Coconut Oil – what’s the truth?
Nutritionist Grace Scott MSc BSc
If anyone (like me) uses social media will most definitely have seen coconut oil advocated in one or many of its forms; skin moisturisers, lotion bars, make up remover, shaving cream the list goes on! More interestingly though, the number of influential characters on these sites that promote the use of coconut oil in cooking has reached an all-time high. These include fitness models, personal trainers, chefs and self-proclaimed nutritionists. Why is this a problem?
Despite its growing use and appearance in the media, the majority of health based claims made about coconut oils are based on simple laboratory or animal studies and not those carried out on humans. In its purest form, coconut oil contains 91.9% saturated fat (75% of which raises total cholesterol and LDL), compared to 52% saturated fat in butter. As we know, the vast majority of cardiovascular problems stem from a bad diet, namely high-fat diets loaded with saturated and Trans fats. Guidelines state that we should consume no more than 11% of our calories from saturated fats, yet consumption of just 2tbs of coconut oil means many of us exceed our daily allowance.
But isn’t coconut oil high in medium-chain triacylglycerol’s (MCTs)? This is true, coconut oil contains lauric acid, an MCT which is claimed to be more satiating and easily absorbed fat with health benefits. Despite this, coconut oil is only made up of ~45-48% MCT, which makes me question the rest of its composition. Similarly, studies that report health benefits such as weight loss following coconut oil consumption have only been carried out on small cohorts of people over short periods; hardly results that I would rely on as significant!
The take away message for you is that the health benefits that many associate with coconut oil consumption may actually be down to a number of lifestyle choices made by a person; generally, the choice to purchase an expensive ‘health-promoting’ item like coconut oil is likely to be by a person who is already conscious of their health.
References:
https://www.nutrition.org.uk/attachments/113_Culinary%20oils%20and%20their%20health%20effects.pdf
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nbu.12188/epdf
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