Recently we received inquiries from concerned pet owners who were shaken up by various unsubstantiated internet claims/inferences about RED PALM FRUIT OIL, i.e. Sunshine Factor. Considering the current high interest in these details, we wanted to prepare an official entry that clarifies concerns.
CLAIM 1: Sunshine Factor
is simple palm oil.
Sunshine Factor is made from red palm FRUIT oil. There is a very significant difference, and there are many commercially available sources of simple palm oil, but few of red palm fruit oil.
Palm fruit oil is a cholesterol-free member of the vegetable oil family. It has been erroneously grouped together with coconut oil and palm kernel oil under the "tropical oil family," which are known as high-cholesterol or trans-fat oils. Palm fruit oil is one of the most nutritionally filled vegetable oils currently on the market.
Red palm fruit oil originates from the flesh of the fruit from the palm tree Elaeis guineensis. This oil is not hydrogenated or processed and contains no trans-fats. It has a dark orange to red color. Palm fruit oil is naturally semi-solid at room temperature and does not require hydrogenation. It is an excellent replacement for partially hydrogenated fats for many reasons. Like other edible fats and oils, palm fruit oil is easily digested, absorbed and used to maintain a healthy metabolism. Read more about the differences of red palm oils.
CLAIM 2: Use of Sunshine Factor results in high LDL cholesterol, clogs arteries, causes heart disease due to high levels of saturated fats and varying other negative claims.
In human studies, the general properties of red palm fruit oil include the following: decreased incidence of arteriosclerosis, lowered blood cholesterol, decreased occurrence of blood clots by increasing vasodilatation, lowered incidence of strokes and heart attacks and improved immune function. Red palm fruit oil has also been reported as a “chemopreventative drug,” because it has been shown to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells and improve the effectiveness of tamoxifen therapy.
Red palm fruit oil is considered to be one of the richest natural sources of carotenoids. The benefits of carotenoids in humans include their antioxidant and anticancer effects. These antioxidants scavenge free radicals. The accumulation of free radicals in human medicine has been associated with heart disease, cellular aging, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. Carotenoids are needed for the growth and repair of body tissues, the formation of bones and teeth, the resistance to infection, the development of healthy eye tissues and proper cellular function and differentiation. Red palm fruit oil contains beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene and phytoene. Beta-carotene can be converted to vitamin A as required by the body. Alpha-carotene may also be converted to vitamin A and has been found in human medicine to be superior in the inhibition of some forms of cancer in cell-culture studies.
Red palm fruit oil is rich in multiple forms of vitamin E. Although it is often assumed that there is only one type of vitamin E, there are actually eight different forms. These include four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Most diets only contain alpha-tocopherol; however, the tocotrienols are considered to be far superior in their antioxidant effects. The general properties of the tocopherols and tocotrienols in human medicine include the following: inhibit the enzyme that controls the rate of cholesterol synthesis, decrease LDL and triglycerides, raise HDL, increase immune function, have anticancerogenic properties, lower risk of cataract formation and modulate the formation of prostaglandins controlling a component of the inflammatory cascade. Palm fruit oils are the richest natural source of antioxidants, such as tocotrienols, which may exhibit activity against tumor promotion and, in turn, inhibit certain types of cancer. Tocotrienols may also have the ability to reverse blockage of the carotid artery and platelet aggregation, which reduces the risk of stroke, arteriosclerosis and heart disease.
In one human study, 31 subjects took a palm fruit oil supplement every day for 30 days. No other changes were made to their diets. They continued to eat whatever they desired. The results showed that palm fruit oil supplementation lowered both total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol in all volunteers. The magnitude of reduction of total cholesterol ranged from 5 to 35.9 percent and the reduction of LDL cholesterol ranged from 0.9 to 37 percent. What was even more important was the effect the palm fruit oil had on the cholesterol ratio. The cholesterol ratio was reduced in 78 percent of the subjects, demonstrating a highly significant and favorable response to supplementation (Tan, 1991).
CLAIM 3: Sunshine Factor is associated with deforestation and the devastating loss of natural orangutan environments in Malaysia and other areas in the South Pacific.
Sunshine Factor is made using Brazilian farmed red palm fruit oil. Sunshine Factor is a sustainable agricultural product grown on long established farms. It is not harvested from tropical rainforests in locations where burning for new plantations continues to add to the destruction of tropical rainforests and threaten endangered wildlife. Our farms are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
CLAIM 4: Red palm oil is loaded with beta carotenes, which convert to vitamin A in the body. But so are carrots, winter squashes, peppers, dark leafy greens, apricots, mangoes. If your pet is deficient in vitamin A, doesn't it make more sense to improve the diet than to use a supplement?
In order for the body to convert carotenes (precursors) into vitamin A, the diet must contain fat, which would be found in the oil portion of Sunshine Factor. Most other fruits and vegetables do not contain fat essential for the conversion process, and most contain only the beta-carotene precursor. On the other hand, Sunshine Factor not only contains beta carotene, but also has high levels of alpha-carotene and 20 other carotenes in a concentrated form. An animal would have to eat 300 times more carrots, for example, to reach just the beta-carotene level found in Sunshine Factor.
Changes of note seen in usage of Sunshine Factor in birds, reptiles, dogs, cats, and other small mammals:
- Improvement in coats/plumage
- Improvement in skin quality
- Increased and more consistent energy levels particularly in senior patients
- Decreased usage of arthritis medications
- Lowered blood cholesterol levels
- Improved weight gain and health in pediatric patients
- Increased the effectiveness of antihistamines for allergy patients