Coconut Oil: Nature's Bounty

Growing majestically on palm trees, this hard-shelled fruit is used for a variety of culinary, medicinal and aesthetic purposes. In some parts of the world, coconut oil is a dietary staple and its medicinal benefits have been used in ancient forms of medicine for thousands of years. This high fat food can be used to flavor many dishes and its water is used as a refreshing drink but by far the greatest health benefits are derived from its oil. Read on to see how one food can have so many applications in health and wellness from weight loss to skin care. Coconut oil is widely available in most supermarkets and health stores. In colder climates, it might be found in a solid form as it solidified at room temperature but will melt under hot water or in hotter climates. For best results, organic, unrefined, pure virgin coconut oil should be used.

Coconut Nutrition

Coconut fat is a saturated fat, which is the same type of fat found in animal foods. This has led some to believe that coconut fat might be bad for us. However, the triglycerides in coconut are medium chain as apposed to long chain, which makes all the difference.

MCT’s have been used for digestive disorders because they don’t need any enzymes to break them down in the gut. MCT’s also go straight to the liver from the gut making them a more immediate source of energy for the body. They are also quickly converted to ketone bodies, a very potent source of energy.

Coconut Oil As A Weight Loss Aid

The idea that fat is the enemy in weight loss has been disproven over and over again. There has been a big movement recently to the so-called Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) Diet. The theory behind the diet is that insulin stimulating carbohydrates, and not fats are the real cause of weight gain. When carbohydrates are restricted below a certain level, the body goes into a fake kind of starvation and produces ketone bodies as an alternative source of energy to glucose. These ketone bodies control appetite and also help the body burn calories faster.

Although excess calories and fats will eventually cause weight gain, certain good fats can actually help us lose weight. The MCT’s in coconut oil have been shown to increase the amount of calories we can burn, probably due to its faster metabolism and ability to convert to energy quicker than other fats, especially when compared to longer chain fatty acids.

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This is because of the way that MCT’s are metabolized. Unlike other fats, MCT’s are converted directly into ketone bodies in the liver, and one of the results of ketones in the blood is a reduced appetite.

Link Between Coconut Oil And High Cholesterol

Since many people that are overweight also have high cholesterol and a risk of heart disease, some caution is advised against the use of coconut oil because it is saturated. However, the myth that coconut oil causes high cholesterol has been debunked. While coconut oil may show raised cholesterol in some studies, the effect is mostly due to a rise in HDL or good cholesterol and a benign sub-type of LDL or bad cholesterol.

People with high cholesterol need to look at their diets as a whole and reduce trans fats, fried and fatty foods and animal fats.

Coconut Oil Can Reduce Seizures

People with drug resistant epilepsy have long been using ketogenic diets with success to help treat symptoms and reduce seizures. Coconut oil provides an added boost to ketone body production.

Coconut Oil Is A Safer Cooking Oil

Coconut oil has a relatively high smoke point compared to other oils, which means it is one of the safest cooking oils for frying. Other oils like sunflower and even olive oil are much less stable in heat and will denature and spoil when fried. Coconut oil can be used to make stews, curries, stir fries, roasted vegetables and to fry eggs.

Coconut Oil Can Kill Viruses and Bacteria

When coconut oil is digested it forms a fatty acids called monolaurin. This combined with the fatty acid in coconut oil, lauric acid, can help ill off bacteria, viruses and fungi. The bacterium Staphylococcus Aureus and the yeast Candida Albicans have been shown to be sensitive to these fats and coconut oil can be used in part of the treatment against these pathogens.

Coconut Oil Can Boost Brain Function

There is some evidence that eating coconut oil can boost brain function and help in Alzheimer’s. With Alzheimer’s there appears to be an inability to use glucose as brain fuel, which sparked the idea that ketones might be a preferred source of fuel.

In Alzheimer's patients, there appears to be a reduced ability to use glucose for energy in certain parts of the brain. Although Alzheimer’s is a multi-factorial and largely unexplained illness with many factors playing a role, some studies have pointed to the use of coconut oil in boosting brain function in people with this disease.

Coconut Oil Improves Skin Health

Coconut oil is therefore used as a base in many skin care preparations. It has also been used as an effective hair treatment as a hair conditioner and moisturizer and also as a type of sun block for hair, helping to prevent damage cause by UV rays.

See Also: The Health-Giving Benefits Of Olive Oil

Coconut Oil Improves Dental Health

Gingivitis and other conditions of the gums are very common and treatments can often be very expensive and painstaking. So-called oil pulling using coconut oil as a mouthwash has shown some amazing results in improving oral health. Ideally, coconut oil should swished around the mouth for 10 minutes a day to help “pull” harmful disease causing bacteria from the gums.