin signaling in metabolic tissue in your liver, muscles and adipose tissue and helps counter the harmful effects of palmitic acid.
So avoid prepared foods with palm oil (read the labels), make salad dressing with extra-virgin olive oil, cook asparagus with lemon and olive oil, coat your popcorn in it and use it in preparing everything from appetizers to tomato sauce.
For great recipes, check out "The What to Eat When Cookbook." There's "Smokin' Baba Kalamata" with olives and olive oil, as well as "Savory & Spiced Quinoa Bowl" and "Farro-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms."
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at drmikerealage@gmail.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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