Don't be afraid of saturated fat,
but get it from healthy sources like coconut and grass-fed beef, which
automatically edges out unhealthy sources. Likewise, total cholesterol does not
accurately predict heart disease or stroke. Inflammation becomes the culprit
for most diseases, and coconut oil is highly anti-inflammatory.
Mindbodygreen MBG
It's no secret that I'm a big fan
of eating fat as a way to reach optimal well-being, and coconut oil is one of
my favorites. And yet, if you've ever read a nutrition label on the back of a
jar of organic, raw, cold-pressed coconut oil, you'd see that it's high in
saturated fat. Isn't that a no-no; doesn't saturated fat cause cholesterol to
increase?
Glad you asked. Now we know that
eating fat doesn't necessarily mean being fat: It's far more nuanced. As a
doctor, I'm fascinated by longevity and how dietary fat affects our bodies. One
thing that makes coconut oil unique is that it contains medium-chain
triglyceride oil or MCT oil, and MCTs are like super fuel for your cells. Your
cells burn these MCTs for energy while storing very little of them as fat,
boosting metabolism and supporting your immune system in the bargain.
What is "MCT oil," and
is it good for you?
MCTs help balance
appetite-controlling and other hormones. They keep you feeling full and
satisfied. They improve your cholesterol profile.
They also help you burn fat. One
study found MCT oils help reduce body fat and triglycerides better than omega-6
vegetable oils. After eight weeks, the MCT-oil group lost more weight, body
fat, and subcutaneous fat while experiencing a 15 percent drop in triglycerides
and LDL ("bad” cholesterol).
As MCT-rich coconut oil becomes
more popular, you might be concerned about its high amounts of saturated fat
and potential to raise cholesterol. As a doctor, I constantly tell patients
that high cholesterol can become a problem when labs yield abnormal results, so
I understand your concern.
The nitty-gritty difference
between "good" and "bad" cholesterol.
Here's the deal. Cholesterol is
not black and white, so classifying it as "good" or "bad"
vastly oversimplifies this molecule, which helps synthesize vitamin D and
hormones while maintaining cell structure among other duties. Some fats do
raise cholesterol whereas others lower cholesterol. Yet even when saturated fat
does raise your cholesterol, the type of cholesterol becomes more important
than cholesterol itself.
Studies show saturated fat raises
LDL, yet it also raises HDL ("good" cholesterol). On the other hand,
sugar lowers HDL. Ultimately, the ratio of total cholesterol to LDL cholesterol
better predicts heart attacks than LDL on its own. Coconut oil can contain up
to 40 percent saturated fat, yet interestingly, countries with the highest
intakes of coconut oil have the lowest rates of heart disease.
While some research shows coconut
oil contains higher amounts of saturated fat and does increase total
cholesterol, those amounts do not increase our heart attack or stroke risk. In
fact, one study among lean, heart-disease- and stroke-free Pacific Islanders
who consumed up to 63 percent of their calories from coconut fat found total
cholesterol rose but so did their "good" HDL.
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