– by Naturalhealthsherpa
Imagine for a second that you are not seated in your office or home but instead in Hawaii walking along the soft beaches of Oahu. Like at most beaches, there are people caught up in different forms of recreation around you – jogging, swimming, surfing and hiking. Suddenly you begin to notice the difference between the people around you – the tourists and those that are local to the region. That’s because the locals do not only have trimmer looking figures, they also have a glow that simply radiates abundant energy and good health! More importantly, none of the locales seems to be sneezing, coughing or suffering from a runny nose.
And now suddenly, you’re puzzled about this discovery and you struggle to understand what the secret might be. Is it the abundant sunlight that they receive? Or the absences of stress in their lifestyles? The prevalence of salt in the air? Those things may play a role, but the real secret lies within the world’s largest seed.
Coconut: A Nutrient Powerhouse…
The use of coconut amongst the Malaysians and Polynesians is almost as old as the culture itself. Many people underestimate the importance of coconuts. This is a mistake. Coconuts are known to contain almost all of the essential nutrients which the body will need. Magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, calcium and potassium. Those are just some of the many minerals that can be found in a coconut. Other helpful nutrients include vitamin C and Vitamin B2. And as incredible as these healthy nutrients might be, coconut oil contains even more. Made up of over 90% saturated fat, coconut oil is very often the subject of heated debate.
The Saturated Fat Confusion…
Extraction of coconut oil is done from the dried flesh of the fruit. The coconut fruit also contains plant-based saturated fat which is widely viewed by professionals in the medical health to be unhealthy. Coconut might be made up of 90% of saturated fat but nearly 50% of this is in turn made up of a fatty acid called lauric acid that is metabolized into monolaurin by the body. To put it in a better perspective, consider this; monolaurin is a natural occurring compound that is found in breastfeeding mothers. It’s presence in breast milk boosts the immune system of babies. The presence of monolaurin also contributes towards the development of the bones and the brain of most people.
These are details that are ignored by the naysayers who criticize its high saturated fat content. Most of the fat content found in coconut is made up of medium-chain triglycerides. This makes coconut fat a much healthier option than the saturated fats which can be found in animals that have been fed a diet composed of soy and corn. These fats are more easily digested by the body. As a result they are more quickly metabolized into energy.
The body’s use of medium-chain triglycerides is not the same as the way other fats are metabolized. When we eat fat, a lot of it is stored in the body’s cells. But the fat in coconut oil goes directly to your liver, where it is converted into energy. Simply put, while you can expect the fat found in your breakfast of bacon and omelet to remain in your fat cells waiting for you to burn if off, the fat found in coconut oil is sent straight to the liver where it is almost immediately metabolized.
More of Those Advantages…
Let’s now consider some of the proposed benefits of coconut oil. Coconut appears to be useful in the following roles:
* Anti-inflammatory
* Anti-pyretic (it reduces fever)
* Anti-fungal
* Anti-bacterial
During a pharmacology study, it was discovered that rats suffering from inflammation could be treated with the use of virgin coconut oil. The study also revealed that rats who were suffering from pain caused by induced hyperthermia were able to find some relief from their fever and pain with the use of virgin coconut oil.
Researchers concluded: “The results…suggest anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic properties of virgin coconut oil.” In non-technical terms, it proved that coconut oil could be used in relieving the effects of fever, inflammation and pain. Great news – for the rats. Using humans for a similar study would yield even more concrete results and conclusions.
On the antifungal front, researchers studied the effect of coconut oil on Candida (the fungus common to yeast infections), as compared to fluconazole, a common antifungal drug. Fifty-two different isolates of Candida were taken from clinical specimens. The most commonly used isolate out of this sample was Candida Albicans. Candida Albicans is the most common cause of diaper rash, thrush and vaginitis. It is also the primary cause of yeast infections. Using coconut oil and fluconazole in separate tests, each of the 52 isolates were exposed to test how susceptible they would be to the applied treatment. The results of the test showed that while strains of Candida Albicans could be treated with as low as a 1:4 dilution rate with coconut oil, researchers required twice as much (1:2) to achieve the same results with Fluconazole.
In summary: The fungus was treated successfully with less coconut oil than the antifungal drug. The coconut oil simply worked better. A testament once again of the triumph of nature.
In a similar study designed to test the antibacterial effect of virgin coconut oil, it was discovered that it could – in fact – be used in fighting off skin infections. Performing a double blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers recorded the response time of 26 patients who suffered from atopic dermatitis – a skin condition, highly susceptible to the bacterium Staphylococcus Aureus with symptoms such as dry and painful skin .
Half the members of the group were required to use virgin coconut oil twice a day for a period of four weeks. This treatment was applied on non infected areas. The other half of the group were asked to follow the same routine using virgin olive oil instead of coconut oil. When tested at the start of the study, 20 of the 26 participants were positive for having Staphylococcus Aureus. In the days following, the number of people using coconut oil who suffered from this bacteria dropped to less than 5 percent while as much as half of the people using olive oil still tested positive for the bacteria. Users of coconut oil also saw a reversal in their problems with dry skin.
With these results, most researchers came to the conclusion that there was credible evidence that the use of coconut oil could be used in treating conditions of fungal, viral or bacterial origins. Although we agree, we’d be even more delighted if this study was extended to an even larger participant pool as well as a larger variety of bacterial strain in order to further establish these results.
Heart and Weight Loss Advantages Too…
Another point that is constantly being raised by advocates of coconut oil is the impressive fat-burning and cardio-protective features of coconut oil. According to a population study of about 2,500 people from the Polynesian islands of Tokelau and Pukapuka, high coconut oil intake has no effect on cholesterol levels.
During the study, researchers focused on people whose diet was made up of high fat content that had primarily been derived from coconuts. The researchers reported that the participants’ overall health was very good, and that vascular disease was uncommon. Even better, the cholesterol levels of all the participants were found to still be well within healthy margins despite the high level of saturated fat (in the form of coconut oil) contained in their diet. A large percentage of the participants had never suffered from diseases such as colon cancer, coronary disease or bowel disorders. With overwhelming evidence backing the fact, the lead researcher (Dr. Ian Prior) came to the conclusion that there was little evidence to back the public sentiment that the high saturated fat content of coconut oil was harmful.
Few people were surprised with this conclusion. Not only does the coconut oil appear to not hurt, it also seems to be beneficial when it comes to gastrointestinal health. However, that cannot be stated conclusively without evaluating the participants’ entire diet. When it comes to the contribution of coconut oil to weight loss, its high concentration in medium-chain triglycerides plays an important role. The presence of these medium-chain triglycerides means that coconut oil is almost immediately metabolized by the body as energy and not stored as fat. In this way, those medium-chain triglycerides are thermogenic – meaning that they actually speed up your metabolism, burning more calories and giving you more energy.
An example of a case supporting this finding is that of a group of farmers in 1940 who discovered that trying to fatten their livestock with coconut oil only made them leaner and more active. During our efforts at to find a credible source for the story above, we discovered a human study that had similar information. In a study of people in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, where coconut is a staple food, researchers found that their metabolic rate was an average of 25 percent higher than people in the U.S. However, like the farmers/livestock example, we cannot substantiate this commonly cited study either. Both examples were presented by an author who offered no references to back up his claims.
Although there was sufficient reason for us to reach a conclusion on the relationship between medium chain triglycerides and weight loss ( based on the obvious signs), we chose to ignore it because the data was yet to be proven clinically. And then we discovered a study in Brazil that involved a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. In a study designed to test the effects of coconut on weight loss, 40 women with ages ranging from 20-40 were treated for clinical abdominal obesity with coconut oil. Half of the tested women were fed a daily dose made up of either coconut oil or soybean oil every day for a period of 12 weeks. Each of these women were asked to walk for 50 minutes every day and to carefully follow a balanced low calorie diet.
At the end of the study, it was discovered that the women who consumed soybean oil did not lose as much weight as those who were put on coconut oil. The group fed coconut oil also had higher HDL (good) cholesterol level than the second group. Members of both groups recorded a decrease in their body mass index. At the end of the study, the women who used coconut oil were able to increase their “good” cholesterol level to healthy margins. They were also able to trim down their waist size by shedding a few extra pounds . Not bad for a big seed!
Using Coconut Oil…
At the very least, it is clear that coconut is not bad for you and that there is a significant difference between the saturated fat in coconuts and the saturated fat in animals. It appears to be a powerful natural health remedy.
Also, there appears to be strong evidence that coconuts are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory. It has also been shown to have only beneficial effects on people’s weight loss and heart health efforts. Therefore, we support the use of coconut oil…for health as well as taste. Thanks to its high smoking point (a minimum of 350 degrees), coconut oil is a great choice for cooking. This is a culinary way of saying that you can saute and bake with coconut oil and not worry about it turning into a trans-fat before your eyes. Best of all, the ability of coconut oil to remain stable for years makes it a good choice for the kitchen of most homes.
So pick up a bottle of coconut oil today. Just be sure to choose organic, virgin coconut oil that is unrefined, unbleached, made without heat processing or chemicals, and is non-GMO. We are sure that after a few days with this outstanding oil, you’ll be loco for coconut, too!
About the Author
Occupation: Natural Health Writer Reviews natural health therapies that have been proven to be both safe and effective and are backed by good science — multiple double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized studies. There are many charlatans who make bogus claims in the natural health area, so the goal of this is to separate fact from fiction to pinpoint what actually works. See more at http://www.naturalhealthsherpa.com