Coconut oil is often described as the miracle oil because of its large amounts of lauric acid. I'm just wondering what lauric acid is and how it helps the body? Seeing as coconut oil is 90% saturated fat (with lauric acid being about 50% of it) I sort of assume it would be bad for you, so does the fat in coconut oil just get stored as fat seeing as its saturated or is it good for you?
Any explainations on the matter would be appreciated
Please take a look at reply #18, thank you Jim:
http://ausbb.com/recipes/10408-high-calorie-shake-2.html
so does the fat in coconut oil just get stored as fat seeing as its saturated or is it good for you?
The opposite would be true because although coconut oil is a saturated fat, it is made up of mainly the medium chain triglyceride kind which is readily used instead of sugar (and won't be stored). Having said that, this is not some free and magic ticket to indulge beyond one's needs. Just as with glucose which is quickly used by our body, an excess would obviously need to be stored somewhere for a later stage/time to be used when there is a shortage of calories.
Coconut Oil is the Healthiest Oil on Earth! ... says Dr. Bruce Fife, a naturopathic doctor and the the author of The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil.
(Now being published as "The Coconut Oil Miracle")
Excerpt from back jacket:
"If there was an oil you could use for your daily cooking needs that helped protect you from heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative conditions, improved your digestion, strengthened your immune system, and helped you lose excess weight, would you be interested? This is what coconut oil can do for you.
What Coconut Oil DOES NOT Do:
- Does not increase blood cholesterol level.
- Does not promote platelet stickiness or blood clot formation.
- Does not contribute to atherosclerosis or heart disease.
- Does not contribute to weight problems.
What Coconut Oil DOES Do:
- Reduces risk of atherosclerosis and related illnesses.
- Reduces risk of cancer and other degenerative conditions.
- Helps prevent bacterial, viral, and fungal (including yeast) infections.
- Supports immune system function.
- Helps control diabetes.
- Provides an immediate source of energy.
- Supports healthy metabolic function.
- Improves digestion and nutrient absorption.
- Supplies important nutrients necessary for good health.
- Supplies fewer calories than other fats.
- Promotes weight loss.
- Helps prevent osteoporosis.
- Has a mild delicate flavor.
- Is highly resistant to spoilage (long shelf life).
- Is heat resistant (the healthiest oil for cooking).
- Helps keep skin soft and smooth.
- Helps prevent premature aging and wrinkling of the skin.
- Helps protect against skin cancer and other blemishes.
- Functions as a protective antioxidant."
Why do some say that coconut oil is bad for you? Tropical oils were very popular in the US food industry prior to World War II. The US is the largest exporter of soybeans. The well oiled marketing machinery funded by the soy bean and corn industry and supported by the American Heart Association was committed to change the American Diet, calling among others, for the substitution of saturated fats for polyunsaturates. The Prudent Diet, as it was called, left a legacy which still haunts us today. 40 years on, this conceptual change in the eating habits of Americans has negatively influenced and changed the dietary regimes of societies all around the world that were initially not even affected by America's particular meat, potato and milk diet. So determined was the pursuit of the American industries in converting their claims into magnificent billboards of health and wealth that even small island nations in the South Pacific were converted by this powerful marketing machine to change centuries of dietary traditions of tropical oils to importing polyunsaturated fats. Today heart disease is still on the increase and obesity, linked to the “new” American diet, is a major social problem worldwide that has governments worried about the health care cost of future generations. The U.K. and Australia unfortunately, are racing to catch up to their allies with a large percentage of the population being defined as overweight.
Studies were done to show that coconut oil, and all saturated fats, were bad for one's health because they raised serum cholesterol levels. However, these studies were done on hydrogenated coconut oil, and all hydrogenated oils produce higher serum cholesterol levels, whether they are saturated or not. Recent research shows that it is the presence of trans fatty acids that causes health problems, as they are fatty acid chains that have been altered from their original form in nature by the oil refining process.
Although many studies at the time had also shown research to the contrary, the mud stuck and by the mid 60’s the reputation of all saturated oils in America had been destroyed. This reputation later extended to the rest of the western world. Lauric Acid (found in coconut oil) is necessary for good health says Dr. Mary Enig, a Ph.D. nutritionist/biochemist and one of the world’s leading authorities on fats and oils. She states, “Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid."
Alternative Medicine Encyclopedia:
Medium-Chain Triglycerides Medium-Chain Triglycerides: Information from Answers.com
Description
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are a special class of fatty acids. Normal fats and oils contain long-chain fatty acids (LCTs). Compared to these fatty acids, MCTs are much shorter in length. Therefore, they resemble carbohydrates more than fat. As a result, they are more easily absorbed, digested, and utilized as energy than LCTs.
Medium-chain triglycerides are found naturally in milk fat, palm oil, and coconut oil. Commercial MCT oil, available as liquid and capsules, is obtained through lipid fractionation, the process in which MCTs are separated from other components of coconut oil. Medium-chain triglycerides were originally formulated in the 1950s as an alternative food source for patients who are too ill to properly digest normal fats and oils. The long chains of LCTs require a lot of bile acids and many digestive steps to be broken down into smaller units that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, they are absorbed by fat cells and stored as body fat. In contrast, the medium-chain triglycerides are more
water-soluble and are able to enter the bloodstream quicker because of their shorter lengths. Once in the bloodstream, they are transported directly into the liver. Thus, MCTs are an immediately available source of energy and only a tiny percent is converted into body fat.
Medium-chain triglycerides were first used in the mid-1900s to reduce seizures with the help of the
ketogenic diet. In the 1980s, MCTs became popular in sports as a substitute for normal dietary fats or oils. They quickly became a favorite energy source for many athletes, such as marathon runners, who participate in endurance sports. These athletes require a quick source of energy, which is readily supplied by carbohydrates. However,
diets high in carbohydrates may cause rapid increase in insulin production, resulting in substantial weight gain, diabetes, and other health problems. Dietary fats or oils are not a readily available source of energy. In addition, they are believed to make the body fatter.
MCT is also a form of fat; therefore, it is high in calories. Yet, unlike normal fats and oils, MCTs do not cause weight gain because they stimulate thermogenesis (the process in which the body generates energy, or heat, by increasing its normal metabolic, fat-burning rate). A
thermogenic diet, which is high in medium-chain triglycerides, has been proposed as a type of weight loss regime.
General Use
Endurance Sport Nutrition
Medium-chain triglycerides are often used by athletes to increase their endurance during sports or
exercise regimes. MCTs are an immediate source of energy, and as such, the body can use them as an alternative energy source for muscle during endurance exercise. However, if consumed in moderate amounts (30 to 45 grams), MCTs are not very effective in either decreasing carbohydrate needs or in enhancing exercise endurance. Increased consumption may help. One study evaluated six athletes at different points during a 25-mile cycling trial. They were given either a medium-chain
triglyceride beverage, a carbohydrate drink, or a combined MCT-carbo-hydrate mixture. The fastest speed was achieved when the athletes used the MCT-carbohydrate blend. The worst performance was associated with sport drinks containing MCT alone (without carbohydrate). Therefore, to gain significant increases in endurance, it is generally recommended that an athlete consume at least 50 grams of MCTs per day in combination with some carbohydrates. However, dosages exceeding 30 grams often cause gastrointestinal upset, which can diminish an athlete's performance.
MCT products available in the market may have high water content or contain unwanted ingredients. Therefore, athletes should buy MCT-only products, and mix a small amount into carbohydrate soft drinks. Alternatively, they can purchase premixed MCT sport drinks, such as a brand known as SUCCEED.
Thermogenic Diet
MCTs are popular among body builders because they help reduce carbohydrate intake, while allowing them ready access to energy whenever they need it. MCTs also have muscle-sparing effects. As a result, they can build muscles while reducing fats. However, this does not mean that these athletes will become healthier, because an improvement in body physique does not always correlate with higher fitness levels.
Pre-Competition Diet
Compared to carbohydrates, medium-chain triglycerides are a better and more efficient source of quick energy. They help conserve lean body mass because they prevent muscle proteins from being used as energy. Therefore, some athletes load up on medium-chain triglycerides the night before a competition. However, MCT intake should be raised gradually to allow the body to adapt to increasing MCT consumption. If MCT consumption abruptly increases, incomplete MCT metabolism may occur, producing
lactic acid in the body and a rapid rise of ketones in the blood, which can make the person ill.
Weight-Loss Diet
Studies have shown that MCT may increase metabolism, which is the rate that the body burns fat. It is believed that sustained increases in metabolic rate cause the body to burn more fat, resulting in weight loss. However, for any kind of meaningful weight loss, a person would have to consume more than 50% of total daily
caloric intake in the form of medium-chain triglycerides.
Treatment of Seizures
A
ketogenic diet, or diet containing mostly medium-chain triglycerides, offers hope for those who have seizures that cannot be controlled by currently available drugs. Excessive consumption of MCTs produces ketones in the body; therefore, this type of diet is called a ketogenic diet. It has proven effective for some epileptic patients.
Nutritional Supplements
MCTs are the preferred forms of fat for many patients with
fat malabsorption problems. Many diseases cause poor fat absorption. For instance, patients with pancreatic insufficiency do not have enough pancreatic enzymes to break down LCTs. In children with
cystic fibrosis, thick mucus blocks the enzymes that assist in digestion. Another fat absorption condition is short-bowel syndrome, in which parts of the bowel have been removed due to disease. Stressed or critically ill patients also have a decreased ability to digest LCTs. Unlike LCTs, medium-chain triglycerides are easily absorbed by patients with malabsorption conditions. These patients benefit most from oral preparations that contain MCTs as the primary source of fat (up to 85% of fat caloric intake). Several scientific studies have shown MCT to be effective in treating fat malabsorbtion, chronic
diarrhea, and weight loss in patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (
AIDS).
Many MCT products can be found in local health food stores or ordered through pharmacies. Before purchasing these products, patients should consult their doctors or registered dietitians for advice concerning appropriate dosage and use. MCT oil is not used for cooking. However, it can be used for tube feeding in critically ill patients. Healthy people may take it orally, by itself or mixed with water, juice, ice cream, or pudding.
Jim, please note that with all the positives that are mentioned above re MCT oil, I do NOT condone its use. I'm all for coconut oil as discussed earlier on and was simply providing you with added information regarding the MCT.
As an example here: Coconut oil does not increase blood cholesterol level but MCT oil DOES SO!
If you read my answer to Sticky again, you'd find that I make a strong point regarding the fallacy of the so called polyunsaturated margarine. Well like wise, coconut oil is solid at room temerature up to 23 degrees celcius, beyond that it begins to liquify according to the rise in temperature. Now it would not take an Einstein to realise that man's hand has something to do with the MCT being in liquid form all the time. Hence my rejection of the commercialy sold MCT as opposed to what is naturally found in God's coconut oil!
Fadi.
