The Maligned Oil

Coconut oil is one of the most misunderstood and maligned of oils. The bad rap is changing, however, as indicated by the presence of numerous brands of virgin coconut oil available on the market. I am here today to contribute to the cause of dispelling unhelpful and unhealthful myths.

First I must say that oil in general is misunderstood. Most of the oil consumed by Americans is very unhealthy, but is thought to be healthy. Oils that are avoided by the general public are often the most healthy. This is probably due to marketing more than anything else. One huge point of misinformation is around the processing of oils. Most virgin oils - “virgin” means first cold pressing - are nothing like their heated counterparts. They are much more beneficial. Don’t waste your time on the heated stuff.

The virginity question is the crucial missing point in the studies showing that coconut oil is a “bad” saturated fat. The studies referred to in reports putting coconut oil in the “bad” catagory of good and bad oils and fats were carried out using heated, even hydrogenated coconut oil. Now you may remember my article on margarine and hydrogenated oils: hydrogenated = very bad. To lump this processed junk into the same category as the beautiful virgin stuff is a crime.

For scientifically minded, read this abstract on a study showing that virgin coconut oil reverses the tendency to make plaque.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14608053?dopt=Abstract

Recent reports discuss the dangers of trans fats. Why do we constantly trust that products we find on the market must be safe, when we constantly find that the reverse is true? One day margarine is safer than butter; the next day butter is healthier than margarine.

Too much is left to marketing, not enough on testing, tradition, common sense, good taste. Italians don’t eat 100% olive oil; they eat 100% extra virgin olive oil.

Coconut oil has been associated with weight loss, heart health, healing, benefits to diabetics, and skin care. The chain of molecules in coconut oil are medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). They burn up quickly in the body.  

The reason the fat in coconut oil burns (metabolizes) quickly is that the body treats its MCTs in a completely different way than it treats other fats.  LCTs (long-chain triglycerides) are slow to metabolize, so that they are more easily stored as fat.  In contrast, MCTs burn rapidly for energy use, and thus are far less likely to contribute to fat storage.

Informative links:
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut-oil-studies.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XUK/is_/ai_n17213451
A whole book on the subject: The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife and Jon J Kabara.

You can find organic virgin coconut oil in health food stores and through online resources, such as on my raw foods page: click on “raw food store” from here.