Chances are you have seen or heard the surprising and swift condemnation of coconut oil. It started with an American Heart Association (AHA) report. But the media got a hold of it, now it’s everywhere from the BBC to Fox News to Cable stations all over the country.
These articles now sweeping Facebook walls and news aggregator apps nationwide are now advising against using coconut oil completely (one article even went so far as to say, “Don’t Put It In Your Body!”). Why? Because a small study found that people who consumed coconut oil compared to vegetable oil had an elevation in their LDL cholesterol (the bad kind of cholesterol). Additionally, the majority of fat found in coconut oil is saturated fat (approximately 82% by volume) – which is unhealthy. According to the AHA excessive consumption of the saturated fat found in coconut oil results in elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol which, according to them, causes heard disease and heart attacks.
Conveniently leaving out the info
To hinge the entire argument on this one finding is misleading, mostly because when you look into the research you find that coconut oil does, in fact, increase LDL cholesterol BUT ALSO has a substantial increase in HDL (good cholesterol) levels – which ultimately leads to the reduction of LDL levels (the percent ratio should be less than 4, ideally 2). This measurement is a stronger indication of overall heart disease compared to simply looking at LDL levels alone.
Interestingly, the authors seem to have overlooked the 1,500+ peer-reviewed, academic studies showing the health benefits of coconut oil ranging from balancing hormones, killing viruses/bacteria/yeast (candida) and fungi, balancing cholesterol, decreasing blood sugar, increasing energy, reducing cellulite and enhancing fat burning.
Another shortcoming in the recent article against coconut oil is the misrepresentation of the type of fat contained in coconut oil. The authors want you to believe that all saturated fats are created equal. Yes, 50% of the fat in coconut oil is Lauric acid, a saturated fat.
But, a quick PubMed search yields over 100 articles showing that Lauric acid could be called the “miracle fat” due to its properties against bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, cellular metabolism enhancement, its ability to integrate and repair cellular membranes, and its protection against brain damage.
Animal saturated fats contain ZERO Lauric acid, rather they are primarily palmetic and steric acid, which do not have many negative effects on your overall health (the original reason saturated fats were seen as harmful). Of note: animals that are raised traditionally on grains, in lots, fed antibiotics and hormones, farmed or caged do have excessive amounts of palmitic and steric acid and free range animals have lower levels of palmitic and steric acids with higher levels of CLA and GLA than their traditional counterparts.
Yet another shortcoming is neglecting to mention that coconut oil is ripe with MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) – approximately 65% by volume. MCT is superior fuel for you cells when compared to glucose and MCT oils promote fat burning for cellular metabolism. This, in turn, enhances the immune system, improves cholesterol profiles, decreases overall weight and controls the appetite.
Possible corruption?
Yet another shortcoming of these articles is that there’s no mention of the real cause of heart disease (which is NOT elevated cholesterol, LDLs, etc.), but rather oxidative stress and inflammatory damage due to elevated consumption of processed and natural sugars over time. Remember “Show Me the Money!” from that classic 1990s movie, “Jerry McGuire”? Well it might shock you if I let you in on the secret that the majority donor to the American Heart Association is Coca-Cola (America’s largest supplier of sugar and high fructose corn syrup). Imagine the amount of leveraging their lobbyists and fat checks have to get the AHA to make a big deal out of coconut oil and neglect to mention how much sugar contributes to cardiovascular disease.
Why would Coca-Cola want fats to be seen as the enemy? Because whenever fat is reduced from any food, sugar (and other additives) must be added) so consumers still think it tasted good. Thus, when fats get bad press, many Americans instantly start questioniong their understanding of healthy eating and defer instead to basic programming. For example, the idea that whole grains are healthy, diet coke is better than regular, fat makes you fat and counting calories makes sense somehow. Plus, when fat is in the public eye, people pay less attention to sugar.
Bad alternatives
One of the craziest things I’m seeing in response to the coconut oil “scandal” is the healthy recommendations replacements. It’s just bad. They are saying you should use vegetable oils instead of coconut oil. Things like canola oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil, etc. All vegetable fats are polyunsaturated fats that become oxidized (rancid) when cooked or processed. The free radicals produced from these oils wreak havoc on your body, attacking cell membranes, damaging DNA, causing arterial plaquing (a hallmark of cardiovascular disease).
Seems strange that the AHA would suggest you stop consuming an oil that can balance your cholesterol ratio as well as potentially reverse heart disease and its development. Instead, they are recommending you increase your consumption of oils that will actually cause heart disease. Could it be that they feed off of your lack of understanding and the diseases that result when you need to see your MD or cardiologist?
By the way, excess consumption of polyunsaturated oils (soy, corn, vegetable, Crisco, canola, Wesson, palm, etc.) has been linked to increased risk of cancer, decreased immunity, liver and lung damage, digestive disorders, stunted growth, hypothyroidism, weight gain, brain fog and cognitive decline.
