A recent new advisory report from the American Heart Association advises against the use of coconut oil, a popular trend in the health and wellness industry.
The Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease, after viewing existing data on saturated fats, has demonstrated that coconut oil specifically increased LDL—known as ‘bad’ cholesterol—in seven out of seven controlled oils. 82% of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, according to data: exceeding butter, beef fat, and pork lard.
The advisory stated: “Because coconut oil increases LDL cholesterol, a cause of cardiovascular disease, and has no known offsetting favorable effects, we advise against the use of coconut oil.” Marie-Pierre St-Onge, associate professor of nutritional medicine at Cornell University Medical School, believes that coconut oil is so popular for weight loss due to her research on medium-chain triglycerides. Because coconut oil has a higher proportion of medium-chain triglycerides than most other fats or oils, and her research indicated that medium-chain triglycerides may increase the rate of metabolism, many now believe that coconut oil can be responsible for weight loss.
However, St-Onge’s research used a ‘designer oil’ that was full of 100% medium-chain triglycerides; traditional coconut oil only contains about 13-15%. Moreover, another study published by St-Onge reveals that smaller doses of medium-chain triglycerides does not help with weight loss in overweight adolescents.
“You can put it on your body, but don’t put it in your body,” said Frank Sacks, lead author on the report.
