Cooking with coconut oil – nectar or poison?

Praseetha Koyadan Chathoth

BNYS

 

Coconut oil, one of the oldest recorded sources of vegetable oil was used as a vital source for health & general wellbeing since ages. Coconut oil was recently replaced or considered unhealthy. How can, once a highly valued world widely used commodity, coconut oil considered unhealthy?

 

This misunderstanding started in the 1980s when the American Soya Bean Association proclaimed that coconut oil was saturated fat and could cause heart attacks and other related health problems. A negative campaign against saturated fats in general, and the tropical oils in particular, led to most food manufacturers abandoning coconut oil in recent years in favor of hydrogenated polyunsaturated oils. A detailed study on coconut oil is necessary to determine whether it can be blamed for the increased incidence of heart attacks and other health related problems.

 

Coconut or cocosnucifera is the largest cultivated palm originated from South Asia. Coconut derived its name from the Portuguese word coco, which means monkey face, as they found resemblance of a monkeys face in the three markings at the nut of the coconut. In Sanskrit the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha. It is mainly cultivated in tropical regions. It is classified as a “functional food” because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content.

"Coconut oil is the healthiest oil on earth" says Dr. Bruce Fife, a naturopathic doctor in his book ‘coconut oil miracle’. The real fact about coconut oil makes every individual think the same. Coconut oil is a saturated fat made from the dried meat of coconut. It has its application in cooking, medicine and other industrial uses. Coconut oil is very heat stable so it makes an excellent cooking and frying oil. It has a smoke point of about 360 °F(180ºC) Because of its high  saturated fat content once it was considered unhealthy, but now it is known that the fat content in coconut oil is unique and different from other fats and posses many health giving properties.

 

Saturated fats in coconut oil

                      

                                “Fat doesn’t always make you fat”

 

It is a myth to believe that the consumption of fat always make a person fat. Fats provide concentrated source of energy. A certain amount of fat is necessary in every individual’s life. Saturated fats are classified as short-(C2-C6), medium- (C8-C12) and long- (C14-C24) 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. These types of fatty acids are less likely to cause obesity and heart problems because they are immediately used by the body and have no opportunity to be stored.

 

 

 

Medium chain fats in coconut oil

 

It is the medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil that make it different from all other fats and gives it its unique character and healing properties. The medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil are not easily stored as fat but are actually utilized for energy production. They boost the body's metabolic rate and promote weight loss. The medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil disrupt the lipid membranes of many of the following organisms: influenza, measles, HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, strep, gonorrhea, heliobacter pylori, salmonella, clostridium botulinum, yeasts and even ringworm. They accelerates the metabolic rate activity and hence the healing process of the impaired tissues. The Medium chain fatty acids penetrate the skin and remove impurities hence they are useful in treating acne. The best source of medium chain fatty acids is coconut oil. By adding coconut oil to your diet you can literally eat your way to better health.

 

Types of coconut oil

 

Today coconut oil is available in various types.

• Refined coconut oil: This type of coconut oil is extracted from copra meat and then crushed to produce the crude oil. It is refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD).With this the oil becomes tasteless, colorless and odorless. Mainly used for cooking.
• Virgin coconut oil: This type of coconut oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat. This is also called as raw coconut oil.
•  Hydrogenated coconut oil: This is a chemical process where hydrogen gas is forced in to the oil under high pressure. This is done mainly to increase the melting point. This procedure actually converts good fatty acids of the coconut oil into trans-fatty acids. Thus it is better to avoid hydrogenated oil for cooking.
• Fractioned coconut oil: This is the process by which the long chain fatty acids are completely removed from the oil. This is the most stable and has longest shelf life.

 

Lauric acid in coconut oil

Coconut oil is a rich source of Lauric acid, the saturated fatty acid with a 12 carbon atom chain mainly found in breast milk. Lauric acids when converted in to monolaurin inside human body have significant antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasitical activity. Coconut oil contains 42 % to 57% lauric acid. This fact should be of vital interest to anyone who wants to sustain their good health or to those who need to restore a weakened immune system.

 

Capric acid in coconut oil

Capric acid, another coconut's medium-chain fatty acids comprises 7% of coconut oil fat content. Capric acid is transformed into "monocaprin" in the human body. Monocaprin have antiviral effects against HIV and is being tested for its antiviral effects against herpes simplex and antibacterial effects against chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases.

 

Thyroid stimulating effect of coconut oil

Coconut oil is a proven thyroid stimulator Coconut oil increases the body’s metabolism, aiding the thyroid. This produces increased energy and encourages weight loss. The cholesterol-lowering properties of coconut oil are a direct result of its ability to stimulate thyroid function. In the presence of adequate thyroid hormone, cholesterol (specifically LDL-cholesterol) is converted by enzymatic processes to the vitally necessary anti-aging steroids, pregnenolone, progesterone and DHEA. These substances are required to help prevent heart disease, senility, obesity, cancer and other diseases associated with aging and chronic degenerative diseases.

 

Other health benefits of coconut oil

• Aids digestion: Coconut oil helps in improving the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome
• Pancreatitis: Coconut oil is also believed to be useful in treating pancreatitis
• Kidney: Coconut oil helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases. It also helps in dissolving kidney stones.
• Bones:  Coconut oil improves the ability of our body to absorb important minerals. These include calcium and magnesium which are necessary for development of bones. Thus coconut oil is very useful to women who are prone to osteoporosis after middle age.
• Dental Care: Coconut oil facilitates absorption of calcium by the body and helps in maintaining strong teeth. Coconut oil also stops tooth decay.
• Skin: Coconut oil has antioxidant characteristics that stop excessive free-radical activity and promotes younger-looking skin and hair.
• Diabetes: Medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil are easily broken down and converted into nutrients that are helpful in the functionality of the cells and  insulin and cell performance.
• Dementia: It is seen that people who consume coconut oil showed better brain activity among dementia patients.
• Arthritis: Medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil helps in heal and repair of damaged tissues.
• Constipation: Coconut oil aids in digestion and helps relieve constipation.
• Cancer: Coconut oil is an effective antioxidant and prevents the formation of harmful free radicals. Using coconut oil for cooking reduces the chances of developing cancer.
• Eye care: Coconut oil due to its antioxidant property it is highly useful in treating cataract, discoloration of eyes. External application of the oil is helpful in removing dark circles.

 

The real culprits

If coconut oil is a healthy choice then who are the real culprits?

The studies which were conducted on coconut oil to prove it as unhealthy were carried on hydrogenated coconut oil and not natural coconut oil. The negative campaign against coconut oil paved way for hydrogenated oils, one of the most health damaging dietary oils in existence. These hydrogenated replacements contain as much saturated fat as coconut oils. But these replacements are not made from easily digested medium-chain fatty acids but are composed of toxic trans fatty acids. These toxic entities that enter cell membranes block utilization of essential fatty acids and impede cell functionality. They also cause a rise in blood cholesterol. These substances are not present in natural coconut oil.

 

Proper selection of oil is necessary for the efficiency of the machine. The same way proper selection of oil in diet helps an individual to live healthier. Awareness is the first step to better health. With these wonderful properties with no doubt we can say that “Coconut oil is nectar not poison.”