Is Palm Oil in Baby Formula Safe? (The Controversy Explained.)

Is palm oil in baby formula bad news? Should you avoid baby formula that contains palm oil? There is a lot of controversy regarding palm oil in baby formulas, and it’s leaving a ton of parents confused about their formula choice. In this article I want to discuss the ups and downs of having palm oil in baby formula so that you have a better understanding about this ingredient if you are considering feeding your baby formula with palm oil or already have your baby on one.

In this article:

• What is palm oil?
• Why is palm oil used in baby formula?
• Palm oil VS. palm olein in baby formula
• The controversy of palm oil in baby formula
• Palmitic acid in breast milk VS. palm oil
• Research on the effects of palm oil in baby formula
• Is infant formula with palm oil safe for babies?
• Final thoughts to help you decide

What is palm oil?

Palm oil is a type of fat produced from the fruit of the oil palm tree, specifically the soft pulp of the fruit.

(Unlike palm kernel oil which is derived from the same tree but made from the kernel, the stone inside the fruit. Two totally different oils.)

Palm oil is high in saturated and monounsaturated fat (50% and 40% respectively). Only about 10% of the fat in palm oil is polyunsaturated. As for the individual fatty acids, the most abundant saturated fatty acid in palm oil is palmitic acid (44%), and the chief monounsaturated fatty acid is oleic acid (39%). [1,2]

Palm oil in general is a controversial oil because it’s produced on a very large scale, effectively destroying the habitats of many animals including endangered species. I’m keeping this article strictly in tune with the benefits and risks of palm oil in baby formula, so I won’t be mentioning the dark side of palm oil again.

Why is palm oil used in some baby formulas?

All baby formulas contain vegetable oils to mimic the fat profile of breast milk.

Breast milk contains a variety of fatty acids, with the most prevalent being oleic acid (monounsaturated fat) and palmitic acid (saturated fat). [3,4]

If you recall, palm oil is high in both of these fatty acids.

It just so happens that palm oil is at the top in the palmitic acid content among all vegetable oils. That’s why some formulas use palm oil in the recipe.

Palm oil VS. palm olein in baby formula

Sometimes a formula uses either palm oil or palm olein in the formulation, and sometimes the ingredient list discloses both oils as an either/or option.

Palm olein and palm oil are very similar, and both are made by squeezing the fleshy fruit of the oil palm tree. Palm olein is more processed but without the use of chemicals (it’s a simple process of cooling and filtering).

The two oils have a different texture – whereas palm oil has a semi-solid texture at room temperature, palm olein is liquid.

In addition, due to the rearranged fat structure after filtering, the dominant fatty acid in palm olein is oleic acid (whereas in palm oil it is palmitic acid). [5]

The controversy of palm oil in baby formula

Even though both breast milk and palm oil are good sources of palmitic acid, their molecular structure is different which affects how they are digested and consequently how some nutrients are absorbed.

Palmitic acid in breast milk VS. palm oil

Palm oil is mainly composed of triglycerides, just like breast milk fat. [6] A triglyceride is a fat molecule that consists of two parts – a glycerol backbone, and three fatty acids attached to it. Imagine a fork, with 3 prongs.

Approximately 70% of palmitic acid in breast milk is located on the middle prong (the central position, or sn-2 position), whereas the palmitic acid in palm oil is predominantly bound to the outer prongs (the sn-1 and sn-3 positions). [3]

The position of the fatty acids on the triglyceride molecule affects how the body absorbs palmitic acid.

When palmitic acid is bound to the central prong (such as in breast milk), the majority of it remains attached to the glycerol molecule during digestion and is generally well absorbed.

On the other hand, palmitic acid positioned on the outer prongs (palm oil/palm olein) is separated from the glycerol and released as a free fatty acid when digested. Free fatty acids float in the intestine and bind with calcium, producing calcium-fatty-acid complexes (known as calcium soaps) which are poorly absorbed and associated with hard stools and constipation. [5,7]

Research on the effects of palm oil in infant formula

Several studies that compared baby formulas with very similar nutritional content with the exception of the fat blend have shown that infants fed baby formula that contains palm oil or palm olein absorb less fat and calcium from the formula overall and excrete more of these nutrients in the stools. [8-12]

Here are some of the examples of the fat blends that were compared in these studies:

1. Palm olein (53%), soy oil (47%)
2. Soy oil (60%), coconut oil (40%)

1. Palm olein (45%), soy oil (20%), coconut oil (20%), high-oleic sunflower oil (15%)
2. High-oleic safflower oil (42%), coconut oil (30%), soy oil (28%)

1. Palm oil (45%), coconut oil (20%), soy oil (20%), high-oleic sunflower oil (15%)
2. High-oleic safflower oil (40%), coconut oil (30%), soy oil (30%)

1. Palm olein (44%), palm kernel oil (22%), canola oil (19%)
2. High oleic sunflower oil (41%), coconut oil (30%), soy oil (28%)

In other studies, the researchers compared the absorption rate of fat and calcium using infant formulas with identical fatty acid composition but varying structural position of palmitic acid (the central prong VS. outer prongs scenario, or sn-1/2/3 positions).

One such study compared standard formula which has about 13% of palmitic acid bonded to the central position (sn-2) against formulas with 39% and 66% in the central position (66% is pretty close to breast milk). The most favorable results were in the group with the highest content of palmitic acid bonded to the second, or central (breast-milk-like) position. [13]

In another study the researchers compared standard formula against infant formula with 50% of palmitic acid in the central position (sn-2). Infants receiving high-sn-2 formula had higher bone mineral content, reduced stool soap fatty acids, and softer stools. [14]

Is infant formula with palm oil safe for babies?

Palm oil in baby formula is safe for babies but it can affect how some nutrients from the formula are absorbed and can contribute to hard stools and constipation.

Let’s look at all three downsides of palm oil in baby formula in a little more detail so that you can decide for yourself whether palm oil is acceptable in your baby’s formula or not. We’ll go over the following:

• reduced calcium absorption
• reduced fat absorption
• changes in bowel movement

— Reduced calcium absorption

Calcium is a mineral that babies need in sufficient amounts to grow strong bones and healthy teeth. Palm oil and palm olein in baby formula reduce calcium absorption, however, there is no proof that babies aren’t getting enough calcium from the formula to support healthy growth.

Firstly, formula-fed babies aren’t expected to absorb ALL of the calcium in formula. Compared with breast milk, the nutrients in formula are less bioavailable so they are provided in excess. There is more calcium than needed in formula, so some can be wasted and not affect your baby’s growth and development.

Here is a breakdown that I thought you might find interesting:

• Breast milk contains 200-250 mg/L of calcium on average, so about 5.9-7.4 mg/fl oz. That comes to approximately 33.5 mg/5 fl oz of calcium in breast milk. [15,16]

• As per product labels, infant formulas generally provide around 70-80 mg of calcium per 5 fl oz/100 Cal., so a little over double the amount of calcium in breast milk.

Calcium absorption efficiency is estimated to be about 60% from breast milk and 40% from infant formula. [17,18] If these estimates are close to being correct, that’s about 20 mg of calcium a baby might get from breast milk per 5 fl oz, and 28-32 mg/5 fl oz from formula. This shows there would still be room for some calcium loss with a positive outcome.

More stats on calcium absorption from breast milk VS. baby formula:

I came across a research paper that compared the intake and absorption rate of calcium between breastfed babies and formula-fed babies. This wasn’t the objective of the study, but those stats were made available.

The percentage absorption of calcium was higher in breastfed babies (76% from breast milk VS. 57-59% from formula – higher than the above estimate but still in line with the concept) but combined with calcium intake (which was over twice as much from formula VS. breast milk), calcium absorption was much higher in formula-fed babies (300-328 mg/day in two formula groups VS. 187 mg/day in breastfed infants). [19] This would suggest that formulas supply much more calcium than babies may require.

Another study I have found concludes that calcium intake and retention is higher in formula-fed infants compared with breastfed babies and whether that is beneficial or harmful is unknown. [20]

No long-term effects:

Studies show that babies fed formulas containing palm oil or palm olein as the major fat source have lower bone mineral content, but there is no evidence of long-term consequences.

Research on the long-term effects of palm oil/palm olein formulas suggests that there is no difference in the bone mineral density and content between children that were fed formula with palm oil/palm olein as infants and without. [21,22]

— Reduced absorption of fat

Fat is an essential part of infant nutrition. Fat serves as an energy source for babies and aids in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins that babies require for proper growth and development.

When palm oil or palm olein is used in the fat blend of baby formula, some of the fatty acids will not be absorbed. Based on a few studies listed in this article, up to about 10% of the fat intake may be lost on average.

• Breast milk contains approximately 2.6 g of fat per 100 mL on average (1.7–3.6 g/100 mL) [23]

• Infant formula contains around 3.4-3.8 g of fat per 100 mL (or 5.1-5.6 g/5 fl oz). (European baby formulas tend to have a bit less fat, around 4.9-5.4 g/5 fl oz.)

Take away 10% from the formula fat as a potential loss by using baby formula made with palm oil or palm olein, and you are still well within a healthy range.

— Bowel movement changes

Studies show that babies tend to be prone to harder stools when they are fed with a formula that contains palm oil or palm olein. This happens as a result of having to pass the solidified calcium-fatty-acid complexes (calcium soaps).

Some babies might still do well with a palm-oil-based baby formula, but some may be prone to constipation as a result, and that’s just unfortunate!

Here is my take on the risks of palm oil in baby formula

This is just my recommendation…

If you are already using baby formula with palm oil or palm olein:

As long as your baby is thriving, gaining weight, and reaching all the milestones, I wouldn’t worry about palm oil in your baby’s formula.

If your baby gets constipated from time to time on a formula with palm oil (or palm olein), the formula may be the culprit. You could enlist some of the tried-and-true tips to help baby poop like giving prunes or upping the water content if your baby is old enough to east solid foods, but you don’t have very many options to ease your baby’s discomfort if your baby is under 6 months old.

If your baby is prone to having hard stools and constipation is an ongoing issue, I would consider trying baby formula without palm oil just to see if taking away a potential causative agent will make a difference.

If you are switching to a NEW formula, I would highly recommend a gradual approach of starting with a mix of both formulas and incrementally decreasing the ratio of old formula while increasing the amount of new formula over the next several days. (Example: 3 oz/1 oz >> 2 oz/2oz >> 1 oz/3 oz >> 4 oz of new formula.)

If you are looking for baby formula for your soon-to-arrive newborn:

This is a tough one because all babies are different!

Considering that palm oil can be a source of constipation for babies, it would make sense to choose baby formula without palm oil for a newborn. But this is a “just in case” scenario – it doesn’t mean that your baby will be constipated on a palm oil-based formula. You baby may thrive on a palm oil formula!

I would personally put more focus on the carbohydrate and protein content when selecting baby formula before I would consider the oil blend used. As for the individual shortcomings of palm oil and palm olein in baby formula, the loss of calcium and fat wouldn’t concern me as much as the potential for difficulty passing stools.

Related:

• Sugar in Breast Milk VS. Baby Formula
• Which Baby Formula Has the Least Sugar?

References:

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