Is it a wonder product, capable of curing acne, promoting weight loss and even preventing heart disease and cancer? Or should it be shunned for its high saturated fat content? One thing is certain – coconut oil has seen a massive explosion in popularity. It’s in every health food shop across the UK, often promoted as a solution to various ailments. So what’s the truth about coconut oil?
Saturated fat
Most saturated fat consumed in the UK comes from meat and dairy products such as cheese, cream, butter and ghee, as well as lard and palm oil, and processed foods such as cakes and biscuits are often packed with it. As most of these are animal products and shunned by vegans, it’s easy for us to think that we’re exempt from high blood cholesterol levels because we consume only plant oils.
While most plant oils contain less than 20 per cent saturated fat, coconut oil is 86.5 per cent! By comparison, rapeseed oil is seven per cent and butter 50 per cent. Just one tablespoon of coconut oil contains over half of the maximum recommended intake of saturated fat for the day. Like all plant foods it is cholesterol-free, but its high saturated fat content could be a problem if consumed regularly. A diet high in saturated fat is known to cause our livers to produce more of our body’s own cholesterol. High cholesterol levels result in high LDL, also known as the ‘bad’ cholesterol, which can cause coronary heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. But it isn’t quite that simple. Studies on coconut oil and cholesterol are conflicting. Some find that it increases the ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL), but also increases ‘bad’ cholesterol. Others find that there is no eff ect, but overall there is still no solid evidence to suggest that consuming coconut oil is particularly beneficial to health.
Why the confusion?