Palm oil is also used in animal feed. Nut bearing trees, on the other hand, are dicots and are only distantly related to the palm species. In another Best Food Facts post Palm Oil, Refined Oil and Allergies Dr. Taylor provided insight into how refined oils are processed and why they are unlikely to cause a reaction, “The allergens in soybean are found in the protein fraction of the soybean seed. Along with coconut oil, palm oil is one of the few highly saturated vegetable fats and is semisolid at room temperature. Find out what nutritionists say about palm oil and if it's healthy. Coconut oil is also used extensively as a raw material for soaps and detergents and as a body oil. They're hardy trees and can live for 100 years. Another related palm species, the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) does not produce oil but stores mostly carbohydrate, which is converted to sugar in its fruit mesocarp [6]. It is no coincidence that the only coconut-related extinctions mentioned by Meijaard and his colleagues occurred in the 1940s. They're strong and their roots extend deep into the soil. Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree, and because it's high in saturated fat, some experts say it's bad for you. The coconut palm tree and the oil palm tree are two distinct trees that look very similar. Coconut is a product of palm trees but coconut oil and palm oil are derived from different species of palm,” Dr. Taylor said. We have never avoided it and never had a problem. Hence, the crop has been domesticated in the Middle East and Indus Valley as a major staple food, and the earliest cultivation can be traced back to 3700 BC [7]. The oils are susceptible to hydrolytic splitting and to trace metal catalyzed oxidation. The issue of tropical forests being cut down for palm oil production is widely known, but the new study says coconut oil threatens more species per litre produced than palm or other vegetable oils. Palm oil production threatens 3.8 species per 1 million liters. In the United States, coconut palms are only grown in the tropical region of Florida. The health concerns related to trans fats in hydrogenated vegetable oils may have contributed to the increasing use of palm oil in the food industry. The coconut palm is actually the most widely grown palm tree in the world. Coconut rarely causes allergy. They are particularly affected by contamination with other oils which produce either reduced oxidative stability or, when the contaminant is high melting, an unacceptable palate cling. Most allergists will not suggest coconut avoidance unless there has been an allergic reaction to coconut.” My daughter, who is allergic to cashews (and we don’t know yet about other tree nuts), eats coconut.