Re: I'm confused about coconut oil.

jac wrote:

I'm trying to get some information on the benefits or hazzards of using
coconut as a dietery supplement but I keep getting lost in the medical
terminology.

I'm considering using it at the advice of a friend who told my about
its benefits. But now it's time for me to do my reserch.

Listening to coconut oil advocates, does make it tempting to try
coconut oil.

But, in reality coconut oil is NOT a magic health food.

The best explanation as to why it is not is at the bottom of the
following blog web page. And, the bit about coconut oil is at the
bottom of this blog entry.

http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-food-nuts-and-seeds-are-excellent-foods.html
"Joel Fuhrman' Blog On March 9, 2006 01:35 PM

We should be eating food, (as nature intended) not oil (isolated fat).
When we extract the oil from the whole food it was derived from we
leave behind the lignin's, flavonoids, anti-oxidants, sterols,
stanols and phytochemcials that make raw nuts and seeds so
disease-protective. Raw nuts and seeds (not roasted peanut butter or
coconut oil) have been linked in more than 100 scientific studies to
lower risk of heart disease and lower risk of cancer. We don't even
know the full symphony of natural substances that make natural foods so
protective.

It is people like the comment above that attempt to fragment healthy
whole foods into good and bad components that lead to the confusion and
inevitable to the high-disease rates we see in America.

While Americans still think some balance of fat, carbohydrate and
protein is better or worse, they missed the main point that it is not
the balance of macronutrients (calorie containing nutrients) that is
critical, but the lack of micronutrients (phytochemicals, antioxidants,
minerals and other factors) that are the main cause of disease. We need
to eat less fat, but most of the fat we do eat should be high in
nutrients; we need to eat less protein, but most of the protein we do
eat should be high in nutrients; and we need to eat less carbohydrate,
but most of the carbohydrate we do eat should be high in nutrients.
Natural foods are the answer, not juggling macronutrients. And
consuming oils, which have the vast majority of their nutrients
removed, is called processed foods or junk food. That means they are
calorie-rich, but nutrient-poor. All oil is 120 calories per tablespoon
and those calories add up fast in an overweight nation already
over-consuming calories.


Almost all raw nuts and seeds are rich in micronutrients and protective
food substances. They are not just a fat source, and they are also rich
in plant proteins with favorable effects. We should aim to meet our
requirements for both short and long-chain omega-3's, but it is
healthy, not unhealthy, to get most of your fat intake from foods such
as almonds and sunflower seeds which are rich in mono and
polyunsaturared fats and micronutrient powerhouses, instead of
extracted oils and animal products, which do not have comparable
micronutrient density. This has already been well documented. It is
good to consume a little ground flax seeds and walnuts daily because
they are rich in those omega-3 fats that are otherwise low in the
American diet that is overly rich in animal products (largely omega-6
and saturated fats).

All tropical oils (palm and coconut) are highly saturated fats. Like
butter, cheese, and meat, tropical oils raise LDL cholesterol and clog
arteries with plaque, increasing your risk of a heart attack. We use
coconut oil (because it is so highly saturated) in animal experiments
to create atherosclerotic plaque for studying heart disease in animals.
There are different kinds of saturated fats with different impact on
LDL cholesterol levels. One long-chain sat fat, stearic acid, has
little impact on LDL cholesterol. But other long-chain saturated fatty
acids, like the ones that make up most of the saturated fat in coconut
and palm oils (known as tropical oils), do in fact raise LDL
cholesterol considerably. These saturated fats are called palmitic,
myristic, and lauric acids. They also make up most of the saturated
fatty acids in meat, poultry, and dairy fats like milk and cheese.
Other saturated fats that have little impact on LDL cholesterol levels
include medium-chain varieties like caproic, caprylic, and capic acids.
A small percentage of the saturated fat in coconut oil, about 10%, is
made up of these less harmful saturated fatty acids, but virtually all
the rest of coconut oil's saturated fat is made up of the long-chain
varieties that raise LDL.

Coconut oil is getting promoted on the web, internet and even the
health food industry, claiming its healthy because most of its fat is
made up of medium chain fatty acids (MCT), which are metabolized
differently. Yes, it is true that a small portion of coconut oil is MCT
(C-6 to C-10 fatty acids) and these do get oxidized more quickly and
have little impact on LDL-C levels. However, because the vast majority
of saturated fatty acids in coconut oil are the longer chain fatty
acids, C-12 to C-16 (lauric, myristic and palmitic acids) it does in
fact elevate LDL-C. The idea that MCT fats will induce weight loss or
detoxify the liver is an example of alternative nonsense at its highest
level. Coconut oil is 92% saturated, making it more saturated than
butter, beef tallow, or even lard. Palm oil, though it contain less
saturated fat (50%), is full of a type of saturated fat, palmitic acid,
which appears to be most conducive to heart disease.

You just can't believe everything you read on the internet. This man
above (and Dr. Mercola too) has been taken in by health food industry
hype, it is wrong. The coconut oil industry likes to point out that the
traditional Polynesian diet - high in tropical oils like coconut - is
linked with relatively low rates of heart disease. However, it's
important to remember that heart disease involves multiple variables.
It is not all fat. The high consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish and
the low consumption of cheese and beef obviously are critical in
studies of people on traditional Polynesian diets with low rates from
heart disease. To attribute the benefit to consuming coconut oil is
very deceptive and a clear marketing ploy. I for one am not claiming
that eating coconuts is unhealthy in the context of an otherwise
healthy diet or that a little saturated fat is so deadly, rather it is
the low level of micronutrients eating a diet rich in processed foods
such as oil and the high consumption of animal products that shifts
natural plant food off our plate that are key. But anyone that claims
coconut oil is a health food, or good quality butter is good for you,
is clearly not someone you should trust with your health."

.