For the last five decades the conventional wisdom held that saturated fat in food would clog coronary arteries. That’s why coconut oil was generally on the prohibited list. It’s no wonder this reader was confused and asked a question that may interest you.
Q. About 15 years ago I was told I had high cholesterol. I have been taking simvastatin and fish oil since then. At that time I was told to eat nothing with palm kernel oil or coconut oil.
I have heard recently, though, that coconut oil is healthy. Is this true? Is it safe for me to eat products that contain coconut oil?
A. The prohibition of coconut oil was based on its high content of saturated fat. It seemed logical to conclude that saturated fat would clog arteries and cause heart disease. After all, the prevailing belief has been that any source of saturated fat would raise bad LDL cholesterol levels and that this would lead to atherosclerosis.
New Data Contradict Old Beliefs:
The trouble is that new data suggest that the old theories on heart disease may be outmoded. Here are links to some contradictory research:
Saturated Fat Not Linked to Cardiovascular Calamity
No Evidence Found Linking Saturated Fat Consumption to Heart Disease
Saturated Fat in Diet Didn’t Raise Fat in Blood
Has Flip-Flop on Saturated Fat Made Your Head Spin?
Perhaps the biggest challenge to the old diet-heart hypothesis was published in April, 2016, in the BMJ. The Minnesota Coronary Experiment was one of the most fascinating studies in recent memory to test the saturated fat story. Here is a link to the results. In a nutshell, the people consuming corn oil instead of saturated fat lowered their cholesterol levels but did not lower their risk of developing coronary heart disease or improving their odds of living longer.
What About Coconut Oil?
A review published a few years ago, however, suggested that the evidence supporting any link between coconut oil and heart risk was flimsy (Advances in Nutrition, May, 2013). The author points to analyses showing that coconut oil has health benefits, such as raising good HDL cholesterol more than LDL.
A review of the research finds that coconut oil consumption may actually have cardiovascular benefits (Postgraduate Medicine, online March 13, 2015). The authors acknowledge that there is not adequate evidence to make firm recommendations, but they note:
“Virgin coconut oil may have a role to play in reducing the risk of CVD, thereby aiding in controlling the rising global burden of this noncommunicable disease.”
Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol:
We offer a range of strategies to lower blood cholesterol levels in our Guide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health. We don’t imagine it would be healthy to gorge on coconut and products containing coconut oil, but it seems you need not be strict about avoiding them completely.
Do keep in mind that coconut products may bind the bowels. While this can be useful if one is suffering from relentless diarrhea (as we have written), too much of a good thing could lead to uncomfortable constipation. Here too moderation is the key.
Other Benefits of Coconut Oil:
A video went viral on the internet several years ago. In it, a woman doctor explains how she dosed her husband with virgin coconut oil and reversed his Alzheimer’s disease. Needless to say, that got a lot of attention. There is only a little research on the possible benefit of coconut oil for the brain, but you can read what we wrote about it here. A randomized controlled trial found some evidence that coconut oil might alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and lead to improved cognitive performance (Nutricion Hospitalaria, Dec., 2015).
Revised by Joe Graedon on August 18, 2016
