Coconut oil is widely marketed as super food.
The unique combination of fatty acids in coconut oil may have a positive effect on your health, such as increasing fat loss, heart health, and brain function.
Here are 5 health benefits based on coconut oil.
1. Contains healthy fatty acids
Coconut oil is high in certain saturated fats. These fats have different effects on the body compared to most other dietetic fats.
The fatty acids in coconut oil can encourage your body to burn fat, and provide fast energy to your body and brain. They also raise HDL (good) cholesterol in their blood, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Most dietary fats are classified as long chain triglycerides (LCTs), while coconut oil contains some middle-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are shorter fatty acid chains.
When you eat MCTs, they tend to go directly to your liver. Your body uses them as a fast source of energy or converts them into ketones.
The ketones can have powerful benefits for their brain, and researchers are studying ketones as a treatment for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions.
2. May boost heart health
Coco is an uncommon food in the Western world, with people who conscious of health are the main consumers.
However, in some parts of the world, coconut, which is loaded with coconut oil, is a dietary diet that people have prospered for generations.
For example, a 1981 study noted that the town of Tokelau, a chain of islands in the South Pacific, obtained more than 60% of its calories from the coconuts. Researchers reported not only good general health, but also very low rates of heart disease.
The village of Kitavan in Papua New Guinea also eats a lot of coconut, along with tubers, fruits and fish, and have little stroke or heart disease.
3. May encourage fat burning
Obesity is one of the greatest health conditions that affect the Western world today.
While some people think that obesity is just a matter of how many calories someone eats, the source of those calories is also important. Different foods affect your body and hormones in different ways.
The MCT in coconut oil can increase the number of calories that are burned compared to the longest chain fatty acids.
A study found that eating 15-30 grams of MCT per day increased energy spending 24 hours by 5%.
However, these studies did not specifically look at the effects of coconut oil. They examined the effects on the health of MCT, excluding lauric acid, which make up only approximately 14% of coconut oil.
Currently there is not a good evidence to say that eating coconut oil itself will increase the number of calories you spend.
Keep in mind that coconut oil is very high in calories and can easily lead to weight gain if you have eaten it in large quantities.
4. May reduce hunger
One interesting feature of MCTs is that they may reduce hunger.
This may be related to the way your body metabolizes fats, because ketones can reduce a person’s appetite .
In one study, 6 healthy men ate varying amounts of MCTs and LCTs. Those who ate the most MCTs ate fewer calories per day.
Another study in 14 healthy men reported that those who ate the most MCTs at breakfast ate fewer calories at lunch.
These studies were small and had a very short timescale. If this effect were to persist over the long term, it could lead to reduced body weight over several years.
Although coconut oil is one of the richest natural sources of MCTs, there’s no evidence that coconut oil intake reduces appetite more than other oils.
In fact, one study reports that coconut oil is less filling than MCT oil.
5. May protect your skin, hair, and teeth
Coconut oil has many uses that have nothing to do with eating it.
Many people use it for cosmetic purposes to improve the health and appearance of their skin and hair.
Studies show that coconut oil can improve the moisture content of dry skin and reduce the symptoms of eczema.
Coconut oil can also protect against damage to hair. A study shows that it can function as a weak sunscreen, blocking approximately 20% of Sun Ultraviolet (UV) rays.
The oil pull, which involves holding coconut oil in the mouth as a mouthwash, can kill some of the harmful bacteria in the mouth. This can improve dental health and reduce bad breath, although more research is needed.
