Is coconut oil a healthy addition to our diet or not?
There is some confusion about the health risks or benefits associated with coconut oil. This is due to the fact that the majority of fat in coconut oil is saturated fat.
High intakes of saturated fat have long been associated with heart disease. Saturated fat from animal sources such as meat and dairy food raises ‘bad’ or LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol which is linked to coronary heart disease.
However, the fat in coconut oil differs from the fat from animal sources in that the saturated fat in coconut oil is mainly medium chain fatty acids. The body metabolizes these medium chain fats in a different way to those saturated fats from animal sources therefore they do not appear to increase blood levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol.
In Sri Lanka, for example, coconut oil accounts for a very large percentage of the population’s fat intake yet their LDL cholesterol levels are not raised. Mary G Enig PhD gives a good account of this and other studies looking at the effect of coconut oil on blood lipids in a presentation given in 2000 http://www.westonaprice.org/A-New-Look-at-Coconut-Oil.html
There are claims that coconut oil can be beneficial in some cancers or thyroid problems however more research is needed in these areas.
As with all foods, moderation is vital. Some may think that if a little does you good then a lot must do more good. This is rarely the case and there is no substitute for moderation and a varied diet!
There is some confusion about the health risks or benefits associated with coconut oil. This is due to the fact that the majority of fat in coconut oil is saturated fat.
High intakes of saturated fat have long been associated with heart disease. Saturated fat from animal sources such as meat and dairy food raises ‘bad’ or LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol which is linked to coronary heart disease.
However, the fat in coconut oil differs from the fat from animal sources in that the saturated fat in coconut oil is mainly medium chain fatty acids. The body metabolizes these medium chain fats in a different way to those saturated fats from animal sources therefore they do not appear to increase blood levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol.
In Sri Lanka, for example, coconut oil accounts for a very large percentage of the population’s fat intake yet their LDL cholesterol levels are not raised. Mary G Enig PhD gives a good account of this and other studies looking at the effect of coconut oil on blood lipids in a presentation given in 2000 http://www.westonaprice.org/A-New-Look-at-Coconut-Oil.html
There are claims that coconut oil can be beneficial in some cancers or thyroid problems however more research is needed in these areas.
As with all foods, moderation is vital. Some may think that if a little does you good then a lot must do more good. This is rarely the case and there is no substitute for moderation and a varied diet!
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