Blood Plasma & Coconut Oil

Coconut oil can increase the amount of cholesterol in your blood plasma, but it may offer benefits as well. Coconut oil and other saturated fats have long been an enemy of public health officials. In "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010," the U.S. Department of Agriculture advises limiting your intake of saturated fats to 10 percent of your daily calories. One year later "The New York Times," proclaimed that coconut oil is not a villain and touted the oil's return to consumer cupboards. The truth lies somewhere in between the two messages.

Plasma

Plasma provides the transportation system for whole blood. Composed of 90 percent water, plasma supports life by moving blood cells and disease-fighting antibodies throughout your body. Plasma contains sodium and other vital minerals, including calcium, potassium and magnesium. Lipids, fats in your blood, also use plasma to move through your arteries. Over time, these fats can latch onto your arterial walls, restricting blood flow and increasing your risk for heart disease, stroke, clotting and hypertension.

Saturated Fats

Cholesterol, a type of lipid, circulates in your blood plasma. Saturated fats supply the majority of cholesterol in your diet. Despite this, saturated fats may not be all bad. The Harvard School of Public Health places saturated fats in the middle of the fat spectrum, not as harmful as trans fats, but not as heart healthy as unsaturated fats. Trans fats increase your cholesterol level as well as your risk for diabetes.

Coconut Oil

Lauric acid provides most of the saturated fat in natural coconut oil, but the manufacturing process can add other fats as well. According to Thomas Brenna, a professor at Cornell University, in an article for "The New York Times," early research studies on coconut oil often used hydrogenated coconut oil instead of virgin coconut oil. The hydrogenation process injects hydrogen into virgin coconut oil and creates trans fats.

Research

The saturated fat in coconut oil increases your level of low-density protein, or bad cholesterol, but it may also increase the amount of high-density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol, in your plasma, according to an article published in the February 2001 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition." In the article, researchers write that lauric acid increased the HDL levels of study subjects much more than researchers had anticipated. Conversely, study participants who ate a diet high in trans-fatty acids significantly increased their level of LDL in relation to HDL.