Why is diet important?
Diet plays an important role for people living with HIV/AIDS as good nutrition can strengthen one’s body immunity to pave the way for a better quality of life (QoL). It is vital for people living with HIV/AIDS to consume foods that are dense with nutrients, such as food with high antioxidants, as they require more antioxidants and micronutrients due to their condition.
Why is red palm oil high in antioxidants?
- A rich cocktail of lipid-soluble antioxidants including provitamin A (carotenoids), vitamin E (both tocotrienols and tocopherols), coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), plant sterols, squalene and many others.
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High in provitamin A, including a and B-carotene (15 times higher than carrot and 50 times higher than tomato).
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One of the highest sources of vitamin E tocotrienols. Vitamin E tocotrienols have 40-60 times more powerful antioxidant properties than vitamin E tocopherols.
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A high contont of carotenoids and tocotrienols can potentially help to reduce ROS (such as free radicals) and can potentially slow down disease progression and reduce complications.
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Equal portions of saturated fats and unsaturated fats – the effects of red palm oil and palm oil on plasma cholesterol levels are neutral (similar to those of olive oil’s in healthy adults when fat intake is the recommended 30% of the total calorie intake).
Prepared by Vicky Chia
