Is Coconut Oil Really That Healthy?

We’ve heard of coconut oil for hair, for skin and even coconut oil pulling for teeth but does it

really live up to the hype?

The branding of coconut as a ‘superfood’ has been met with significant controversy. With wide reaching health benefits including a stronger immune system, reducing your risks of CVD, weight loss and bone strength the question on everyone’s lips is, does coconut oil live up to the

hype?

Ancient origins

The origins of coconut oil consumption date back thousands of years, in many South Asian countries the coconut tree is termed “The Tree of Life” owing to it being a source plant-based fats used in foods and in folk medicine.

This tropical oil is a concentrated source of saturated fats and commonly used for frying in South Asian curries.

Coconut oil was an integral part of these people’s daily lives. During World War II coconut oil

drips were administered to soldiers as an intravenous form of hydration.

Properties of Coconut Oil

The majority of oils in our diet are long chain fatty acids (LCFA), coconut oil contains a high percentage of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) which has a number of health benefits due to its shorter chemical structure:

Weight Control-

Quickly absorbed and harder for our body to store as fat and are immediately sent to the liver to be burned as energy.

MCFA’s are taken up faster into your blood stream when they reach your gut; this helps

you feeling satisfied for longer and control hunger cravings. MCFA’s can also increase your total energy expenditure so you burn more calories on a

daily basis

Immune System and Antibacterial Agent-

Coconut oil contains lauric acid which is a fat found rarely in nature, in our body its converted to monolaurin which has anti-viral and antibacterial properties. Monolaurin can destroy a variety of viruses including, HIV, herpes, influenza and various bacteria.

Coconut Oil’s Effect In The Body

Studies have shown that in comparison with other oils such as soybean which raise the LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) coconut oil raises the HDL (high Density Cholesterol) in your blood stream. HDL cholesterol has the function in the body that picks up other cholesterol molecules from your tissues and takes them to the liver so they can be excreted.

It has also been shown that diets high in coconut oil (up to 65%) may result in improved glucose tolerance (i.e. your body can maintain glucose levels for longer) and also reduce total body fat. Not just this but the MCFA can also increase your total energy expenditure so you burn more calories on a daily basis.

Cooking With Coconut Oil

Cooking foods in certain vegetable oils can oxidise them and make them harmful for consumption, these oils include omega 6 oils (canola oil, olive oil etc). When cooked above certain temperatures these oils become warped and produce toxic by products which are toxic to human health.

Coconut oil contains a high amount of saturated fat and is able to reach much higher temperatures (higher smoke point) without being chemically altered. As a bonus point coconut oil has a long shelf-life so you can store it for longer!

Extra virgin, unprocessed coconut oil is one of the safest and tastiest oils you can cook with.

Controversies

Widespread controversy exists around the claims of coconut oil being a “miracle drug”, critics

site that supporting evidence for its benefits are insufficient and more testimonial based rather than being backed with scientific evidence. Authorities such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have made it illegal for coconut oil to be marketed as a drug suitable for therapeutic use.

Hype or miracle drug?

Coconut oil clearly has a range of health benefits due to its chemical structure and properties which have been used to promote good health as a part of normal daily diet in many traditional cultures.

Whilst claims to the term ‘miracle drug’ requires further studies to be conducted to determine

actual scientific extent of these health properties.

However when included in a balanced, whole food diet there’s no refuting that coconut oil is

manna from the heavens!

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