No doubt you’ve heard the commotion about coconut oil recently.
Initially, the bad press sprouted after the American Heart Association released a study arguing that vegetable oils are healthier than animal fats. This, very confusingly, was used to “prove” coconut oil was bad. Go figure. As we discussed here, the claims were flimsy (and confused) and our stance remains that saturated fats are an important part of a healthy balanced diet. As our mate David Gillespie said, “The real evidence is damning – Saturated Fat (no matter the source) is ALWAYS a better choice than vegetable oil.”
Now, more data has been released questioning the benefits of coconut oil – this time claiming that much of its hype is due to embellishments made by the health industry about its medium-chain fatty acid content (MCFAs).
Before we address the specific details of these new reports, here’s a quick recap on MCFAs for you…
- Medium-chain fatty acids, or medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are smaller than most fatty acids and are able to penetrate into cells easily. Unlike long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) which are stored as fat in the body, MCTs are transported to the liver and able to be more readily used as energy.
- Coconut oil is also nature’s richest source of MCTs, 50 per cent of which is lauric acid. This is important because firstly, MCTs are proven to assist metabolism and burn fat, and lauric acid specifically is vital for a healthy immune system.
So, why the bad press?
Put simply, research conducted by Marie-Pierre St-Onge (way back in 2003), illustrated that noshing on MCFAs and cooking with them could assist in fat burning. Sounds pretty simple so far, right?
But, she also went on to say that coconut oil only contains 14 per cent MCFAs and the participants in her studies were given a 100 per cent MCFA formula so the same benefits she discovered don’t translate to coconut oil.
Cause for worry? Or skepticism?
We’re not sure where St-Onge pulled this 14 per cent number from, but there is a plethora of more recent research supporting that coconut oil is an abundant source of MCFAs. In fact, most sources agree that coconut oil contains 65 per cent MCFAs.
On top of that, the suggestion that the health industry may have taken the data from her limited studies (she studied 24 men and 17 women respectively) to spruik coconut oil is unlikely given the abundance of science that continues to support its benefits.
As we’ve mentioned (several times before, in fact), coconut oil is stable to cook with, it helps curb cravings and aid digestion, it’s anti-inflammatory, antiviral and it’s also a great moisturiser when applied topically to the skin!
The moral of the story? As was proven by the recent AHA report stating that vegetable oils are safer than animal fats, take these new claims with a grain of sugar. And don’t be afraid to enjoy coconut oil, in moderation, as part of a healthy balanced diet.
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