Distinguishing between true health benefits and food fads can be tricky. Where do you look for the information that will tell you if the miracle food your friends and neighbors are raving about will really do you any good? How, for example, can you find out if eating coconut really will help your health? We don’t have the definitive answer, but we have made a start.
What Are the Health Benefits?
Q. I’m confused about the health benefits, or lack thereof, from coconut products. Are they helpful or harmful?
Worries about Saturated Fat:
A. For years nutrition experts warned that coconut oil contained saturated fat and therefore would raise cholesterol and put people at risk for heart disease. That is why people were warned against eating coconut or cooking with coconut oil.
How Much Does Cholesterol Matter?
A study published in the BMJ (April 12, 2016) questions the entire diet-heart hypothesis. A reanalysis of data collected between 1968 and 1973 found that people eating corn oil in place of saturated fat did have lower cholesterol, but they were no less likely to have heart attacks. If anything, the people on the low sat-fat diet were more likely to show signs of a heart attack at autopsy.
How Does Coconut Affect Cholesterol?
Coconut oil appears to raise good HDL cholesterol and lower triglycerides. A Brazilian study published last year found that giving it to people with heart disease helped them reduce their waist circumference and raise their beneficial HDL cholesterol (Nutricion Hospitalaria, Nov. 1, 2015). All of that seems pretty helpful.
Other Benefits:
There are other potential health benefits from this food. It may help control blood sugar (Indian Journal of Pharmacology, May-June, 2010).
Alzheimer’s Disease:
One review suggests that coconut oil might be beneficial against Alzheimer’s disease (British Journal of Nutrition, July 14, 2015). Presumably, the medium-chain fatty acids found in the oil provide energy to a brain that is no longer adept at metabolizing sugar. We wouldn’t expect miracles, but including some in a diet full of vegetables (vegetable curry, anyone?) seems sensible. When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, it is very likely that a multi-pronged approach tailored to each individual will offer the best results. To learn more, listen to our one-hour interview with Dr. Dale Bredesen.
