farmeric March 22nd, 2010
Here’s our second series about the Truth About Coconut Oil. The first post was about Is Coconut Oil Bad for You?.
Another reason people believe coconut oil must be bad for you is misguided association: it is a saturated fat and “saturated fats are bad for you.” Dietary guidelines inevitably fail to distinguish between different kinds of saturated fats and insist that saturated fats (meaning all saturated fats) are harmful.
This is not just misleading. It is bad science. Leading scientists now recognize that just as there is good cholesterol, there are also good saturated fats.
Fats are classified as short-, medium- or long-chain based on the number of carbon molecules they contain. Nearly two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids.
When we eat long-chain fatty acids, they must be Continue Reading »
Tags: benefits of coconut oil, coconut, coconut oil, tree of life
farmeric March 21st, 2010
Is Coconut Oil Bad for You? Hardly.
There is widespread misconception that coconut oil is bad for you because it is said to raise blood cholesterol and cause heart disease.
In fact, studies said to “prove” these assertions were flawed. In one study, there were no Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) provided in the diet; the absence of these EFAs alone would be expected to cause the results.
Other studies used hydrogenated coconut oil. It is now known that the process of hydrogenation creates “trans fatty acids” (TFAs), which are toxic entities that enter cell membranes, block utilization of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and impede cell functionality. TFAs also cause a rise in blood cholesterol. These substances are not present in natural coco- nut oil.
In other words, a study based on hydrogenated coconut oil has no relevance to the non-hydrogenated coconut milk or coconut oil that you eat.
Widespread studies of coconut-consuming populations such as those found in Polynesia and Sri Lanka, show that “dietary coconut oil does not lead to high serum cholesterol nor to high coronary heart disease mortality or morbidity.” Other studies show no change in serum cholesterol level from coconut oil.
And if it is true that the herpes virus and cytomegalovirus have a causative role in the initial formation of atherosclerotic plaques, coconut oil may be beneficial in preventing heart disease.
Tags: benefits of coconut oil, coconut, coconut oil, tree of life
