Is coconut oil a beneficial food or “pure poison”?

Since the 1970s, a range of adverse effects have been attributed to the consumption of saturated fats. However, in recent years, it has been scientifically proven that both sugar and processed fats (hydrogenated and trans) are a risk factor for heart problems.

Debunking the myth that saturated fats are bad

To understand this belief we have to go back to 1970 when Ancel Keys , an American physiologist, published his original study entitled Coronary heart disease in seven countries . In it he analyzed the lifestyles of more than 10,000 men aged between 40 and 59 years. This population was selected in 7 countries: Italy, Greece, Finland, Holland, Yugoslavia, the United States and Japan.

It showed that the higher the consumption of saturated fat, the higher the death rate from cardiovascular disease. The problem? It only showed 7 countries out of the 22 for which it had data. If not, the graph would have been very different and saturated fats would not have been demonized.

Comparative graph of the results of the Ancel Keys trial with all countries (left) and only the initial seven (right)

Since then, a reduction in fat consumption, especially saturated fat, has been promoted. In order to obtain palatable foods, the food industry replaced them with sugars and carbohydrates, and a large number of new artificial additives.

The change in diet in the American population, which reduced its consumption of eggs, whole milk and meat to comply with the new dietary recommendations, resulted in an exponential increase in the pathologies that were sought to be combated. In 2014, this meta-analysis published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine finally debunked the belief that reducing the consumption of saturated fats produces a reduction in blood cholesterol. In fact, the increase in these pathologies was attributed to an increase in the consumption of carbohydrates and industrial sugars, which have been shown to increase LDL or “bad cholesterol” without increasing “good” or HDL cholesterol, as saturated fats do.

In this regard, TIME magazine published an article in June 2014 entitled The truth about fat , which debunked the belief that saturated fats were bad and concluded that they were in no way responsible for the obesity and cardiovascular disease epidemic that the United States (and the rest of the world) has been suffering from in recent years.

 Three coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) palm trees of the Arecaceae family

What is coconut and what is coconut oil

In recent days we have been able to read many articles and headlines in the media about this food and at Baïa Food Co. we wanted to give our opinion on this subject.

The coconut is a tropical fruit originating from the coconut tree, scientifically known as Cocos nucifera . This palm tree is the most widely cultivated in the world today. It belongs to the Arecaceae family and in its natural state can grow up to 30 m or more in height.

First of all, it should be noted that the coconut oil consumed should always be extra virgin, cold-pressed and, if possible, organic . It is obtained by cold pressing the white pulp of the coconut without using any type of chemical product.

It is made up of almost 90% saturated fats, most of them the beneficial medium chain fatty acids ( MCFA ). Of these fatty acids, approximately 45% is lauric acid (the only natural food that contains more lauric acid than coconut oil is breast milk).

Coconut oil: a beneficial food or pure poison. Video credits Baïa Food Co.

Coconut oil is found in its liquid form at temperatures above 22º C. Below that, it tends to solidify more intensely at lower temperatures. Its properties do not change when passing from the solid to the liquid state or vice versa. Its color is white in the solid state and transparent, slightly yellowish in the liquid state. Its acidity is below 2%.

Despite its high nutritional and energy value, we should not be afraid, because, within the framework of a healthy diet, it can become an excellent source of saturated fat, which is beneficial for the body.

As we said before, its nutritional profile is mainly composed of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA or MCTs) , among which lauric acid stands out, followed by myristic and palmitic acids. Lauric acid, according to a meta-analysis carried out by the University of Maastricht called Effects of dietary fatty acids and carbohydrates on the ratio of serum total to HDL cholesterol and on serum lipids and apolipoproteins: a meta-analysis of 60 controlled trials, is characterized by having "a more favorable effect on total HDL cholesterol than any other fatty acid [examined], whether saturated or unsaturated". Likewise, the antimicrobial properties of lauric acid are supported by more than 250 scientific publications on the Pubmed reference portal.

Polynesian climbing a coconut tree to collect coconuts

Properties and benefits of coconut and coconut oil

Michels also commented in his controversial lecture that there was no scientific evidence to prove that coconut oil consumption can be beneficial to health. Here are some benefits backed by prestigious studies that prove this is not the case:

• HELPS BURN FAT: This study from Columbia University found that regularly consuming oil composed of MCFA or MCTs makes the body burn fat and lose weight without increasing blood cholesterol or increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• IMPROVES COGNITIVE ABILITY: Another study from Yale University concludes that MCFA consumption improves cognitive ability and preserves brain functions in hypoglycemic diabetic patients treated with insulin.
• HELPS REDUCE VISCERAL FAT: This 2011 study concludes that coconut oil helps reduce visceral fat, especially in men and without any harmful effect on the lipid profile.
• IMPROVED SHORT-TERM MEMORY IN ALZHEIMER'S PATIENTS: This 2009 scientific study shows that Alzheimer's patients improve short-term memory by taking coconut oil.
• ANTIMICROBIAL POWER: This study from 2000 highlights the antimicrobial power of coconut oil.
• HELPS PREVENT CANDIDA: A June 2007 scientific trial concludes that coconut oil helps prevent candida.
• IT HAS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANALGESIC EFFECT: This in vitro study from February 2010 highlights the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of coconut oil.
  
  

Freshly harvested coconuts

Conclusions

At Baïa Food Co. we recommend that you be critical of all the information you read on the Internet, in newspapers and on TV. Don't let anyone impose a criterion on you, but rather create your own.

Don't forget that the media lives off the attention of the masses: read in depth, don't just read the headline and always draw your own conclusions.

In this case, you decide for yourself whether coconut and its oil are “pure poison” as Prof. Karin Michels says, or rather a food that can provide scientifically proven nutritional benefits.