Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for
being anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal. Coconut oil is also being used by
thyroid sufferers to increase body metabolism, and to lose weight. Virgin coconut
oil is also used for making natural soaps and other health products, as it is one of
the healthiest things one can put on their skin.
At one time coconut oil received
negative press in the US because of its high level of saturated fat. However, modern
research has shown that not all saturated fats are alike and that the fatty acids in
coconut oil, the medium chain triglycerides, do not raise serum cholesterol or
contribute to heart disease, but are in fact very healthy. Also, some negative
studies done on coconut oil in the past was done on hydrogenated coconut oil, which
has been altered from its original form. Other studies have clearly shown that
traditional Asian cultures that eat significant amounts of coconut in their diet do
not suffer from modern diseases seen in western cultures that promote a low-fat
diet.
Much research on the nutritional and medicinal benefits on coconut oil has
surfaced in recent years. Much of that research has been done by Dr. Mary Enig. Dr.
Enig has classified coconuts as a "functional food," which provides health
benefits over and beyond the basic nutrients. She has specifically identified lauric
acid as a key ingredient in coconut products:
"Approximately 50% of the fatty
acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid,
which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the
human or animal body. Monolaurin is the anti-viral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal
monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as
HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including
listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia.
Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric
acid."
As a "functional food," coconut oil is now being recognized by the
medical community as a powerful tool against immune diseases. Several studies have
been done on its effectiveness, and much research is currently being done on the
incredible nutritional value of pure coconut oil. Please go to coconutoil.com
to read about these studies.
Coconut Oil: A Dietary Hero Misidentified as a
Culprit
After years of having been a victim of mistaken identity, coconut oil is
finally having its reputation cleared. Along with its tropical-oil cousins, palm oil
and palm kernel oil, coconut oil was long considered a prime suspect in potentially
lethal heart disease. After a relentless campaign drummed up against it by the
"food police" at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), this vital,
upstanding nutrient was 'run out of town' by dietitians. But it turns out that the
case against it was based on tainted evidence - even while the real cardiovascular
culprits, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, were permitted until quite
recently to go on robbing us of our collective health.
As has happened with other
wrongfully accused suspects, more sophisticated and comprehensive research has
finally uncovered the truth - that the charge that this naturally saturated fat
posed a hazard to our hearts was based on a misinterpretation of four-decade-old
animal studies. Those studies, as Dr. Robert Atkins points out, actually used
coconut oil that had been artificially hydrogenated, resulting in a molecular
distortion of fatty acids that converted them into harmful trans fats which raised
blood-cholesterol levels. In actuality, Pacific islanders who regularly use coconut
oil as a dietary staple have an extremely low rate of heart disease.
In fact, far
from being a threat to our cardiovascular systems, it turns out that coconut oil is
actually a life-saver. That's because it's a prime source of a key
disease-fighting substance lauric acid the same one found in mother's milk that
helps protect newborns against a broad range of pathogens (and, in fact, is now
regarded as an important immune-booster for AIDS patients). In addition, various
studies have shown heart patients recovering after being fed coconut oil, as is
noted by Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., an internationally renowned nutritionist/biochemist
who is a staunch advocate of coconut oil's benefits.
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