Title : The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know
link : The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know
The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know
Hi my friends, at this juncture we're going to share a write-up entitled "The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know". we hope this informative article a good choice for you and also be sure you share it using your facebook accounts. Happy Reading.The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know
Coconut oil is one
of the few foods that can be classified as a “superfood.” Its unique
combination of fatty acids can have profound positive effects on health. This
includes fat loss, better brain function and various other amazing benefits.
Here are the top
10 health benefits of coconut oil that have been experimentally confirmed in
human studies.
1. Coconut Oil Contains a
Unique Combination of Fatty Acids With Powerful Medicinal Properties
Coconut oil has
been demonized in the past because it contains saturated fat. In fact, coconut
oil is one of the richest sources of saturated fat known to man, with almost
90% of the fatty acids in it being saturated (1).
However, new data
is showing that saturated fats are harmless. Many massive studies that include
hundreds of thousands of people prove that the whole “artery-clogging” idea was
a myth (2).
Additionally,
coconut oil doesn’t contain your average run-of-the-mill saturated fats like
you would find in cheese or steak.
No, they contain
so-called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) – which are fatty acids of a medium
length.
Most of the fatty
acids in the diet are so-called long-chain fatty acids, but the medium-chain
fatty acids in coconut oil are metabolized differently.
They go straight
to the liver from the digestive tract, where they are used as a quick source
energy or turned into so-called ketone bodies, which can have therapeutic
effects on brain disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.
Bottom Line:
Coconut oil contains a lot of medium chain triglycerides, which are metabolized
differently and can have therapeutic effects on several brain disorders.
2. Populations That Eat a
LOT of Coconut Are Among The Healthiest People on The Planet
Coconut is kind of
an “exotic” food in the Western world, primarily consumed by health conscious
people.
However, in some
parts of the world, coconut is a dietary staple that people have thrived on for
many generations.
The best example
of such a population is the Tokelauans, which live in the South Pacific.
They eat over 60%
of their calories from coconuts and are the biggest consumers of saturated fat
in the world.
These people are
in excellent health, with no evidence of heart disease (3).
Another example of
a population that eats a lot of coconut and remains in excellent health is the
Kitavans (4).
Bottom Line:
Plenty of populations around the world have thrived for multiple generations
eating massive amounts of coconut.
3. Coconut Oil Can Increase
Your Energy Expenditure, Helping You Burn More Fat
Obesity is
currently one of the biggest health problems in the world.
While some people
think obesity is only a matter of calories, others (myself included) believe
that the sources of those calories are critical too.
It is a fact that
different foods affect our bodies and hormones in different ways. In this
regard, a calorie is NOT a calorie.
The medium-chain
triglycerides (MCTs) in coconut oil can increase energy expenditure compared to
the same amount of calories from longer chain fats (5, 6).
One study found
that 15-30 grams of MCTs per day increased 24 hour energy expenditure by 5%,
totalling about 120 calories per day (7).
Bottom Line: The
medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil have been shown to increase 24 hour
energy expenditure by as much as 5%, potentially leading to significant weight
loss over the long term.
4. The Lauric Acid in
Coconut Oil Can Kill Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi, Helping to Stave Off
Infections
Almost 50% of the
fatty acids in coconut oil is the 12-carbon Lauric Acid.
When coconut oil
is enzymatically digested, it also forms a monoglyceride called monolaurin.
Both lauric acid
and monolaurin can kill harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi (8).
For example, these
substances have been shown to kill the bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus (a very
dangerous pathogen) and the yeast Candida Albicans, a common source of yeast
infections in humans (9, 10).
Bottom Line: The
fatty acids and breakdown products in coconut oil can kill harmful pathogens,
potentially helping to prevent infections.
5. Coconut Oil Can Kill Your
Hunger, Making You Eat Less Without Even Trying
One interesting
feature of coconut oil is that it can reduce your hunger.
This may be
related to the way the fatty acids in it are metabolized, because ketone bodies
can have an appetite reducing effect (11).
In one study,
varying amounts of medium and long chain triglycerides were fed to 6 healthy
men.
The men eating the
most MCTs ate 256 fewer calories per day, on average (12).
Another study in
14 healthy men discovered that those who ate the most MCTs at breakfast ate
significantly fewer calories at lunch (13).
These studies were
small and only done for a short period of time. If this effect were to persist
over the long term, it could have a dramatic influence on body weight over a
period of several years.
Bottom Line: The
fatty acids in coconut oil can significantly reduce appetite, which may
positively affect body weight over the long term.
6. The Fatty Acids in
Coconut Oil Are Turned into Ketones, Which Can Reduce Seizures
A so-called
ketogenic (very low carb, very high fat) diet is currently being studied to
treat various disorders.
The best known
therapeutic application of this diet is treating drug-resistant epilepsy in
children (14).
This diet involves
eating very little carbohydrates and large amounts of fat, leading to greatly
increased concentrations of ketone bodies in the blood.
For some reason,
this diet can dramatically reduce the rate of seizures in epileptic children,
even those who haven’t had success with multiple different types of drugs.
Because the MCTs
in coconut oil get shipped to the liver and turned into ketone bodies, they are
often used in epileptic patients to induce ketosis while allowing for a bit
more carbs in the diet (15, 16).
Bottom Line: The
MCTs in coconut oil can increase blood concentration of ketone bodies, which
can help reduce seizures in epileptic children.
7. Coconut Oil Can Improve
Blood Cholesterol Levels and May Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
Coconut oil is
loaded with saturated fats, which actually do not harm the blood lipid profile
like previously thought.
Saturated fats
raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and change the LDL cholesterol to a benign
subtype (17, 18).
In one study in 40
women, coconut oil reduced Total and LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL
compared to soybean oil (19).
There are also rat
studies showing that coconut oil reduces triglycerides, total and LDL
cholesterol, increases HDL and improves blood coagulation factors and
antioxidant status (20, 21).
This improvement
in cardiovascular risk factors should theoretically lead to a reduced risk of
heart disease over the long term.
Bottom Line:
Studies in both humans and rats show that coconut oil improves important risk
factors like Total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, which may translate to a reduced
risk of heart disease.
8. Coconut Oil Can Protect
Hair Against Damage, Moisturize Skin and Function as Sunscreen
Coconut oil can
serve various purposes that have nothing to do with eating it.
Many people are
using it for cosmetic purposes and to improve the health and appearance of
their skin and hair.
Studies on
individuals with dry skin show that coconut oil can improve the moisture and
lipid content of the skin (22).
Coconut oil can
also be very protective against hair damage and one study shows effectiveness
as sunscreen, blocking about 20% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays (23, 24)
Another
application is using it like mouthwash in a process called oil pulling, which
can kill some of the harmful bacteria in the mouth, improve dental health and
reduce bad breath (25, 26, 27).
Bottom Line:
Coconut oil can be applied topically as well, studies showing it to be
effective as a skin moisturizer and protecting against hair damage. It can also
be used as a mild form of sunscreen and as mouthwash.
9. The Fatty Acids in
Coconut Oil Can Boost Brain Function in Alzheimer’s Patients
Alzheimer’s
disease is the most common cause of dementia worldwide and occurs primarily in
elderly individuals.
In Alzheimer’s patients,
there appears to be a reduced ability to use glucose for energy in certain
parts of the brain.
Ketone bodies can
supply energy for the brain and researchers have speculated that ketones can
provide an alternative energy source for these malfunctioning cells and reduce
symptoms of Alzheimer’s (28).
In one 2006 study,
consumption of medium chain triglycerides lead to an immediate improvement in
brain function in patients with milder forms of Alzheimer’s (29).
Other studies
support these findings and medium chain triglycerides are being intensively
studied as potential therapeutic agents in Alzheimer’s disease (30, 31).
Bottom Line:
Studies show that the fatty acids in coconut oil can increase blood levels of
ketone bodies, supplying energy for the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients and
relieving symptoms.
10. Coconut Oil Can Help You
Lose Fat, Especially The Dangerous Fat in Your Abdominal Cavity
Given that coconut
oil can reduce appetite and increase fat burning, it makes sense that it can
also help you lose weight.
Coconut oil
appears to be especially effective in reducing abdominal fat, which lodges in
the abdominal cavity and around organs.
This is the most
dangerous fat of all and is highly associated with many Western diseases.
Waist
circumference is easily measured and is a great marker for the amount of fat in
the abdominal cavity.
A study in 40
women with abdominal obesity, supplementing with 30 mL (1 ounce) of coconut oil
per day lead to a significant reduction in both BMI and waist circumference in
a period of 12 weeks (19).
Another study in
20 obese males noted a reduction in waist circumference of 2.86 cm (1.1 inches)
after 4 weeks of 30 mL (1 ounce) of coconut oil per day (32).
This number may
not seem too impressive on the surface, but be aware that these people aren't
adding exercise or restricting calories. They’re losing significant amounts of
abdominal fat simply by adding coconut oil to their diet.
11. Anything Else?
If you want to
enjoy the immense health benefits of coconut oil, then make sure to choose
organic, virgin coconut oil… NOT the refined stuff.
This is really
just the tip of the iceberg. People are using coconut oil for all sorts of
things with incredible success.
Source : cdn.eatlocalgrown.com
Hopefully this informative article The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know that we share this day 9 May 2015 | 4:17 am can be therapeutic for you. Do not forget to always visit Healthnbeauty.top to get other top health articles you could read. Many Thanks.
Thanks for Reading The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know
Thank you for reading this The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know, hopefully can give benefits to all of you. well, see you in posting other articles.
You are now reading the article The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know Url Address https://healthnbeautyarticles.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-truth-about-coconut-oil-10-facts.html
0 Response to "The Truth About Coconut Oil: 10 Facts You Need To Know"
Post a Comment