What’s the 411 on coconut oil?
I know that some people are touting coconut oil and its benefits, and I see the shelf space devoted to coconut oil at Whole Foods go from zero to a couple of shelves. What’s up with that?
Obviously, of course, any hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil is bad, bad, bad. These are the trans fats, to be avoided at all costs. But unhydrogenated coconut oil (which would then have to be refrigerated after opening)? Is it really good?
My Healthy Way reading materials proclaim its benefits, and I found this report by Diana Parsell in Science News:
It’s been an article of faith in the medical community for more than 40 years that diets high in saturated fats put people at risk of heart disease. Most saturated fats boost blood concentrations of harmful, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and lead to the buildup of plaque in arteries. So researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health were “surprised” by the results of a new study showing exactly the opposite effect in a group of postmenopausal women.
Dariush Mozaffarian and his colleagues examined the daily diets and coronary artery conditions of 235 U.S. women. The women’s average age was 66 at the beginning of the 3-year study, and all had some plaque buildup at that time.
The scientists took X-ray images at 10 places along each woman’s heart arteries at the start and end of the study. The women all provided comprehensive records of what foods they ate and how much, including details such as the kinds of oils used for frying and baking.
The researchers analyzed the women’s intake of various nutrients in relation to plaque buildup during the study, adjusting for factors such as age, education, smoking habits, and use of medication. The X-rays after 3 years showed that those women who had regularly eaten the highest amounts of saturated fats had the least amount of additional plague buildup in their arteries.
The women who ate more saturated fat also had a healthier balance of good and bad cholesterols, as well as more desirable blood concentrations of various kinds of fats.
The body needs a variety of dietary fats for energy, for proper functioning of the body, and for processing the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. But excessive saturated fat can increase blood cholesterol, which circulates through the body in molecules called lipoproteins. When cholesterol builds up on the lining of blood vessels—a condition known as atherosclerosis—it constricts blood flow and can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Saturated fats come from meat and dairy products, as well as oils in some tropical plants such as coconut and palm trees.
The Harvard researchers also examined the women’s carbohydrate intake in relation to plaque progression. The women with the highest amounts of carbohydrates in their diets over the 3 years had the most plaque buildup. This was especially evident among women who ate a lot of low-fiber carbohydrates and those who had less physical activity.
Mozaffarian says the results, published in the November American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement of diets that advocate eating high amounts of fats and avoiding carbohydrates.
The outcome does support the advice of nutritionists who argue that people should be careful about what kind of carbohydrates they eat, he adds. “The women [in the study] who ate carbs in the form of whole-wheat grains did fine,” he says. “The problem was with women who ate highly-refined carbohydrates.”
An important distinction in this study, Mozaffarian cautions, is that the participants weren’t typical in a number of ways.
For one thing, all the women were …
Does anyone have links to authoritative (scientific or medical) sources of information on the nutritional characteristics of coconut oil and whether it should be included in a healthful diet?
If you really want to see a hydrogenated horror show, check out the ingredients on the back of a frozen Pillsbury pie shell crust. There are multiple hydrogenated oils, among which is “hydrogenated LARD”!
Jeff
7 June 2010 at 10:41 am
Yeah, it’s hard to find lard that’s not hydrogenated. They hydrogenate so that it won’t spoil so it can sit on the shelf without refrigeration. True lard is a wonderful fat—especially the leaf lard from around the pig’s kidneys and inside the loin. Great stuff and a very good fat to use in biscuits, pie crusts, and the like. And, indeed, in perfume making: absorbs odors like a champ with very little odor of its own.
LeisureGuy
7 June 2010 at 10:52 am
Here is the information from a reliable source http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2
Boy if it’s saturated fat you want then go for coconut oil as it’s packed with it. Some personal observations:
Coconut Oil is completely devoid in Vitamins and Minerals but that’s really no biggie I guess.
The inflammation properties are right off the charts like 1,800…Wow ! I have never seen numbers so high but then I don’t really look at the saturated fat oils that much. it’s used in many candies and ice creams.
Just for argument sake I went and looked up Lard as well and the differences between the 2 are incredible http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fats-and-oils/483/2
The inflammation factor on lard is a surprising 42 or mildly inflammatory and the coconut oil is a ridiculously high 1,800 or a highly inflammatory saturated fat compared to lard.
It just goes to show what my Tech director always mentions when in doubt eat the whole rather than the refined. Still the coconut oil seems to be a definite joint inflammation or arthritis builder…
totally agree with the refined Carb thing, Saturated fats from meat are OK and important for the body, more so if you live in cold climates…but all in moderation …as “they” always say
Hope this helps …
nick
7 June 2010 at 11:41 am
I was astonished at the inflammatory characteristics of coconut oil. Fat people should avoid that like the plague, since fat also causes inflammation.
Just for curiosity, I looked up the inflammatory characteristics of turmeric, which I know from other sources is a strong anti-inflammatory. Here’s what I found.
That’s a great reference source. Thanks for pointing it out, Nick.
LeisureGuy
7 June 2010 at 12:10 pm
wow…a complete reversal on the Turmeric, now that’s a spice we can all take advantage of, it’s curious but I heard from a nutritionist that in order to get that maximum anti oxidant load from Turmeric you have to activate it by combining it with black pepper as the trigger to release the full benefits.
Having been to India a number of times it certainly shows on the people that all those delicious Curries are reaping with turmeric and they are like tooth pics in relation to BMI (body mass index)
I love Turmeric (great in a lamb marinade or turkey burgers) and it’s to bad that in the stores the price has shot up so much for the little spice bottles of it. Next time i am in the states I am going to try and get it in Bulk.
Glad you liked the link LG…I really like it too. They source from the USDA nutritional analysis tests and the USDA does have our money to run all the tests they want.
I hope that the link will help for all you dieters and nutritionally conscious people out there, that are not convinced by the nutritional fact sheet information on the back of many food labels (they are allowed a 20% margin of variation or error by the FDA food label guidelines)
To get back to the Coconut Oil, whats the big deal…? I don’t know but the nutritional facts stand on their own …don’t they ?
I would use it sparingly and probably won’t be going off and buying it tomorrow. Bottom line is that it’s a nut and has no antioxidants and will go rancid quite quickly, so keep it refrigerated and buy in small quantities hoping that what you get hasn’t been sitting in a warehouse or on a boat for to long.
nick
7 June 2010 at 12:58 pm
As inflammatory as coconut oil is, and as much as inflammation is linked to a variety of diseases and problems, I’ll avoid coconut oil like the plague.
I like the USDA Nutrition Database, but it’s user interface is abysmal. The site you offer is MUCH better.
LeisureGuy
7 June 2010 at 1:38 pm
Hey that’s a great piece of information you gave me about the USDA user interface being so abysmal.
I happen to be in contact with Dr. George and his team. Dr George Inglett PHD, is the head honcho of the Functional Foods Research Unit at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research for the U. S. Department of Agriculture, (USDA/ARS)
I am going to mention (crediting you) what you just said, to his associate and recommend that he lobby the powers that be to change over to a more user friendly format.
Dr. George has been a real breath of fresh air for us in the industry as he comes from private industry and understands the values of functional whole foods in healthful metabolism. I am working with him in establishing real parameters on that seed that I so often talk about
Thanks for bringing that up
nick
7 June 2010 at 3:14 pm
It would be totally wonderful if they got someone who really understands user interaction design (hint: not a programmer) and did serious usability testing on the prototypes. It would make an ENORMOUS difference in the use of the site.
If I were him, I would also hire someone to build an iPhone app with interface to the database. The more visibility the agency has—and the more that people use the information it provides—the better for them, for us, for everyone.
Michael
LeisureGuy
7 June 2010 at 3:46 pm
That’s a very good idea and will mention it to him.
I wonder if healthy and heart smart S. Jobs would be interested in helping to store and offer the server space. This could be super for all the iphone user – grocery shoppers as the site could offer much more information and often much more truthful than food nutrition fact labels on the packages…like some cereals packed with sugar saying are good for the immune system …
nick
7 June 2010 at 4:25 pm