Coconut oil clogs your arteries ... maybe (pt 2)

• Exploring its health benefits

Last week's article on the good ol' coconut oil received quite a lot of reader comments. One reader bragged that he only uses olive oil, turning up his nose at coconut oil, but most readers wanted to hear more about its health benefits.

I usually have at least two types of cooking oil in my cupboard - olive oil and coconut oil. Olive oil because its distinctive flavour makes it a good addition to salads and Italian and Mediterranean dishes. But more important, it has health benefits, with many studies indicating that it is loaded with heart-healthy omega-9 fats. Its monounsaturated fats are also found in nuts and seeds, for example, peanut, avocado and canola oils.

However, coconut oil is not only linked to numerous health benefits, but is safe for use at high temperature (unlike many other cooking oils). It is, therefore, good for deep frying and other high-temperature cooking, but should be discarded after each use. As mentioned in last week's article, coconut oil is from a plant source and does in fact contain saturated fat, but not all saturated fats are equal. The chemistry of the fats in coconut oil is all about short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids (unlike most other oils which contain long-chain fatty acids). Short- and medium-chain fatty acids break down in the body and are used primarily for energy production and rarely end up as stored body fat.

If you carry out an Internet search, you will see that coconut oil has a large following, with health-conscious people championing its health benefits over other such oils as soybean oils, some of which is hydrogenated, containing up to 50 per cent trans fatty acids.

Extensive research on coconut oil has been done by US nutritionist Dr Bruce Fife, who links the increase in the chronic lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, infectious diseases, obesity and immune dysfunction to the increased consumption of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Health benefits

From Fife's extensive research of the medical literature, he compiled a slew of health benefits associated with coconut oil. some of them are:

• Reduces risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
• Reduces risk of cancer and other degenerative conditions.
• Helps prevent bacterial, viral and fungal (including yeast) infections.
• supports immune system function
• Helps control diabetes.
• Provides an immediate source of energy.
• Supports healthy metabolic function.
• Promotes weight loss.
• Supplies fewer calories than other fats.
• Improves digestion and nutrient absorption.
• Helps prevent osteoporosis.
• Helps keep skin soft and smooth.

Total cholesterol

A 1981 study by Prior et al showed that islanders with a diet high in coconut oil showed no harmful health effects, but when they migrated to New Zealand and decreased their daily intake of the oil, their total cholesterol, and especially the LDL cholesterol (the bad one), increased.

Researchers believe that the cholesterol-lowering properties of coconut oil are a direct result of its ability to stimulate thyroid function. There is other great news about coconut oil coming out of various studies - it has weight-loss stimulating properties, anti-cancer effects and antimicrobial (or antiseptic) effects. So whip up the salad dressing with some good ol' coconut oil.

Eulalee Thompson is health editor and a professional counsellor; email: eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com.