So what about this coconut oil? Healthy or not?

Coconut oil! One oil, so much controversy … Some say that only coconut oil, others say no coconut oil … And where does the truth lie? Probably in the middle, but are you sure? I will try to present you reliable results of the latest scientific research.

 

Speaking of oil, it seems to me that you first need to learn more about the distribution and classification of fatty acids appearing in our diet.

Due to the high content of saturated fatty acids (92%), coconut oil is traditionally classified as a source of saturated fatty acids. So it falls into the same group as butter, palm oil, animal fats such as lard or bacon. According to the guidelines of the American Heart Association, this type of fat should be limited to 5-6% of the caloric intake of diet, mainly due to the risk of cardiovascular disease (1). Saturated fatty acids and trans fats were considered to be the main culprits of the heart attack and stroke epidemic.

Trans fatty acids - trans fatty acids are formed through industrial partial
hydrogenation / hardening of vegetable oils, due to which they change from 
liquid consistency to solid.
They also occur naturally - in products such as milk, cream, fatty cheese,
butter and meat from ruminants, i.e. e.g. cows and sheep (2).

However, in 2015, a huge analysis of publications related to the effect of consumption of saturated fatty acids on health was carried out. The results of 41 scientific studies from around the world were collected – from the United States, through Europe, to China and Australia. It turned out that it is not saturated fatty acids that are dangerous, but only trans fatty acids (3).

Saturated fatty acid intake does NOT correlate with overall mortality, heart disease risk, stroke risk or type II diabetes. In contrast, trans fats have been associated with overall mortality (an increase of 34%), the risk of death from heart disease (an increase of 28%), or the incidence of heart disease (an increase of 21%).

Conclusion: processed foods
(crisps, purchased sweets,
mass-baked pastries, ready meals, semi-finished products), as well as animal products containing trans fats (fatty dairy products, butter, meat) threaten our health!

 

You already know which saturated fatty acids are, you know how they affect our body. However, this is not the end of the classification of fats! The real discussion began when we discovered that the carbon chain length is of great importance for the metabolism of saturated fatty acids. Coconut oil consists mainly of medium-length fatty acids.

Short chain fatty acids (SCFA):
- contain up to 6 carbon atoms
- are anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antibacterial
and antifungal, regulate metabolism and the intestinal environment (4).
- intestinal bacteria produce SCFAs from soluble fiber

Medium-length fatty acids (MCFA):
- they have 6 - 12 carbon atoms
- stimulate fat metabolism (reduce total and LDL-cholesterol),
have antioxidant properties, improve insulin and glucose management,
increase the concentration of ketone bodies, cause a slight decrease 
in body weight
- examples: coconut oil, coconut milk, feta, butter

Long chain are these fatty acids (LCFA):
- have more than 12 carbon atoms
- promote lipid deposition into adipose tissue and cause insulin resistance (5)
- examples: pork, offal, egg yolk, sunflower oil

Conclusion: medium-length saturated fatty acids have health-promoting properties!

 

Well, unfortunately, this is not the end of the considerations, because many scientists believe that coconut oil cannot be fully treated as an MCT. Lauric acid (C12) is the main fatty acid found in coconut oil. Looking at the absorption and metabolism of lauric acid, it behaves in some respects as MCFA and in others as LCFA … And now what ?!

There is nothing else to do but look at the practice. Yes! Finally practice!

Therefore, a study was designed in which volunteers (relatively healthy people aged 50-75) were divided into three groups: using coconut oil, olive oil or butter as the main fat in the diet (6). After four weeks, results were collected. It turned out that:

• coconut oil caused a significant: decrease in LDL-cholesterol (the “bad”), increase in HDL-cholesterol (the “good”), improvement in the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL.
• butter vs coconut oil: people eating butter had significantly higher LDL-cholesterol, lower HDL-cholesterol, deteriorated cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol ratio compared to those consuming coconut oil
• olive oil vs coconut oil: people eating olive oil had significantly lower HDL-cholesterol compared to people consuming coconut oil
• no significant differences between the groups in body weight, BMI, waist circumference, inflammation, fasting glucose or blood pressure were noticed.

Conclusion: the use of butter caused a deterioration in health parameters. The consumption of coconut oil and olive oil caused similar positive changes.

 

Summary:
Incorporating coconut oil into your diet is the most appropriate choice. It is a healthy fat that provides you with medium-length fatty acids.
However, remember about the variety of fats in your diet: also use other vegetable fats such as olive oil, eat nuts, let oily fish regularly host on your plate.
Limit the trans fats to maximum  – they do not bring anything good …
However, if you are in a high risk group for cardiovascular disease, don’t forget to consume coconut flakes and coconut milk rather than coconut oil, use rapeseed oil for frying, and bread with olive oil.

 

1. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats
2. https://ncez.pl/abc-zywienia-/co-kryje-etykieta/izomery-trans—–warto-wiedziec
3. https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/351/bmj.h3978.full.pdf
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24388214
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3826680/pdf/3322.pdf
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4892314/pdf/nuw002.pdf