By Dr Malar Santhi Santherasegapan MD CSMU (Ukr), MBA in Healthcare Management – HONS (UTM), PDAM (IIWAM), IES (London)

In recent years, gut health has emerged as a central focus of wellness, with probiotics, fiber-rich foods and fermented products becoming everyday staples. Amid this attention, one common ingredient in Malaysian kitchens has been largely overlooked: palm oil. New research shows that, when sourced responsibly and used appropriately, especially in its red or unrefined form, palm oil may play a valuable role in supporting gut health, aiding nutrient absorption and contributing to overall wellness.

Nutritional strengths of red palm oil

Red palm oil, or RPO, is nutritionally remarkable because it is rich in fat soluble bioactive compounds, including carotenoids, which convert to vitamin A, as well as the two main forms of vitamin E like tocotrienols and tocopherols, and other antioxidants.

Oil Palm (Photo by Craig/Wikimedia)

According to a 2025 review article, these bioactive compounds, especially tocotrienols, have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce oxidative stress and cellular damage. Another recent review confirms that palm cooking oil, when consumed as part of a balanced diet, can support heart health, protect the brain and improve absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

Beyond its antioxidant and heart health benefits, the nutritional profile of RPO supports essential bodily functions. Vitamin A promotes healthy vision and immune function. Vitamin E protects cells. Fat soluble vitamins in general need dietary fat for optimal absorption, which palm oil can provide.

New evidence red palm olein and the gut microbiome

New evidence from a recent study by the Malaysia Palm Oil Board (MPOB) titled Red palm olein biscuit supplementation modulates gut microbiota in vitamin A deficient rural Malaysian schoolchildren: a randomized controlled trial highlights the link between red palm oil and gut health. In this double-blind trial, 328 primary school children aged eight to twelve from rural areas, all vitamin A deficient, were given biscuits enriched with red palm olein over six months, four days per week.

Compared with children receiving control biscuits with regular palm olein, those consuming RPO enriched biscuits had a notable increase in beneficial gut bacteria, including Anaerostipes, UCG 010 and Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group.

The researchers also observed improvements in micronutrient status, including higher levels of provitamin A carotenoids, vitamin E and better hematological parameters such as packed cell volume and mean corpuscular volume. Children in the RPO group also showed amore stable and cohesive gut microbial network, indicating improved microbial interactions.

The study concluded that six-month supplementation with RPO-enriched biscuits can positively modulate the gut microbiota of vitamin A deficient children, increase beneficial bacterial populations and improve nutrient and hematological status.

Rebalancing the narrative moderation and context

Palm oil, like any dietary fat, is not a superfood on its own. Concerns about saturated fat remain relevant, especially in diets already high in calories, processed foods or frequent deep frying. Experts agree that red palm oil is most beneficial when consumed as part of a balanced diet.

Much of the negative perception of palm oil comes from outdated assumptions that all saturated fats are harmful, or that the antioxidant rich components in RPO do not matter. Malaysian regulatory and consumer advocacy organizations have publicly countered these stigmas, noting that typical palm oil consumption is not harmful and that it remains trans-fat free and cholesterol free.

A call for sustainable informed consumption and more research

Malaysia continues to lead global research into palm oil nutrition, including its bioactive compounds and health effects. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board and other scientific bodies can help promote an evidence-based understanding of palm oil’s benefits and limitations. For the average Malaysian, whether preparing Nasi Lemak for breakfast, cooking sambal for dinner or frying snacks for guests, red palm oil can be embraced as a nutrient rich and culturally significant oil that, when used as part of a balanced diet, supports gut health, micronutrient sufficiency and general well-being.

There remains a need for more large-scale, long-term clinical studies, especially on gut microbiome modulation in adults, metabolic outcomes and interactions with Malaysian dietary patterns.

In the meantime, it is time to reset the palm oil narrative, not as a threat, but as an under appreciated ally, especially for a Malaysian diet rich in tradition and flavor.

Depression affects all demographic groups, but it is more prevalent in young adults, pregnant women, people over the age of 60, and people in their twenties and thirties, according to the World Health Organization.

Although there have been many studies on managing and treating depression, more research is being conducted to determine the viability of proposed modalities and available alternatives . As more people prefer a natural approach, studies on the potential of food in treating the disorder provide hope to those who suffer from it.

Related: Mediterranean diet reduces depression in young men

Having said that, studies on foods that have been found to help with depression management have been conducted, and the antidepressant benefits of matcha tea, turmeric, and probiotics have been evaluated.

Mood and mental boosting power of matcha

Matcha, a traditional Japanese tea made from Camellia sinensis leaves and known to be high in mood-enhancing compounds, was tested for its anti-depressive properties by researchers from Japan’s Kumamoto University. When the matcha tea powder was tested in “socially isolated” mice, the researchers discovered that drinking the tea significantly reduced anxiety-like behavior by triggering dopamine function via dopamine D1 receptor signalling. It is believed that a decline in dopamine in the brain frequently underlies the disease. The neurotransmitter and hormone dopamine is crucial for improving mood. They claimed that the resulting increase in dopamine could help with depression symptoms.

According to the researchers whose study was published in the Nutrients journal in January 2023, the matcha tea study is promising because various antidepressants that have been developed to counteract the effect of low dopamine have many side effects, and some people may develop resistance to antidepressants, requiring higher doses over time or a frequent change in medication.

Turmeric’s potential to beat depression

This popular Asian spice is celebrated for its numerous health benefits and healing properties. Curcumin, a chemical found in the root of turmeric that gives it its yellow color, has been found to help relieve inflammation. Inflammation has been linked to depression in recent studies. Curcumin content in turmeric roots ranges from 2% to 9%.

While more research is needed to prove that curcumin works for depression, animal studies have shown that it can affect serotonin and dopamine, two brain chemicals that control mood and behavior, as well as parts of the brain that respond to stress and protect against mitochondrial damage.

Nonetheless, according to WebMd, an American online publisher, curcumin is not recommended as a replacement for depression medication and therapy until larger studies are conducted to understand curcumin’s long-term effects on people with depression.

Probiotics as a treatment option

Fermented foods should be commonplace on Asian tables not only because they are flavorful but also because they are high in nutrients and probiotics, which have been linked to the treatment of depression.

Probiotics, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, can have a variety of beneficial effects on the body, including “shaping the immune system, producing antimicrobial substances, and fermenting fiber in the diet to produce nutrients for the cells that line our intestines.”

Similarly, a group of Malaysian researchers investigated whether the most popular bacterial strains, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics, could be used as supplementary or primary therapy to manage major depressive disorder. (MDD)

Citing a recent study published in the journal, Nutrients, the researchers reasoned that mental health is a critical domain of healthcare that currently has “limited, adverse-effect prone treatment options, and probiotics may hold the potential to be a novel, customizable treatment for depression.”

Probiotics as a treatment for depression have a scientific basis that is rooted in the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) mechanisms, which play a role in the pathophysiology of depression.

According to the study, probiotics could also be used as an adjunct and stand-alone treatment in mild MDD patients who do not require pharmacological treatment. In addition, probiotics could be used as a preventive intervention for people who are predisposed to developing MDD.

However, due to a lack of research in this area, validating probiotics use for mental health disorders such as clinical depression remains difficult. Nonetheless, as precision psychiatry gains acceptance, the personalization of probiotics for clinical depression is expected to grow, the researchers said.

Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/depression/turmeric-depression
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/can-probiotics-improve-your-mood

Matcha Tea Powder Improves Depression: New Research on How It Boosts Mood and Mental Performance

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/6/1382

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