Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: A Healthy Fat Rediscovered
from "Healthy Buzz" The Latest on Health and Nutrition Volume 6; Issue 4. A publication of The Vitamin Shoppe
Butter, coconut oil, and animal fats have nourished human beings for several thousands of years. Unfortunately in modern times, low fat mantra has relegated these healthy foods to the sidelines of culinary custom, replaced by concoctions of very questionable nutritional value. Nearly all commercial foods today avoid saturated fats and instead rely on polyunsaturated or partially hydrogenated vegetable fats.
Only recently have certain scientists of independent thinking refuted the studies done in the 1950's. This was a fundamental flaw that is now obvious to us today. However, in earlier times, differentiating between types of fats apparently was not thought to be as important. The early research on which our dietary myths are now based, concluded all fat to be bad--saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. We now know that not all fats are equal and that some fats are indeed health-promoting.
Extra virgin coconut oil is among the healthiest, most versatile, unprocessed dietary oils. It contains medium chain triglycerides (MCT's) that the body metabolizes quickly, converting the fats to energy rather than storing them as fat. Extra virgin coconut oil is a stable, healthy saturated fat that does not elevate undesirable LDL-cholesterol.
Epidemiologic Evidence of Coconut Oil for Heart Health
A well-respected author on coconut oil, Bruce Fife, N.D. has said, "One of the biggest criticisms about coconut oil is that it's a saturated fat and causes or contributes in some way to heart disease. However, when you go to the coconut growing regions of the world, you find that those people who eat the most coconut and coconut oil have the lowest rate of heart disease in the world.
"in Sri Lanka, people there eat the equivalent of about 120 coconuts a year. They use the coconut oil in all of their cooking and yet their death rate from heart disease is about one of every thousand. This compares to the United States, where nearly half the population suffers from heart disease, and we basically eat no coconut oil at all.
"Another interesting piece of research occurred with the island studies of Pukapuka and Tokelau, located in the South Pacific. Researchers studied the entire population of these islands--they studied the food they ate and their health. They found that up to 60 percent of the islander's total calories came from fat and 50 percent from saturated fat, primarily from coconuts. The researchers stated that there was no evidence in these people of heart disease," stated Fife.
Promising Metabolic Aid for Weight Management
A study conducted in Yucatan, where coconut oil is a staple, showed that metabolic rates of people living there were 25 percent higher than in comparable test subjects living in the United States. Increased metabolic rate is a key to healthy weight management and could account for the leanness of people living in areas where coconut oil is consumed on a daily basis.
Simply explained, most oils from animal and vegetable sources contain long-chain fatty acids (LCFA's), whereas extra virgin coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). This means that the fatty acids in coconut oil are not packaged into lipoproteins and do not circulate in the bloodstream like other fats. Instead they are sent directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy and burned off in the form of calories. In fact, numerous studies have shown that replacing LCFA with MCFA, in both animals and humans, results in a marked decrease in weight gain and reduction in fat deposition.
Coconut oil yields fewer calories than any other oil and its MCFAs, unlike the LCFAs in vegetable oils, actually speed up the metabolism so one can more efficiently utilize those calories. when you consume coconut oil, not only are MCFAs burned off as calories but some LCFAs are burned off as well. This means you don't necessarily have to reduce healthy fat intake in order to control body fat.
Promotes Smooth and Supple Skin
Extra virgin coconut oil is also quite adept at protecting your skin from the harmful effects of the sun. In Polynesia, where people are out in the hot tropical sun constantly, especially when traveling on the open water, they put coconut oil on the skin ever single day. The oil protects them from the sun's radiation. This is why coconut oil is a common ingredient in commercial sunscreens.
Naturally Occurring Antimicrobial Compounds
Extra virgin coconut oil, rich in lauric acid (50-55 percent), capric and caprylic acids has tremendous antiviral and antifungal properties. In the body, lauric acid converts into monolaurin, a compound that is adept at fighting viral pathogens and is also present in large quantities in breast milk, where it protects infants from viral, bacterial and parasitic infections.
The medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) in coconut oil also have notable antifungal properties important for those with Candida and other fungal-related infections. Caprylic acid, a MCFA found in coconut oil, is one of the most potent, natural yeast-fighting agents. Capric acid, another MCFA in coconut oil, has similar beneficial functions when it is formed into monocaprin in the human body. Monocaprin has been shown to have significant antiviral effects.
Aroma and Taste Says it All
Apart from its healthful benefits, the aroma and taste alone is enough to convince anyone to use extra virgin coconut oil. Most coconut oils today are produced using a refining, bleaching, and deodorizing process. Extra virgin coconut oil is made from fresh coconut milk in a traditional fermentation process that retains all of the vital nutrients for optimal health.
Unsaturated oils go rancid in a fairly short time, imparting a stale odor and taste. When tested, extra virgin coconut oil, stored at room temperature for a year, showed no signs of rancidity. In fact, extra virgin coconut oil has a relatively long shelf life. Of greatest interest is its ability to withstand wide temperature ranges during cooking, without the oxidizing effects that occur with other plant-based oils. Extra virgin coconut oil truly does taste and smell like fresh coconut.
Source: Total Health Magazine
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