Coconut oil saturated fats is good for your heart health?
Every one knows that saturated fats are bad fats that can cause all kinds of
heart related diseases and the humble coconut oil is 92% saturated oil. Then
why is it that there are many advocates of taking coconut oil as a health
supplement?
Proponents of virgin coconut oil argue that coconut oil helps them to improve
skin condition, have more energy and even to lose
weight. These advocates hail the virgin coconut oil as one of the hottest
new nutritional supplement to hit the health and nutrition market in years.
This logic flies against conventional wisdom, isn’t it?
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Easy weight loss!
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Saturated fat and plenty of it in coconut oil has been the villain for heart
diseases. When hydrogenated vegetable fat (trans fat) was invented like in
margarine, it was supposed to replace unhealthy saturated fat like in butter
and was thought to be a healthier form of fat only until it was discovered in
the last few years that trans fat is more dangerous to the heart than
saturated fat.
Along this line of thinking, it is now argued that not all forms of saturated
fat may be bad and the coconut oil may be one of them. Dr. Bruce Fife, a US
based naturopath and author of “The Coconut Oil Miracle” remarked during a
press conference in Singapore
last month, “Not all saturated fatty acids act in the same way. The fat in
coconut oil is different from most other fats and has many health giving
properties”.
He went on to say that, “The Lauric acid (I coconut oil) boosts
immunity, has antioxidant properties and is being investigated in reducing
viral load in HIV patients. You should also take into account the size of the
carbon chain in the fatty acid. Most of the oils and fats we consume are
long–chain fatty acids. Coconut oil is the richest source of medium-chain
fatty acids, which actually behave very differently from the long-chain
versions.”
“Medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil boost the body’s metabolic rate and
promote weight loss. They are broken down immediately in the liver to produce
energy and are not stored as fat,” he added.
So is coconut good or bad? It’s very confusing isn’t it? Let’s hear it from
another expert Dr Annie Leong, deputy director of the nutrition department at
the Health Promotion Board. “There is not enough evidence to prove that
medium-chain saturated fats can reduce heart risk.”
Nutritionist Anna Jacob argued that, “Kerala
is the coconut capital of India and it also has the highest rates of heart
disease. While it is possible to argue that Indians are genetically
predisposed to heart disease, but a diet high in saturated fat as well could
heighten that risk.”
My question is that since Indians are more prone to heart disease, then the
high rates of heart disease should be spread evenly throughout India
and not just in Kerala, don’t you think so?
So who is right and who is wrong? So is coconut oil saturated fat good or bad
for your heart health? Well, the jury is still out there as far as I am
concerned. I for one will make a conscious effort to avoid consuming coconut
oil too often until the coconut debate is more conclusive with empirical
evidence that the coconut oil is good for heart health.
Your Fitness Coach
