Coconut Oil: Miracle Food?

Say "coconut oil" and I have memories of sailing around Tahiti, body and hair lathered in coconut oil, a flower of tiare in my hair... at least for the first week, until I realized how quickly the oil became rancid and the odor nauseating...  

Of course, the virgin coconut oil that health stores and internet sites are touting as "miracle food" is much more "pure" that the plain coconut oil we'd buy by the liter in the islands and used for everything from salad dressing to hair rejuvenation.  But, is it worth the investment and how do the health claims stack up?

Coconut oil is 94% saturated fatty acid, which is sure to raise your "bad" LDL cholesterol.  It has the same amount of calories as any other fat (9Kcal/gram).  

With an inflammation factor of -1798, it is highly inflammatory.

Will you raise your metabolism by eating it? Sure, since the thermal effect of digesting food is about 10% of the calories you eat, a 120 cal. tablespoon of oil will --in theory-- raise your "burning machine" by 12 calories.  Whether you will burn or store the remaining 108 calories in that tablespoon depends on your total activity.  If you're an athlete, go ahead.  If you're a couch potato, I'd say don't do it.

As for antioxidants, the coumaric acid of virgin coconut oil seems to have higher antioxidant effect than in refined coconut oil, palm oil, or copra oil. If you're going to choose coconut oil, definitely go "virgin." But the antioxidant advantage of virgin coconut oil over virgin olive oil is still to be proven.

I know it's a big topic out-there, and claims that virgin coconut oil is the new "miracle food" abound.  But, the scientific journals are not supporting those claims.  "There is absolutely no evidence to support the claim that coconut oil can prevent or cure cancer," says Dr Joanna Owens, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK.

When it comes to antioxidants, rather choose a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, eat fish twice a week (omega 3) and healthy mono- and polyunsaturated oils (olive, safflower).  AND.... don't FRY your oils: this changes the chemical composition that turns your oils into oxidants!

In the words of the American Heart Association 

·      Whether cooking or making dressings, use the oils that are lowest in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol – such as canola oil, corn oil, olive oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil – but use them sparingly, because they contain 120 calories per tablespoon.

·      Stay away from coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.  Even though they are vegetable oils and have no cholesterol, they are high in saturated fats.

Epidemiology: looking at the populations that have a coconut oil-based diet, I would expect (if the health claims of miracle food were true) to see the Polynesian populations free of heart disease and obesity.  This does not seem to be the case. 

Doe coconut oil make my pantry? Absolutely not!  I've spent enough time in the islands of the South Pacific to smell the nauseating odor of rancid coconut oil... I can't imagine that an oil that oxidizes so quickly can do anything healthy in my body.  inflammation factor of -1798, stay away from me!