Coconut oil, which is a saturated fat, provides the major source of dietary fat for many tropical cultures. Coconut oil is stable to high heat, is useful for cooking and is resistant to rancidity. Compounds in coconut oil give it a variety of health effects, some of which have been proven in research studies. Consult your doctor before supplementing with coconut oil.
Liver Protective
Coconut oil protects the liver from injury, according to a study published in the 2011 "Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" journal. In the study, researchers gave 10mL per kg body weight of coconut oil to laboratory rats and then induced liver damage. Less inflammation and cell damage occurred in the livers of the rats that received coconut oil compared to a control group of rats that did not receive coconut oil. The researchers call for further studies to confirm these encouraging results for the liver-protective effects of coconut oil.
Cholesterol-Lowering
The December 2007 "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" reported on a study that used blends of coconut, rice bran and sesame oils to lower cholesterol. Scientists fed the oil blends to laboratory rats for 60 days and observed reductions in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. The combination of coconut and rice bran oils produced the greatest lipid-lowering benefits. A process called inter-esterification -- a type of fat molecule rearrangement -- further improved the beneficial effects of the oils.
Antifungal
Fungal infections respond well to treatment with coconut oil, according to a study published in the June 2007 "Journal of Medicinal Food." In the study, scientists tested coconut oil on a variety of species of Candida, including Candida albicans, which causes many infections in people. Coconut oil was most effective against Candida albicans and was more effective than the anti-fungal drug fluconazole. In light of their study results, the researchers urged the use of coconut oil in the treatment of drug-resistant fungal infections.
Antibacterial
Add antibacterial properties to the list of coconut oil's attributes, say authors of a study published in the November 2008 "Dermatitis" journal. In the study, researchers gave either coconut oil or olive oil to adult patients with atopic dermatitis -- an inflammatory skin condition -- with secondary Staphylococcus aureus infection. At the end of the study period, one percent of the coconut oil group still showed S. aureus infection while 50 percent of the olive oil group showed infection. The researchers concluded that coconut oil may be helpful for the treatment of atopic dermatitis complicated by Staphylococcus infection.
References
- "Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine"; Hepatoprotective activity of dried- and fermented-processed virgin coconut oil; Zakaria ZA et al.; 2011
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry"; Hypolipidemic effect of oils with balanced amounts of fatty acids obtained by blending and interesterification of coconut oil with rice bran oil or sesame oil; Reena MB, et al.; 2007
- "Journal of Medicinal Food"; In vitro antimicrobial properties of coconut oil on Candida species in Ibadan, Nigeria; Ogbolu DO et al; 2007
- "Dermatitis"; Novel antibacterial and emollient effects of coconut and virgin olive oils in adult atopic dermatitis; Verallo-Rowell VM et al; 2008
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