Coconut Oil - A Nutrient And Metabolism Booster

Stop for a second and imagine yourself walking along the coast of Oahu. There is a lot of sun-and-fun going on around you with people sunbathing, swimming, surfing and paddleboarding happily. Suddenly you begin to notice the difference between the people around you - the tourists and those that are local to the region. With their abundant energy and great health, the locals appear to simply be in better shape than the tourists! Even more importantly, no one seems to have a cough, headache or sniffle as they run around.

What on earth can their secret be?. Could it be the sun? Or the absences of stress in their lifestyles? The salt air? The truth is that all of these are merely secondary reasons. The primary factor behind the prevalent good health can be found in the world's largest seed.

Coconut: A Tropical Powerhouse...

Dating back many centuries, coconuts have been a large part of the Malaysian and Polynesian cultures. The body requires a number of essential nutrients in order to function naturally during the day. Coconuts provide more than 95% of these. As well as being an important provider of essential amino acids, coconuts are also a rich source of minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, vitamin B, vitamin C and calcium. Coconut oil contains all of these nutrients and more. Made up of over 90% saturated fat, coconut oil is very often the subject of heated debate.

The Saturated Fat Debate...

Coconut oil is extracted from the dried flesh of the coconut fruit. It is also a source of plant-based saturated fat, the very fat doctors and nutritionists alike have been telling us to avoid like the plague. Coconut might be made up of 90% of saturated fat but nearly 50% of this is in turn made up of a fatty acid called lauric acid that is metabolized into monolaurin by the body. Also found in breast milk, Monolaurin offers infants invaluable protection by boosting the strength of their immune system. The presence of monolaurin also contributes towards the development of the bones and the brain of most people.

Despite these purported health benefits, many opponents of coconut oil point to the high concentration of saturated fats as a reason to avoid it. Many people believe that it is unhealthy to eat the saturated fat which is found in animals that have been raised on an unnatural diet of corn and soy while housed in conventional feedlots. However, the fat content found in coconut oil is made up primarily of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are more easily digested than other fats and are quickly metabolized, giving you a great source of energy.

Medium-chain triglycerides are metabolized differently than other fats. When we eat fat, a lot of it is stored in the body's cells. Unlike normal fat however, medium-chain triglycerides are sent to the liver where they are then converted into energy. What this simply means is that, instead of being stored in your fat cells (which is what happens when you eat your typical bacon and omelet breakfast), the fat content found in coconut oil is sent to your liver where it is almost immediately burned off.

More of Those Benefits...

Let's now consider some of the proposed benefits of coconut oil. Coconut appears to be anti-just-about-everything:

* Anti-inflammatory
* Anti-pyretic (it reduces fever)
* Anti-fungal
* Anti-bacterial

During a test involving rats suffering from inflammation, a pharmacological study found significant evidence that the inflammation was reduced with virgin coconut oil. The study also revealed that rats who were suffering from pain caused by induced hyperthermia were able to find some relief from their fever and pain with the use of virgin coconut oil. These findings led the team handling the study to conclude that there was credible evidence to support the proposed ".....anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic properties of virgin coconut oil." In non-technical terms, it proved that coconut oil could be used in relieving the effects of fever, inflammation and pain. Certainly, that's bound to be good news for the rats. Using humans for a similar study would yield even more concrete results and conclusions.

To study the antifungal properties of coconut, samples of coconut oil were used in treating a fungal infection. The results were then compared to a similar treatment with the use of fluconazole - a known antifungal drug. Fifty-two different isolates of Candida were obtained from clinical specimens. The most commonly used isolate out of this sample was Candida Albicans. It is important to note this because Candida Albicans is the most common cause of fungal infections such as thrust, vaginitis and diaper rash. Each of the 52 different isolates of Candida were then separately tested with coconut oil and then fluconazole. The results of the test showed that while strains of Candida Albicans could be treated with as low as a 1:4 dilution rate with coconut oil, researchers required twice as much (1:2) to achieve the same results with Fluconazole.

Translation: They needed less coconut oil, compared to the drug, to fend off the fungus. Even with its high approval rating, fluconazole was not as effective as coconut oil. Once again, nature beats man's inventions.

Similar records of success were found in another study where researchers sought to investigate if the antibacterial property of coconut oil was effective enough to be used as a treatment for skin infections. 26 patients suffering from the skin condition atopic dermatitis were involved in a double blind, placebo controlled study that tested their response to the treatment of the condition and the bacterium Staphylococcus Aureus .

Half the members of the group were required to use virgin coconut oil twice a day for a period of four weeks. This treatment was applied on non infected areas. The other members repeated the same process using virgin olive oil in place of coconut oil. When tested at the start of the study, 20 of the 26 participants were positive for having Staphylococcus Aureus. However, once the study was completed, less than 6% of the people who used virgin coconut oil were found to still have the bacteria as opposed to the 50% rate found in the second group. The use of coconut was also found to be effective in relieving the dry skin of users.

Drawing conclusion from these studies, researchers agreed that the use of coconut oil showed great potential for the treatment of viral, fungal and bacterial conditions. Although we agree, the importance of these results would be even better if a larger number of participants were used with a larger variety of bacterial strains.

Heart and Fat Burning Benefits Too...

Advocates of coconut oil point to its cardio-protective and fat-burning properties in addition to its antibacterial benefits. According to a population study of about 2,500 people from the Polynesian islands of Tokelau and Pukapuka, high coconut oil intake has no effect on cholesterol levels.

Investigators tracked folks who consumed a high-fat diet derived primarily from coconuts - every meal contained coconut in one form or another. None of the participants were discovered to suffer from any uncommon health or cardiovascular conditions as a result of their high coconut oil diet. Even better, the cholesterol levels of all the participants were found to still be well within healthy margins despite the high level of saturated fat (in the form of coconut oil) contained in their diet. Coronary heart disease, colon cancer, and other bowel disorders were rare as well. The results of the tests showed that the high saturated fat content from coconut oil did not, in any way, affect the health of the people who consumed them - a fact confirmed by the lead researcher, Dr. Ian Prior.

For most people, this conclusion was not surprising. Not only does the coconut oil appear to not hurt, it also seems to be beneficial when it comes to gastrointestinal health. However, that cannot be stated conclusively without evaluating the participants' entire diet. It is interesting to note that despite the widespread view to the contrary, the high presence of medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil is what makes it so effective in weight loss. Thanks to the presence of medium-chain triglycerides in coconut, coconut oil is digested and used almost immediately. Because of the thermogenic properties of medium-chain triglycerides, your body is able to burn calories at a much faster rate.

An example of a case supporting this finding is that of a group of farmers in 1940 who discovered that trying to fatten their livestock with coconut oil only made them leaner and more active. During our efforts at to find a credible source for the story above, we discovered a human study that had similar information. In a study of people in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, where coconut is a staple food, researchers found that their metabolic rate was an average of 25 percent higher than people in the U.S. However, like the farmers/livestock example, we cannot substantiate this commonly cited study either. Both examples were presented by an author who offered no references to back up his claims.

We were prepared to still ignore these findings - despite the obvious signs supporting the beneficial actions of medium-chain triglycerides-because the data lacked clinical backings. And then we stumbled across an insightful study involving a randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind research in Brazil. The effects of coconut on weight loss were tested in a study designed to treat 40 women with clinical abdominal obesity. Half of the group received a daily dose of either soybean oil or coconut oil for 12 weeks. In addition, both groups were placed on a strict, balanced low calorie diet and asked to walk for 50 minutes every day.

At the end of the study, it was discovered that the women who consumed soybean oil did not lose as much weight as those who were put on coconut oil. Participants of the coconut oil group also had a statistically higher level of HDL cholesterol and a lower LDL/HDL ratio when compared to the soybean group. Members of both groups recorded a decrease in their body mass index. All told, the users of coconut oil were able to lose weight as well as increase their good cholesterol levels. Not bad for a big seed!

Using Coconut Oil...

Since the saturated fat content of coconut oil has been clearly shown to be different from the saturated fat in animals, it is clear that coconut oil is in no way unhealthy. More importantly, it confirms that despite its plant-saturated fat content, eating a diet rich in coconut offers none of the identified risks found with eating a diet high on animal saturated fat.

Also, there appears to be strong evidence that coconuts are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory. It has also been shown to have only beneficial effects on people's weight loss and heart health efforts. There is therefore no reason why you cannot eat coconut oil. Most cooks enjoy using coconut oil in cooking because of its high smoking point - 350 degrees for the unrefined oil and even higher for refined oil. This allows people to enjoy the pleasures of baking or sauteing their favorite meals with little risk of the coconut oil transforming into trans fat when heated. And since the shelf life of coconut oil can go on for more than 18 months , it is easy to understand why it is a preferred choice in most kitchens.

So why don't you try coconut oil today. You should however ensure that your choice has not been bleached or refined. It should also be primarily organic with no chemical content added during processing. And after a week of trying it, you'll be so excited with the results that you'll probably be making it a permanent feature in your life!