Coconut Oil

The Truth About Coconut Oil
Is Coconut Oil Bad for You? Hardly.
There is widespread misconception that coconut oil is bad for you because it is said to raise blood cholesterol and
cause heart disease. In fact, studies said to prove these assertions were flawed. In one study, there were no Essential
Fatty Acids (EFAs) provided in the diet; the absence of these EFAs alone would be expected to cause the results.
Other studies used hydrogenated coconut oil. It is now known that the process of hydrogenation creates trans fatty
acids (TFAs), which are toxic entities that enter cell membranes, block utilization of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and
impede cell functionality. TFAs also cause a rise in blood cholesterol. These substances are not present in natural coconut oil. In other words, a study based on hydrogenated coconut oil has no relevance to the non-hydrogenated coconut
milk or coconut oil that you eat.
Widespread studies of coconut-consuming populations such as those found in Polynesia and Sri Lanka, show
that dietary coconut oil does not lead to high serum cholesterol nor to high coronary heart disease mortality or
morbidity.1 Other studies show no change in serum cholesterol level from coconut oil.2 And if it is true that the
herpes virus and cytomegalovirus have a causative role in the initial formation of atherosclerotic plaques,3 coconut oil
may be beneficial in preventing heart disease. (See Benefits below.)
For further reading: Mary G. Enig, Coconut: In Support of Good Health in the 21st Century. Found online at:
http://www.coconutoil.com/coconut_oil_21st_century.htm.
Coconut Oil as Saturated Fat
Another reason people believe coconut oil must be bad for you is misguided association: it is a saturated fat and
saturated fats are bad for you. Dietary guidelines inevitably fail to distinguish between different kinds of saturated
fats and insist that saturated fats (meaning all saturated fats) are harmful.
This is not just misleading. It is bad science. Leading scientists now recognize that just as there is good cholesterol,
there are also good saturated fats.
Fats are classified as short-, medium- or long-chain based on the number of carbon molecules they contain. Nearly
two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids.
When we eat long-chain fatty acids, they must be emulsified by bile salts in the small intestine before they can be
absorbed into our body. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids, such as those in coconut milk, are absorbed directly
through the portal vein to the liver, where they are immediately available to the body.
In other words, most of the saturated fat in coconut oil is easily digestible and converted into quick energy. And
these types of fatty acids are less likely to cause obesity because they are immediately used by the body and have
no opportunity to be stored.
Benefits of Coconut Oil

Nearly 50% of the fatty acid in natural coconut oil is lauric acid, which converts to the fatty acid monolaurin in the
body. Lauric acid has adverse effects on a variety of microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, fungi, and enveloped
viruses. It destroys the lipid membrane of such enveloped viruses as HIV, measles, Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1),
influenza and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Its usefulness in treating AIDS is currently under investigation. It is a main
component of human breast milk and helps protect children from illness during infancy.
Capric acid, which comprises another 7% of coconut oil fat content, also stimulates anti-microbial activity.
In other words: not only does coconut oil not cause heart problems, it is good for you. To quote Dr. Mary Enig:
The research over four decades concerning coconut oil in the diet and heart disease is quite clear: coconut oil has
been shown to be beneficial.4
Coconut oil is a functional food, defined as a food that provides a health benefit over and beyond the basic
nutrients.5 It is an immune-system enhancer.
And because it is such a stable oil (resistant to spoilage) and is heat resistant, it is a healthy oil for cooking.
For further reading: Mary G. Enig, Coconut: In Support of Good Health in the 21st Century. Found online at
http://www.coconutoil.com/coconut_oil_21st_century.htm. Also the Center for Research on Lauric Oils, Inc., at
http://www.lauric.org/.
The Art of Thai Cooking

www.thaifoodandtravel.com
info@thaifoodandtravel.com
Page 2
TFAs The Real Cause for Concern
In fact, the real problem fats in our diets are the trans fatty acids, mentioned above as a by-product of hydrogenating
fats. Here are just a few of their adverse effects: lower the good HDL cholesterol and raise the bad LDL cholesterol while raising total serum cholesterol levels; increase blood insulin levels in humans in response to glucose load,
increasing risk for diabetes; affect immune response by lowering efficiency of B cell response and increasing proliferation of T cells; interfere with utilization of essential omega-3 fatty acids; and escalate adverse effects of essential fatty
acid deficiency.
You get these effects, and more, every time you consume hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, which is
present in most processed food, including margarine, potato chips, baked goods, etc.
For Further Reading: Trans Fat Info Web, found online at http://www.drpasswater.com/nutrition_library/enig1_interview.html.
Why A re We Misinformed?
In one word: economics. Beginning with a flawed study four decades ago, continuing through the 1950s, intensifying
in the 1980s and again in the 1990s, the misinformation about coconut oil has been promulgated by such economically
motivated organizations as the American Soybean Association (ASA), the Corn Products Company (CPC International) and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). They are aided by the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), many of whose key personnel are recruited from and return to the vegetable oil industry. Previously, coconut oil was widely used in baked goods and fried goods until publicity campaigns, based on erroneous
information, totally discredited coconut oil and caused its nearly complete elimination from the American diet.
Finally, after years of denial, The FDA and CSPI are finally talking about the harmful effects of trans fatty acids, evidence
of which has been accumulating since the 1950s. Nonetheless, they continue to disparage coconut oil and take no effective action to limit TFAs, which already have been banned in some European countries. TFAs will finally be listed on
food labels, starting in 2006 why has it taken them so long! TFA dangers have been known for decades and continue to
cause disease! News items coming from the USDA and FDA still lump TFAs with saturated fats, which are natural and
do contain nutrients vital for our bodies. The current FDA Consumers Guide to Fats was last updated in 1999 and consistently warns against (all) saturated fats, while failing to mention any harmful effects of trans fatty acids.
How effective is this brainwashing? Many of you will not believe the facts on these pages and will continue to avoid
coconut oil and coconut milk out of health concerns. Despite the proven benefits. We invite you to investigate further.
For Further reading: Mary Enig and Sally Fallon, The Oiling of America. Online at http://westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/oiling.html.
Further Reading
A complete page of references with links is found online at http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/coconut.html.

Check out http://www.coconut-info.com/ it includes an excellent page of links.
If you just read one article, read Coconut: In Support of Good Health in the 21st Century, by Mary G. Enig,
Ph.D., F.A.C.N. Found online at: http://www.coconutoil.com/coconut_oil_21st_century.htm.
For the complete coconut oil story, read The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil, by Bruce Fife, N.D.
(Healthwise Publications, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, ISBN 0941599515).
For the real story about fats, read Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of
Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol, by Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. (Bethesda Press, 2000, ISBN: 0967812607). Information at http://www.bethesdapress.com/.
For general nutritional knowledge (and many good recipes) try Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon with Mary G.
Enig, Ph.D. (NewTrends Publishing, revised edition October 1999, ISBN 0967089727).
Endnotes
1
Kaunitz, H, Dayrit, CS. Coconut Oil Consumption and Coronary Heart Disease. Philippine Journal of Internal Medicine, 1992;
30:165-171. Prior, IA, Davidson, F, Salmond, CE, Czochanska, Z. Cholesterol, coconuts, and diet on Polynesian atolls: a natural
experiment: the Pukapuka and Tokelau Island studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1981; 34:1552-1561.
2
Kurup, PA, Rajmohan, T. II. Consumption of coconut oil and coconut kernel and the incidence of atherosclerosis. Coconut and
Coconut Oil in Human Nutrition Proceedings. Symposium on Coconut and Coconut Oil in Human Nutrition. 27 March 1994. Coconut
Development Board, Kochi, India, 1995, pp. 35-59.
3
New York Times, Medical Science, Tuesday, January 29, 1991. Common virus seen as having early role in arteries clogging
byline: Sandra Blakeslee.
4
Coconut: In Support of Good Health in the 21st Century by Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., F.A.C.N.
5
http://www.lauric.org/functional.html.
We recommend Omega Nutrition coconut butter www.omegaflo.com/ or 1-800-661-FLAX(3529) [or phone us at 510-655-8900]
and unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil from from Wilderness Family Naturals www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/

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The Truth About Coconut Oil

Is Coconut Oil Bad for You? Hardly.

Coconut Oil as Saturated Fat

Benefits of Coconut Oil

The Art of Thai Cooking

TFAs The Real Cause for Concern

A complete page of references with links is found online at http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/coconut.html.

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