COCONUT OIL: HEALTH

EFFECTS
Heli J. Roy, PhD, MBA, RD
LSU AgCenter
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Introduction
• Coconut oil comes from the
meat of matured coconuts
harvested from the coconut
palm. It is used in food,
medicine and in the industry.
Coconut oil is high in
saturated fat content, and
because of it, it has a long
self-life.
Fat and fatty acids in human health
Fat is an important component of the diet:
• It is used for making many hormones
• It protects our nerves and internal organs as a thermal
covering
• It is essential for growth
• Some fatty acids are essential, we must get them from the diet, and
they are used to make important compounds for growth and in
metabolism
• It is used for energy
Fatty Acids
• Not all fats are created equal.
• There are three types of fatty acids:
• Short-chain fatty acids
• Medium-chain fatty acids
• Long-chain fatty acids
• Because of the various lengths of the fatty acids, they are
digested and metabolized differently.
What’s the difference?
Fatty acid type Coconut oil Corn oil

Medium chain 63% None

Long chain saturated 30% 20%
Long chain unsaturated 7% 80%

The major difference between these oils

and how they behave in the body is due
to the different fatty acid compositions.
Difference in absorption and use
• Short-chain fatty acids are formed in the intestines by
friendly bacteria and are rapidly metabolized by the
intestinal cells.
• Medium-chain fatty acids are absorbed and transported
directly to the liver where they are burned for energy.
• Long-chain fatty acids are turned into triglycerides and
then are taken up by cells and used for energy or are
stored.
• Bile from the gallbladder is needed to digest long chain fatty acids.
Long chain saturated fatty acids
• Mainly from animal sources, also from some plants
• Makes blood vessels less pliable
• Increases heart disease risk
• Increases diabetes risk
• Increases blood pressure
• Increases LDL
• Increases triglycerides
• Increases inflammation
• Reduces HDL
Long chain unsaturated omega-6 fatty acids
• From vegetable oils (corn, soybean, safflower)
• Tend to promote inflammation
• Tend to promote chronic diseases (cancer, high blood
pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease)
• Lowers LDL
• Essential fatty acids for humans
Long chain unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids
• From plants and seafood
• Most heart healthy
• Reduces platelet stickiness
• Dilates blood vessels
• Reduces blood pressure
• Reduces LDL cholesterol
• Increases HDL
• Reduces triglycerides
• Has essential fatty acids for humans
Medium chain triglycerides
• Are used for source of fat in malabsorption conditions such as
IBS,and ulcerative colitis, and in infant formulas. It is also used
to increase the energy intake in cystic fibrosis patients.
• Affects hormone release from intestines differently than LCFA’s
• Inhibits bacterial and virus growth
• Reduces LDL and increases HDL
• Reduces abdominal fat
• Increases fat burning
• Not stored in adipose tissue
• Reduces cholesterol synthesis by the liver
• Does not provide essential fatty acids
Benefits of Coconut oil
• Coconut oil contains antioxidants such as vitamin E,
provitamin A, polyphenols and phytosterols.
• Because coconut oil has a lot of medium-chain fatty acids
it can be useful for malabsorption conditions.
• May have some antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal
properties.
• May help support the immune system.
• Maintains coagulation factors and therefore does not
increase heart disease risk.
• Reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
• Best result (i.e. reducing heart disease risk) is obtained
when combined with safflower, corn, or olive oil.
What happens if…
• You replace vegetable oils (soy, corn, canola, olive) with
coconut oil?
• Vegetables oils contain more of the healthful fats (polyunsaturated
and monounsaturated) that prevent heart disease and they have
essential fatty acids.
• Replacing all healthful fats with coconut oil is not prudent since
coconut oil does not provide any essential fatty acids.
• Will receive benefits from the other healthful components in
coconut oil (phytosterols etc).
• American Heart Association recommends that only 7% of total daily
calories come from saturated fat.
Coconut Oil in Cooking
• Coconut oil is used in cooking
because it:
• Has a higher burning point.
• Doesn’t go bad as quickly as some
other fats.
• Adds a nutty, vanilla-like flavor to
foods.
• Is solid at room temperature and can
be used in cooking and baking.
• Is used by certain cultures as the
main cooking oil.
Photo by Amy Selleck, Flickr
Conclusions
• Can use virgin
coconut oil
prudently.
• Does not seem to
increase heart
disease risk.
• Is safe to use in
small amounts.
• Can add flavor to
cultural foods.
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