Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

by Gregory Allen Butler

The health benefits of coconut oil are many but there seems to be a lot of misinformation about it by misinformed health professionals. Tell your doctor you enjoy the health benefits of coconut oil and see what the response is. If the response is disbelief and disdain, then maybe you need a new doctor.

I was reading a news article today put out by the Associated Press questioning whether less trans fat makes food healthier. The article was questioning what alternatives are there for baked goods, such as pastries, cookies, and pizzas.

The article pointed out that you can't make a pie crust with olive oil (an oil that doesn't raise levels of so-called bad cholesterol, or LDL). True. But then it pointed out that tropical oils such as palm or coconut oil may keep the taste, but they are super-high in saturated fat. Obviously this was a very misinformed writer, oblivious of the health benerfits of coconut oil and palm oil. This is just the type of misleading information that really tests my poise.

Not all saturated fats are created equally. Coconut oil, like palm oil, is a saturated fat. But it's a healthy saturated fat. The health benefits of coconut oil are many. It's rich in lauric acid, which is known for being anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal. Coconut oil is also used to increase metabolism, and to lose weight. The medium chain triglycerides found in coconut oil do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease, and are in fact very healthy. In the past there were some negative studies done on coconut oil but they were done on hydrogenated coconut oil, which has been altered from its original form.

Consider the research done by Dr. Mary Enig, a true expert on the health benefits of coconut oil: "Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the anti-viral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid."

John Kabara, Ph.D, writes about the health benefits of coconut oiland palm kernel oil in glowing terms: "The medium chain fatty acids and monoglycerides found primarily in these two tropical oils and mothers milk have miraculous healing power. It is rare in the history of medicine to find substances that have such useful properties and still be without toxicity or even harmful side effects."

Some people not only cook with coconut oil, but they take daily as a nutritional supplement. I have found some brands of virgin coconut oil tastier than others. It liquefies at 76 degrees Fahrenheit and when it does, it should be clear as water. It's a good oil to cook with. I like to make popcorn with it.

Palm oil is also beneficial to health. Studies show that palm oil increases the good HDL cholesterol levels while having a neutral to beneficial effect on the bad LDL cholesterol levels, thus promoting cardiovascular health. Furthermore, palm oil is a nutrient dense oil containing many potent antioxidants including beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A, and tocotreinols, a potent form of vitamin E.

Conversely, trans-fatty acids, increase the risk of atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and a weakened immune system. Even margarines and those marked "cholesterol-free" contain trans-fatty acids that should be avoided. You know a product has trans-fat in it if you see "hydrogenated" or "partial hydrogenated" on a food label.

Happy healthy eating!