What's your opinion on the dietary value of virgin coconut oil?

Thanks Alex for asking this question. Virgin coconut oil is another mystery which has been puzzling me for a while. I noticed that there are many websites promoting that "Virgin Coconut Oil is the healthiest oil on earth". We know that coconut oil is high in saturated fats and low in mono- and poly-unsaturated fats. We also know that saturated fats are considered the "bad fats" as they raise total blood cholesterol and mono- & poly-unsaturated fats are considered the "good fats" as they can lower LDL cholesteorl and raise HDL cholesterol. So if coconut is high in the bad fats and low in the good fats and they have not been modified, how can it be the healthiest oil on earth?

Coconut Oil: 87% saturated; 6% mono; 2% poly
Canola Oil: 7% saturated; 58% mono; 29% poly
Corn oil: 13% saturated; 24% mono; 60% poly

The manufacturers claim that their coconut oil is high in lauric acid, a type of medium chain fatty acids. There is no scientific evidence yet to prove that lauric acid is health promoting for normal and healthy individuals other than for HIV patients and patients on ketogenic diets or with GI diesease or premature babies. So health benefits of virgin coconut oil for healthy individuals is yet to see.

thank u for putting this into perspective!! this is another classic example of marketers promoting a product beyond its role - just like coral calcium!!! i found this website in case someone is interested in knowing more about lauric acid.

http://www.lauric.org/index.html

For the past several decades we have heard about animal and human studies feeding coconut oil that purportedly showed increased indices for cardiovascular risk. Studies were done to show that coconut oil, and all saturated fats, were bad for one's health because they raised serum cholesterol levels. However, these studies were done on hydrogenated coconut oil, and all hydrogenated oils produce higher serum cholesterol levels, whether they are saturated or not. Recent research shows that it is the presence of trans fatty acids that causes health problems, as they are fatty acid chains that have been altered from their original form in nature by the oil refining process.

I too have been researching and recently started using virgin coconut oil. It is my opinion that coconut oil is ok for you and should not be avoided...I also feel that any industry as large as the food oil industry would go to great lengths to subdue research that sheds light on findings contrary to their "agenda". (just look at the automobile, pharmaceutical, oil, & energy industries).

If one takes the time to read the research available on the web such as the links posted by Gabby below, they "should" come to the conclusion that at very least coconut oil is not a "bad oil".

Also as Gabby pointed out, research is showing that hydrogenation and the trans fats that result as potential culprits in edible oil. A recent study by Peter M. Clifton, Jennifer B. Keogh and Manny Noakes finds...
"We conclude that TFAs (trans fatty acids) in adipose tissue are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease and rapidly disappear from adipose tissue when not included in margarines." http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstr...tract/134/4/874

here is a great but long study on saturated fats, once at the page you have to download the PDF article
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/80/3/550

[promotional url removed by administrator]

Look at all sides of an issue before forming an opinion...

Hi i am totally confused with this similar topic about benefits of coconut oil. Please have a look below an excerpt from the website of mercola.com.

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Anytime you cook a food you run the risk of creating heat-induced damage. Well, suppose there was a type of oil that is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage and so healthy that it helps you lose weight, prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol. Would you choose to use this oil?

If you said yes then you will want to get some coconut oil today. Naturally, when choosing an oil to cook with you want an oil that will not be damaged by high cooking temperatures. Of all the available oils, coconut oil is the oil of choice for cooking because it is nearly a completely saturated fat, which means it is much less susceptible to damage when it is heated.

Although mainstream media portrays olive oil as the healthiest oil, this title does not extend to cooking. Olive oil is primarily a monounsaturated fat. This means that it has one double bond in its fatty acid structure. Although a monounsaturated fat is inherently more stable than a polyunsaturated fat, the overabundance of oleic acid in olive oil creates an imbalance on the cellular level, which has been associated to an increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease. Olive oil is a healthy fat to include in your diet in a non-heated form, however.

Polyunsaturated oils, which include vegetable oils like corn, soy, safflower and canola, are the worst oils to cook with because of the trans-fatty acids introduced during the hydrogenation process, which results in increased dangers of chronic diseases such as breast cancer and heart disease.

As you can see in the chart below, coconut oil contains the most saturated fat of all edible oils. Don't be scared away by the negative view of 'saturated fat' portrayed by the media. Many studies have shown that a low-fat diet is not the answer for preventing heart disease, and some scientists are calling for new dietary guidelines that reflect this discovery. To really understand the benefits of saturated fat, I suggest you read Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon’s article "The Truth About Saturated Fat" to first dispel any lingering notions you may have that all saturated fats are dangerous.
Type of Oil Monunsaturated Polyunsaturated Saturated
Canola 58.9 29.6 7.1
Coconut 5.8 1.8 86.5
Corn 12.7 58.7 24.2
Flaxseed 22 74 4
Grapeseed 16.1 69.9 8.1
Olive 77 8.4 13.5
Palm 37 9.3 49.3
Palm Kernel 11.4 1.6 81.5
Peanut 46.2 32 16.9
Safflower 12.6 73.4 9.6
Sesame 39.7 41.7 14.2
Soybean 23.3 57.9 14.4
Source: http://www.virgintogo.co.uk/template.asp?PageID=44&MenuID=57

So anytime you need an oil to cook with, coconut oil can automatically be used in place of butter, margarine, olive oil or any other type of oil in all types of recipes. However, coconut oil can vary widely in terms of the types of coconuts used, the manufacturing processes used to make the oil, and more, and all of these factors play a major role in the effectiveness of the oil.

Most commercial coconut oils are refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) and contain chemicals used in processing.

Because of these variations my team and I here researched coconut oil extensively until we found the ideal source. I now highly recommend and offer you what is clearly the premier brand of virgin coconut oil in the United States, Tropical Traditions. This virgin coconut oil is not only certified organic, but it also met all our other requirements, including no GMO ingredients, bleaching, deodorizing, refining or hydrogenation. Tropical Traditions also uses fresh coconuts (not "copra" or dried coconuts like most oils) that come from a rural region of the Philippines untainted by urban pollution.

I urge you to try this virgin coconut oil for all of your cooking oil needs and experience the health benefits and great taste for yourself. If you do choose another brand, please be sure that it meets these requirements.

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Well, what do you guys think? If you have any comments or could prove otherwise that coconut oil is unhealthy, i would be really grateful. It does clear my mind as am currently using canola oil as its been encouraged in a number of health books.

Cheers

uh.....i really have no comments anymore. some so-called doctor decided to promote some unproven products on his website. when people can't convince others with reasons, they bashed about others and the government for their "agenda" - no wonder he received warnings from FDA.

http://www.casewatch.org/fdawarning/prod/2005/mercola.shtml

i still love my canola and olive oil! as well as sunflower oil!

Hello . I am mehriels, a new member here. I wanted to get your opinion. Is it true that virgin coconut oil can promote weight loss and is good for the heart. I came across an article saying it can while surfing the net. this is where i found it.

http://www.thevirgincoconutoil.com/article...gin-coconut-oil

i don't think so ...... when a product claims it can do more than what it is for - we got be weary about it.

thanks annie. ur right. we should always exercise caution in matters concerning our health. But i still want to try virgin coconut oil. i am thinking of buying a bottle of it before the week ends then i'll let you guys know its effects okay.

Hello All,

Just registered here. I have Familial Hypercholesterolemia which basically means that my liver does not do it's job properly when it comes to blood cholesterol.

I have gotten my total level down from 374 to 230 or so in about a months time with a severely restricted food intake and supplements like flush-free niacin, red yeast rice and garlic. I have also been using Flax Seed Oil.

However, I am a researching NUT these days because I will allow myself to become 'sticky' with cholesterol before I put any of the Statin or other DRUGS into my body!

I have currently 'switched' to Organic Virgin Coconut Oil instead of the Flax Seed Oil. I have actually NOT SEEN anything negative, thus far, when it comes to the Virgin Coconut Oil. I am well aware that it is mostly 'saturated' fat.

Saturated fats are not ALL bad. For instance, dairy butter, or real butter, is mostly saturated fat but this fat raises BOTH HDL or GOOD cholesterol AND LDL or Bad cholesterol. So if you have a 'proper' diet than a little bit of butter will beat any margarine 'hands down' simply by virtue of it's HDL raising abilities.

Research shows, if you can find it, and I have found it, that too much Unsaturated fat actually 'destroys' your liver in the long term. WHY? Because these fats do not cause your liver to 'release' cholesterol into the blood to be processed but actually causes it to 'retain it'! Your liver does not release cholesterol when you eat too much unsaturated fat.

Flax Seed oil and even Omega 3 fish oils have actually been shown to RAISE LDL levels in those with my condition, Hypercholesterolemia. This is NOT popular research so it is not as easy to locate but when you have my condition than you DO RESEARCH. DIG DIG DIG!

Here is a good link I've found for Organic Virgin Coconut Oil:

more on Virgin Coconut Oil

I do not recomend the use of coconut oil in foods because it is a heavy fat . Coconut oil is hard at room temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees but starts to become liquid when it reaches the normal human body temperature of 98.6 degrees farenheit

Virgin Coconut Oil is a saturated oil which contains many MCT's or Medium Chain Triglycerides. These are fatty acids that matabolize more like a carbohydrate than a fat. I would not be taking this if it were any other way. I will keep this board informed of my progress or di-gress as I go along. I will be taking another cholesterol test around March 19. We'll see if it has continued to drop with the addition of the Virgin Coconut Oil and the omission of the Flax Seed Oil. I'm my own test subject.

Hi All,

I have been stuudying NUT for three years now.

The issue of oils is very complex indeed. My conclusion is that oils are very important to the body and need to be in BALANCE across the whole diet.

Of oil/fat intake you need about
45% SAFA
45% MUFA
10% PUFA - of which half should be omega-6 and the other half omega-3
0% Trans fatty acid (or hydrogenated vegetable oil)

But there are obstacles:

Processed vegetable oil contains trans fatty acid. It should be abandoned. So although Canola oil is high in MUFA, it is processed.

Some oils, such as sunflower, are not only high in trans-fatty acid, but omega-6 PUFA as well and tends to suppress the immune system.

Insufficient dietary omega-3 PUFA is widespread and its best sourced from oily fish, cod-liver-oil or flax seed.

A good sources of Omega-6 PUFA is cold-pressed sunflower oil (can't cook with it though) - but from the list above you can see you do not need a great deal.
MUFA has to come from olive oil - but animal fat is 50% MUFA.
SUFA comes from animal fats or tropical oils.

Animal fats tend to be stable for cooking, olive oil also - mainly because PUFA is low. It is bad to heat oils in general, so if cooking add water and keep the temperature low.

Coconut is 2% PUFA which makes it very stable for cooking
Palm oil is 90% SAFA.

Virgin coconut oil tends to be expensive. It is a Medium chained FA and the body uses it for energy rather than storage. It is meant to increase thyroid function and therefore metabolism and thereby encourage weight loss.

Support for coconut oil comes from Dr. Mary Enig and the Weston Price foundation (non-profit making). These guys are responsible for exposing the bad effects of trans fats in processed foods.

http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut_oil.html

http://www.drpasswater.com/nutrition_libra..._interview.html

There are also a number of articles at www.mercola.com that will help you to understand fats.

Having said all that, dietary guidelins suggest that overall fat sould not exceed 30% of the diet by energy. Oil/fat has about 9 cals/gm

Rgds,