Historically looked at by dietitians because of its high saturated fat content, coconut oil or fat is now on the shelves of all organic shops and even arrives in supermarkets.
Sales of coconut oil are skyrocketing. It is now found in multiple food products and some claim that coconut oil has all the virtues, both to lose weight and to slow Alzheimer's disease.
However, health authorities continue to warn people against coconut oil and other tropical oils, of similar composition.
What should we think?
Nutritional composition of coconut oil
Coconut oil contains zero protein, zero carbohydrates, zero minerals, and almost zero vitamins. It's PURE fat with a little vitamin E.
One 13.6 gram tablespoon contains 117 CALORIES (a woman needs about 1,800 calories a day).
Coconut fat is almost entirely made up of saturated fatty acids. But unlike animal fats, which are also very rich in saturated fatty acids, it contains an unusual amount of medium-chain fatty acids, or medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).
When you eat MCTs, they either go right into your liver and are metabolized to produce energy or are transformed into ketones which can have a therapeutic effect on the brain (epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease).
Your body has great difficulty storing MCTs in your fat reserves (thighs, buttocks, stomach, arms, chest).
You can weight loss by replacing butter or other saturated fats with coconut oil. One study concluded that 15 to 30 grams of TCM per day increases energy consumption by 5%, which represents 120 calories per day [1].
Finally, new large-scale studies have shown that there is no link between the consumption of saturated fat and the risk of heart attack or stroke [2].
Coconut Consumers Are Healthy
Coconut is considered with us as a simple exotic product but it should not be forgotten that it constitutes the staple food of many people in the tropics.
However, we see that when they have kept their traditional way of life, these peoples are in very good health.
The best example is the Tokelauans, who live in the South Pacific. Their calorie intake is 56% in the form of fat, including 90% coconut oil, which makes them the biggest fat eaters in the world.
However, their blood lipid levels are moderated and it is very rare for them to suffer from heart disease [3].
Other researchers have noted the same phenomenon (absence of infarction and stroke) in other people who consume large quantities of coconuts: the Kitavians (in Melanesia) [4].
Choose virgin coconut oil
Please note, this is only true for REAL VIRGIN COCONUT OIL. It is extracted cold from ripe and freshes coconuts, without heating or chemicals.
It is considered unrefined. You can spot it because it has the delightful smell of coconut, unlike hydrogenated coconut oil or bleached and deodorized oil, much cheaper but also much less healthy.
Possible virtues of virgin coconut oil for health
A diet rich in MCTs (which represent 65% of virgin coconut oil) increases glucose tolerance and improves insulin sensitivity in studies done on rats [5].
A 2009 study showed that replacing soybean oil with an equal amount of coconut oil resulted in slight weight loss for women with abdominal obesity [6].
Recently, a study carried out on mouse cells and published in the Journal of Alzheimer's found that treatment with coconut oil protects neurons of the cerebral cortex in the laboratory [7].
In a 2006 study, the consumption of medium-chain triglycerides led to immediate improvements in brain function in patients with moderate forms of Alzheimer's disease [8].
Coconut oil is 50% lauric acid, which can kill pathogens (sources of disease) such as bacteria, viruses, and yeasts [9], such as Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans.
Virgin coconut oil has this advantage of not producing toxic compounds when it heated. It is, therefore, oil to be preferred for cooking.
In addition, the fact that it is solid at room temperature makes it an excellent alternative to butter and palm oil in pastry: it will give the creamy and melting texture sought for pie dough, cakes, pastries.
Coconut oil is excellent for the skin [10], hair [11] and even the teeth, thanks to its antibacterial effects. It limits the damage caused by the sun's rays, blocking around 20% of ultraviolet rays [12], making it a kind of natural sunscreen for moderate exposure.
Some studies indicate that you can lose weight by ADDING virgin coconut fat to your diet [13].
In my opinion, this is exaggerated. It is wiser, in the hope of obtaining all the health benefits, to REPLACE another fat.
You shouldn't be dreaming about 😉
your health!
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