Is Saturated Fat In Coconut Good For Your Heart Health?
1363
Health & Fitness > Nutrition
Mar 1, 2007
Chris Chew -
Is Saturated Fat In Coconut Good For Your Heart Health?
You probably know that saturated fats are bad fats that can cause all kinds of heart related diseases. Did you know that and the humble coconut oil has 92% saturated fats? Then why is it that there are many advocates of taking coconut oil as a health supplement? Isn't that contradictory?
Supporters of virgin coconut oil argue that coconut oil helps them to improve skin condition, have more energy and even to lose weight. Huh? consuming saturated fats to lose weight? How is that possible?
These advocates hail the virgin coconut oil as one of the hottest new nutritional supplement to hit the health and nutrition industry in years. This logic flies against conventional wisdom, isn?t it?
Saturated fat and there are plenty of it in coconut oil has been the villain for heart diseases. When hydrogenated vegetable fat (trans fat) was invented like in margarine, it was supposed to replace unhealthy saturated fat like in butter and was thought to be a healthier form of fat only until it was discovered in the last few years that trans fat is more dangerous to your heart health than saturated fat.
It is with this thinking that proponents of coconut fats is now arguing that not all forms of saturated fat may be bad and the coconut oil may be one of them. Dr. Bruce Fife, a US based naturopath and author of ?The Coconut Oil Miracle? remarked during a press conference in Singapore last month, ?Not all saturated fatty acids act in the same way. The fat in coconut oil is different from most other fats and has many health giving properties?.
He further added that, ?The Lauric acid (I coconut oil) boosts immunity, has antioxidant properties and is being investigated in reducing viral load in HIV patients. You should also take into account the size of the carbon chain in the fatty acid. Most of the oils and fats we consume are long?chain fatty acids. Coconut oil is the richest source of medium-chain fatty acids, which actually behave very differently from the long-chain versions.?
?Medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil boost the body?s metabolic rate and promote weight loss. They are broken down immediately in the liver to produce energy and are not stored as fat,? he added.
So is the consumption of coconut fats good or bad for health? It?s very controversial isn?t it?
Let?s hear it from another expert Dr Annie Leong, deputy director of the nutrition department at the Health Promotion Board. ?There is not enough evidence to prove that medium-chain saturated fats can reduce heart risk.?
Nutritionist Anna Jacob argued that, ?Kerala is the coconut capital of India and it also has the highest rates of heart disease. While it is possible to argue that Indians are genetically predisposed to heart disease, but a diet high in saturated fat as well could heighten that risk.?
My question is that since Indians are more prone to heart disease, then the high rates of heart disease should be spread evenly throughout India and not just in Kerala, don?t you think so? Therefore, I am still a little skeptical.
So who is right and who is wrong? So is coconut oil saturated fat good or bad for your heart health? Well, the jury is still out there as far as I am concerned. I for one will make a conscious effort to avoid consuming coconut oil too often until the coconut debate is more conclusive with empirical evidence that the coconut oil is good for heart health. Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer of actors, pageant winners, models and other celebrities. Free Build Muscles Fast Ebook and Personal Trainer Certification
Supporters of virgin coconut oil argue that coconut oil helps them to improve skin condition, have more energy and even to lose weight. Huh? consuming saturated fats to lose weight? How is that possible?
These advocates hail the virgin coconut oil as one of the hottest new nutritional supplement to hit the health and nutrition industry in years. This logic flies against conventional wisdom, isn?t it?
Saturated fat and there are plenty of it in coconut oil has been the villain for heart diseases. When hydrogenated vegetable fat (trans fat) was invented like in margarine, it was supposed to replace unhealthy saturated fat like in butter and was thought to be a healthier form of fat only until it was discovered in the last few years that trans fat is more dangerous to your heart health than saturated fat.
It is with this thinking that proponents of coconut fats is now arguing that not all forms of saturated fat may be bad and the coconut oil may be one of them. Dr. Bruce Fife, a US based naturopath and author of ?The Coconut Oil Miracle? remarked during a press conference in Singapore last month, ?Not all saturated fatty acids act in the same way. The fat in coconut oil is different from most other fats and has many health giving properties?.
He further added that, ?The Lauric acid (I coconut oil) boosts immunity, has antioxidant properties and is being investigated in reducing viral load in HIV patients. You should also take into account the size of the carbon chain in the fatty acid. Most of the oils and fats we consume are long?chain fatty acids. Coconut oil is the richest source of medium-chain fatty acids, which actually behave very differently from the long-chain versions.?
?Medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil boost the body?s metabolic rate and promote weight loss. They are broken down immediately in the liver to produce energy and are not stored as fat,? he added.
So is the consumption of coconut fats good or bad for health? It?s very controversial isn?t it?
Let?s hear it from another expert Dr Annie Leong, deputy director of the nutrition department at the Health Promotion Board. ?There is not enough evidence to prove that medium-chain saturated fats can reduce heart risk.?
Nutritionist Anna Jacob argued that, ?Kerala is the coconut capital of India and it also has the highest rates of heart disease. While it is possible to argue that Indians are genetically predisposed to heart disease, but a diet high in saturated fat as well could heighten that risk.?
My question is that since Indians are more prone to heart disease, then the high rates of heart disease should be spread evenly throughout India and not just in Kerala, don?t you think so? Therefore, I am still a little skeptical.
So who is right and who is wrong? So is coconut oil saturated fat good or bad for your heart health? Well, the jury is still out there as far as I am concerned. I for one will make a conscious effort to avoid consuming coconut oil too often until the coconut debate is more conclusive with empirical evidence that the coconut oil is good for heart health. Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer of actors, pageant winners, models and other celebrities. Free Build Muscles Fast Ebook and Personal Trainer Certification
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
Are free weights such as dumbbells and barbells are more superior to weightlifting for building bigger muscles? Well, both free weights and weightlifting have its own pros and cons. ?Advantages of weightlifting
Category:
Cardio Exercise Machines ? Common Cardio Workout Mistakes Cardio exercise machine workouts are great and fun for burning excess body fat and building good cardiovascular health. These exercises not only help to burn body fat fast it will
Category:
Bodybuilding by weightlifting if done wrongly is a sure recipe for injuries. Sometimes even painful and permanent injuries that will derail your bodybuilding program. This article will address the common injury prone mistakes bodybuilders make in their
Category:
Have ever wondered why your muscles stopped growing after a few months of training even though you are training very hard? Here are 7 reasons why your muscles stopped growing and how to get your muscle to grow again. ? You are training too
Category:
Most people know that having health and fitness is important. Many try to stay fit and healthy to get a great body shape. The question is do people know the benefits of being fit and healthy or how to get that great body shape they yearned so much
Category:
If you have been lifing weighs for someime or have been reading bodybuilding magazines and journals, you would have probably heard of super seing. However, how ofen have you seen people super seing when weigh lifing? If you did, did you noice
Category:
You probably know that saturated fats are bad fats that can cause all kinds of heart related diseases. Did you know that and the humble coconut oil has 92% saturated fats? Then why is it that there are many advocates of taking coconut oil as a health
Category:
The danger of any weight loss program is that u may lose more muscles than fats. This is not healthy at all because when u lose muscles, ur metabolism will slow down and ur body will in turn retain more fats. So how do u know if
Category:
Other links at Health & Fitness > Nutrition
The body composition of man is always in a dynamic state and hence keeps changing, especially in the old age. This affects the nutritional requirements of the body and hence healthy eating can be a challenge particularly for the elderly.
Category:
Do you want to save your sanity and save time? Feeding a child, especially a younger child, can be a difficult and stressful time for many parents and caregivers. If you are one of the many parents having difficulties, check out the child feeding tips bel
Category:
When I visit large cities, I like to do a lot of walking. To explore and visit little back streets off the tourist tracks, inaccessible to tourist buses. You can stop, take photos and enjoy the discoveries that only walking can provide. To fully enjoy the
Category:
Yebra Mate combats fatigue, restores your hair colors and also reduces the effects of debilitating diseases. Many people use this wonderful plant as rejuvenating agent. In advanced age it also works as very mild sedative and hence curing age-related insom
Category:
If you need to burn the additional fat off your body you should avoid starvation diets. Read this article if you need more information on starvation diets.
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68214
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
