Coconut Oil – Myths & The Facts!

Coconut Oil -Myths & Facts

Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel (meat) of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm. Coconut oil is made up of both saturated fat (bad fats) as well as medium chain triglycerides.  By consuming large amounts of saturated fat, this can put your body at risk of clogged arteries or a heart attack.  In today’s society, coconut oil has become a very hot topic, however a lot of the information provided is not evidence based and is very misleading. Here are some myth busters for coconut oil! 

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Remember : We are always skeptical when buying a vehicle from a used car salesman or a house from a real estate agent! Why not take the same approach when buying and consuming food. There’s a lot of false and misleading information out there from the people that market and sell these products.

MYTHS

Coconut oil has really positive health benefits. Lots of celebrities use it so it must be good.

FACTS

Currently, there is no literature to show any benefits for using coconut oil. Although coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids (which are thought to have some clinical benefits), these are different to regular medium chain fatty acids and have no benefit due to their different make-up. 90% of coconut oil is saturated fat which will raise cholesterol levels, therefore making it unhealthy.  

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There is so much information on the internet saying coconut oil is healthy, therefore this must be right. 

Despite there being a large amount of information on the internet regarding benefits of coconut oil, it is important to understand that these sources are not high quality or evidenced based (meaning that studies have been used to show this evidence). As explained by Nicole Senior, an Accredited Practising Dietitian, when typing coconut oil into Google, the first 10 results were for selling coconut oil, books on coconut oil or coconut oil diets – VERY biased sites and information purely for money making! 

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Coconut oil lowers cholesterol.

Coconut oil is very high in saturated fat and therefore is not recommended as an oil to be used regularly. To lower cholesterol levels, it has been found that polyunsaturated oils will produce the greatest reduction. These include olive, peanut and canola oil, as well as others. 

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Coconut oil is a healthier alternative than natural butter.

Although coconut oil is slightly better for you than butter as it uses different oils, it is still seen to increase bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. There is only a very small difference between butter and coconut oil. 

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A high intake of coconut oil can prevent heart disease.

Once again, there is no evidence to suggest that this is true. When looking at the facts, coconut oil increases your level of cholesterol, meaning that it may actually increase your risk of heart disease rather than decrease it. It has been found that populations with a high intake of coconut oil also have very high rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity. 

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Coconut oil can help me lose weight.

Although coconut oil has been found to be broken down to be used for energy by your body rather than stored as fat, it is important to remember that it is 100% pure fat. Nobody is going to recommend eating large amounts of fat to anyone trying to lose weight. 

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Therefore, from this, it is evident that the negatives of coconut oil greatly outweigh any possible benefits. It is important to keep in mind, coconut oil is an important cash crop for India, the Philippines and Indonesia and unfortunately, in today’s society, wealth is often placed before health.  Any information, from any human being can be presented on the Internet, however it is important to make sure it is quality evidence and from a reliable source. If you are unsure, always speak to your Dietitian or Doctor before commencing any diet strategies that have conflicting evidence. In conclusion, coconut oil should not be used more than once per month or if possible, completely avoided.

References:
Hu, FB.,  Stampfer, MJ., Manson, JE., Ascherio, A., Colditz, GA., Speizer, FE., Hennekens, CH., & Willett, WC. (1999). Dietary saturated fats and their food sources in relation to the risk of coronary heart disease in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70(6): 1001-8.
Kabagambe, EK., Baylin, A., Siles, X., & Campos, H. (2003). Individual saturated fatty acids and nonfatal acute myocardial infarction in Costa Rica. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 57(11): 1447-57. 
Updated by Danielle McLaughlin