Coconut Oil, the Good Fat?

Most people enjoy eating coconut in one form or another. It adds another dimension to sweets and can also be used in savory dishes to add richness and depth to the flavour.

Consume quantities at your own peril; eat unsaturated vegetable oils instead. This is the kind of warning that tends to come from most conventional health circles. But there are many, including doctors, who say coconut oil is good for you and an abundance of articles can be found praising its health benefits.

How can two such polarized positions exist? And, how can we judge who is right?

The case for

It’s all political
Much of the research supporting coconut oil as a good fat has been around for some time but it has been argued that coconut oil has been given a bad name for political and economic reasons. From the 1980s, powerful groups in the US including the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the Corn Products Company (CPC International) have categorically condemned all saturated oils.

Faulty science was used to convince the public that all saturated fats were unhealthy, when in fact saturated fats rich in the medium-chain fatty acids like lauric acid contained in coconut are very healthy.

Just like mother’s milk
Coconut oil contains around 50% Lauric acid (a similar amount to mother’s milk), which the body converts to monolaurin. This antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride can be used by the body to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, influenza and various pathogenic bacteria.

Lose weight!
Some research claims, incredibly enough, that coconut oil actually promotes weight loss! The reason is again because of the healthy medium-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids do not circulate in the bloodstream like other fats, but are sent directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy, just like carbohydrates. So the body uses the fat in coconut oil to produce energy, rather than be stored as body fat. Another theory for the weight loss phenomena is that coconut tends to satisfy your appetite quickly so you don’t eat as much.

Prevent heart attacks and strokes
It appears that by simply using coconut oil in you daily diet in place of other oils you can achieve a remarkable degree of protection from heart disease and stroke. Researchers involved with studies on diet and heart disease in India are now recommending the return to coconut oil to reduce the risk of heart disease. This recommendation is based on their findings showing an increase in the occurrence of heart disease as coconut oil is replaced by other vegetable oils.

The case against

Just another saturated fat
Food-wise, most medical associations treat coconut oil as a ‘saturated fat’ and place it in the same category as animal fats like cheese and fatty meat. The American Medical Association states that saturated fats should be limited in our diets. Evidence in favour of coconut oil has not yet met the FDA’s standards for recommendation; studies are regarded as either inadequately controlled or not extensive enough to be conclusive.

Not enough evidence
Another expert Dr Annie Leong, deputy director of the nutrition department at the Health Promotion Board. "There is not enough evidence to prove that medium-chain saturated fats can reduce heart risk."

Nutritionist Anna Jacob argued that, "Kerala is the coconut capital of India and it also has the highest rates of heart disease. While it is possible to argue that Indians are genetically predisposed to heart disease, but a diet high in saturated fat as well could heighten that risk."

The last word?
"All manner of amazing health 'benefits' are attributed to the coconut, but I do not recommend using food as therapy for any purpose. Coconut meat is nearly all fat, the vast majority of which, (80%) is saturated. If you eat a healthful low-fat raw vegan diet and live healthfully, you will not need the 'benefits' of coconut or any other food.

Aside from fresh, organic young coconut 'Jelly' or coconut water, this luscious treat is, unfortunately, not the best choice for your health – or your waistline."  Dr Doug Graham

Have your say
When it comes to food, what the experts say is good for us seems to change regularly and drastically, Not long ago, polyunsaturated oils and margarines were held up as healthy alternatives. Now, it seems ‘hydrogenising’ oils to make them solid at room temperatures and processing oils by other methods creates trans fats, the new baddies in the fat department.

We welcome your thoughts on this topic. If you would like to comment on this article, please do so below.

Acknowledgments: Some of the information in this article was snipped from the websites and book listed here:

Coconut Oil - Healthiest on Earth

Article 10132-Coconut Oil and Heart Disease

Saturated Fats In Coconut Oil May Not Be Bad For Health

Know Your Fats

Coconut Oil - MSN Health & Fitness - Cholesterol

Coconut oil health risks

The 80/10/10 Diet: Dr Doug Graham

Comments

[partlyraw]

How hard is it to make the right decisions about your health! So many conflicting opinions from 'health professionals' (who do you put your faith in). Doug Graham makes eating simple for you if you don't want much variety in your food life and if you can or want to sustain an 80/10/10 life style. For me I would love to believe in the pro coconutters but haven't the courage to embrace eating lots of coconut fat.

[Joyful]

I believe in moderation, some oils & fats are necessary in our diet and I think coconuts are one of the better sources. A couple of spoonfuls in a salad or smoothie are beneficial. When in Fiji I drank green coconut water almost every day and broke out in lumps all over my face.
Since going mostly raw I now know that this means too much fat! So enjoy your coconuts once or twice a week maybe.....

[Coconut-Oil-Taylor]

The coconut is called the tree of life for it has been providing us, humans, food and drink, materials for housing, fuel and many industrial uses. And its medicinal uses are many and varied. Why is it that baby formulas often include coconut oil as an ingredient? Because coconut is one of the most healthy super foods in the world. Coconut oil is cholesterol- and trans fat-free, contains only 1% Omega-6 and is rich in medium-chain "good fats" that doctors recommend.

[Nature Pacific]

Hi Joyful,
There is no fat in coconut water so the lumps on your face were not caused from this. Maybe is has something to do with your body detoxing or you were reacting to something else. You are confusing the high saturated (good) fat found in coconut milk and oil. The coconut water is only found in green coconuts before the nut is fully mature and absorbed into the flesh.