Do You LOVE Nutella? It Could Be Giving You Cancer...

Do You LOVE Nutella?  It Could Be Giving You Cancer...

Image:  Just a few items found around my home that all contain some form of palm oil.

Hi and welcome to my blog post!

Today I am going to tell you about how your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread could give you cancer (among a few other commonly used products, such as those shown in the above image).  About a year ago, a report came out of the European Union investigation a compound called glydidols and its estered form, glycidyl esters (GEs).  They experimented on rodents and found that these compounds lead to an increased rate of cancerous tumors being formed.

Where would you come across GEs?
Turns out, they are found in almost all edible oils, such as canola oil, margarine, and coconut oil.  The good news is, they are in very small amounts so the chance of being harmful is almost none.  However, palm oil is off the charts when it comes to the amount of GEs it has!  Margarine has the 2nd highest amount of GEs, of 1946 micrograms per kilogram, while palm oil has nearly 5 times more of 9700 micrograms per kilogram!  At these high levels, there is a major increased risk of cancer.

How exactly do GEs cause cancer?
GEs are made of a two part structure (for all you chemistry nerds out there): one end has an -OH attached (an alcohol functional group), and the other has an epoxide ring, which is a very electronegative structure.  This means that it is very reactive, and will interfere with important molecules in the body such as hemoglobin (in your blood) and more serious, DNA.  When a compound damages DNA, it is called a genotoxin, meaning it is toxic to your genes.

How does this relate to Nutella?
Palm oil is one of the main ingredients in Nutella, typically the 2nd or 3rd listed ingredient on the bottle.  Although many products contain palm oil, Nutella is made up of mostly all palm oil, hence why it has received the most attention.  What's interesting is, while most large companies will recall their product and change their recipe after news like this makes it to the headlines, the company behind Nutella called Ferrero (yup the same ones who make those delicious chocolates) has refused.  They claim that to remove palm oil from the Nutella it would create an inferior product and they are unwilling to sacrifice quality.  What they don't mention is how there are oils of equal quality available, they just cost more.  Since Nutella accounts for about 5% of all of Ferrero's sales, you can imagine that they would not be willing to have to dramatically increase in the price of their product.

What's the take away from all this?
Don't live off of Nutella!  As a product containing high amounts of refined palm oil, it is a potential source for cancer-causing chemicals. So if you eat huge quantities of this daily, you are asking for trouble.  On the flip side though, everything gives you cancer, so they say. Eating small amounts of refined foods isn't the worst thing you will put into your body, and it's all about moderation.  Indulge now and then, but don't use Nutella as a daily meal supplement, and you should be fine.

Happy snacking!