Tropical islanders have benefited from the health effects of coconut oil, and the oil often features in folk remedies to boost immune function. Modern science is just beginning to study the benefits that coconut oil can offer in a number of chronic health issues. Those suffering from heart disease and cardiovascular complaints may benefit from consuming the healthy oils from coconut.
Stability
Despite the reputation of saturated fats as artery-clogging villains, more recent research has challenged the role of coconut oil as detrimental. An article appearing in the "Lancet" in 1994 notes that 3/4 of the fatty acids found in arterial clogs were unsaturated. Many doctors now believe that only oxidised cholesterol represents a risk to coronary health, and the stability of saturated fats prevents such oxidation from occurring. Healthy saturated fats, such as coconut oil, may prove useful in providing nourishment to the body while reducing the rate at which deposits build up in the bloodstream.
Bacterial Load
Dr Bruce Fife, a US physician and the author of “The Coconut Oil Miracle,” notes that the antibacterial action of coconut oil may actually deliver cardiovascular benefits. Fife discusses a number of studies that show a higher bacterial load in the body causes the body to compensate by producing more cholesterol. Although many researchers link higher cholesterol to increased cardiovascular risk, the waxy substance can increase the stability of the blood vessels damaged by chronic bacterial infection. Clearing out this bacterial load eliminates the need for such changes.
Studies
The Weston A. Price Foundation website features an article by Mary Enig, PhD, that discusses a range of studies conducted on coconut oil. Enig, a lipid researcher and a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, notes how a 2004 study found that coconut oil consumption had a beneficial effect in lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and low density lipoproteins. In another study, coconut oil consumption lowered lipoprotein(a). Lipoprotein(a) is a blood marker that Enig considers a more accurate indication of cardiovascular risk than cholesterol levels.
References
- Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and composition of human aortic plaques.
- "The Coconut Oil Miracle"; Dr Bruce Fife; 2004
- Weston A Price Foundation: Latest Studies on Coconut Oil
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