You are on page 1of 6

NUTR IT ION | 14 / 04 / 2016

IS IT TIME FOR AN OIL CHANGE?


BY LINIA PATEL

Coconut oil.

People are using it in everything from stir-fries to smoothies. Considered a


staple ingredient of the popular clean eating and Paleo diet trends, and hailed
as the latest superfood that aids fat loss, boosts heart health, cures Alzheimer's
and dementia coconut oil has ignited a controversial debate. Are the touted
promises true? Should you be signing up for an oil change? Lets investigate.

WHAT IS COCONUT OIL?


Coconut oil is made by pressing the fat from the white flesh inside the giant nut.
The extracted oil is pure fat. Despite its name, coconut oil is a fat that is solid
at room temperature. This is due to the fact that it contains 92% saturated fat
a higher percentage than found in butter. Historically, the belief has been that
all saturated fats are bad fats however, its not quite as simple as that. I'll save
you the complicated biochemistry, but it is important to know that there are
different types of saturated fats that seem to make a difference in terms of their
health properties.

COCONUT CHEMISTRY
On a basic level, fats are made of fatty acids. Fatty acids are strings of carbon
atoms with a certain number of hydrogen atoms attached with or without double
bonds. Saturated fats have no double bonds, which is what allows them to fit
together compactly, making a solid fat. Fatty acids come in many lengths, from
4-carbon chains all the way up to 22 carbon chains. Most oils consist entirely
of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) which are more than 12 carbons long.
Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are 6 12 carbons long. The difference in
carbon atoms matters because our bodies metabolize MCTs differently to
LCTs.

COCONUT OIL AND CHOLESTEROL


Current guidelines indicate that consuming too much saturated fat (no more
than 10% of food energy) is unhealthy because it raises "bad" low density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease.
So it would seem that coconut oil would be bad news for your heart. However,
one of the main arguments put forward by those who support coconut oil is that
the saturated fat in coconut oil behaves differently to typical saturated fats,
preventing any negative effects on heart health.

Coconut oil contains mostly (44%) lauric acid and (16%) myristic acid. Studies
have shown that both lauric acid (C12:0), myristic acid (C14:0) increase bad

cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) whilst also boosting good cholesterol (HDL


cholestrol). Coconut oil's special HDL-boosting effect may make it "less bad"
than the high saturated fat content would indicate, but its no healthy heart
magic bullet. Vegetable oils like olive oil lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and
increase HDL (good cholesterol).

The good thing about coconut oil, however, is that it has a higher smoking point
than olive oil, so you are able to cook at higher temperatures without making
your own trans-fats so it does have a place within healthy eating guidelines.

Overall, whilst more research needs to be done, the general recommendations


still stand true - keep saturated fat to under 10% of your overall fat calories (this
equates to about 20g for women and 30g for men). But then within that
recommendation, focus on the saturated fats that aren't processed, which is
exactly where unprocessed, extra virgin coconut oil falls into play. Two
tablespoons of coconut oil provided about 24g of saturated fat.

THE FAT BURNING FAT


Coconut oil is also unusual as it contains a high percentage of medium-chain
triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are used by the body as an immediate source of
energy and as such the body is not able to deposit them in fat tissues. This is
where the bold claims about coconut oil melting away pounds of fat comes
from. What does the scientific evidence say?

Well, the evidence behind weight loss claims is thin. One of the longest and
largest studies was done at Columbia University. The study looked at 31
overweight/obese men and women who were given 1500 to 1800 calorie a day
diet that got 1 % of their calories either from MCTs (1 2 tablespoons) or from
olive oil. Over the four months of the study, the people getting MCT oil lost
about four or more pounds than those getting olive oil. Theres no way of telling
if the MCT users would have continued to lose weight beyond four months
though. Since coconut oil contains only about half as much MCT oil, would
coconut oil have just half of the modest impact on weight? There needs to be
more studies done.

The fact remains if you are trying to lose weight its important to remember that
with 121 calories per tablespoon, coconut oil should be used in moderation.
Consuming too much will give you extra calories and that can signal to your
body that it's time to store more fat, even if the stored fat doesn't come directly
from the coconut oil.

MAINTAINING BRAIN HEALTH


There have been some claims that coconut oil could be used to prevent or even
a cure Alzheimer's disease. These claims are based on the theory that early on
in diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the brain starts to lose its ability
to use glucose, which leads to a kind of starvation of the brain. But the brain
can still use other forms of energy such as ketones. When the body metabolizes
the medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) in coconut oil it is able to produce
ketones which may provide an alternative fuel source to keep the brain
nourished. The reality, however, is that there is not enough scientific evidence

to back up this hypothesis. More research is needed so that we can fully


understand the effect of coconut oil on diseases like Alzheimers.

Other coconut oil advocates claim that it is rich in antioxidants, compounds that
may help brain health, but you get a bigger antioxidant bang for your buck from
vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE


I like coconut oil - but with a caveat. Its a healthier saturated fat: yes. But it is
not the be-and-end all as some suggest. It does have a wonderful flavour and
there's no problem using coconut oil occasionally. If you choose to use it, stick
to unprocessed, extra virgin coconut oil.

The key thing to remember is that overall dietary habits rather than individual
nutrients hold the key to optimal health. Want better health? Eat a diet that is
rich in vegetables and fruit, pulses, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and have
modest intakes of lean meat, poultry, white and oily fish. Depending on your
goals use vegetable oils like olive or rapeseed oil and if you want to use butter
or coconut oil use in sparingly. Sadly there is no magic formula, pixie dust or
excessive dollops of coconut oil involved.

Linia Patel is a leading dietitian and sports nutritionist. She's passionate about
empowering people to better manage their health and optimise their
performance through learning the essence of healthy eating. Outside of work,
Linia is a wannabe triathlete. Visit her website: www.liniapatel.com.

References

Vannice G, Rasmussen H. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:


dietary fatty acids for healthy adults. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(1):136-153.

Chowdhury R, Warnakula S, Kunutsor S, et al. Association of dietary,


circulating, and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review
and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(6):398-406.

Fnzifst LE. Coconut oil and the Heart, Evidence Paper (2014) New Zealand
Heart Foundation.

DiNicolantonio JJ. The cardiometabolic consequences of replacing saturated


fats with carbohydrates or omega-6 polyunsaturated fats: Do the dietary
guidelines have it wrong? Open Heart. 2014;1. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2013000032.

Ravnskov U, DiNicolantonio JJ, Harcombe Z, Kummerow FA, Okuyama H,


Worm N. The questionable benefits of exchanging saturated fat with
polyunsaturated fat. Mayo Clin Proc. 2014;89(4):451-453

Assuno ML1, Ferreira HS, dos Santos AF, Cabral CR Jr, Florncio TM.
Effects of dietary coconut oil on the biochemical and anthropometric profiles
of women presenting abdominal obesity (2009). Lipids 44(7):593-601.

Fernando W, Marting I, Goozee K, Brennan C, Jaysena V. The role of dietary


coconut for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimerss disease; potential
mechanisms of action. Br J Nutr. 2015. July 14:114 (1):1- 14

Photos sources: 1, 2

You might also like