Coconut Oil is Unhealthy Despite Many Claims!

The American Heart Association just recently released a report against the use of coconut oil.

Most folks who are on our site here are already familiar with Dr. Wallach’s feelings concerning oils in general and that he suggests folks avoid them as a ‘bad food’.  Below the main body of this post I will re-post the list of bad foods the Dr. says to avoid, and some that he suggests.

The Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease advisory evaluated existing data on hydrogenated fat, showing coconut oil increased LDL (” bad”) cholesterol in 7 controlled trials. Researchers didn’t see a difference between coconut oil and other oils high in saturated fat, like butter, beef fat and palm oil. In fact, 82% of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, so according to the information– far beyond butter (63%), beef fat (50%) and pork lard (39%).

“Due to the fact that coconut oil increases LDL cholesterol, a reason for CVD [heart disease], and has no known offsetting beneficial effects, we recommend against making use of coconut oil,” the American Heart Association said in the Dietary Fats and Heart disease advisory.

Frank Sacks, lead author on the report, said he has no idea why people believe coconut oil is healthy. It’s practically 100% fat.  Many oils are marketed as ‘healthy options’ , however, there is enough growing scientific evidence that this simply isn’t the case.

Past weight loss studies may be responsible for this misunderstanding as well.

” The reason coconut oil is so popular for weight loss is partially due to my research study on medium chain triglycerides,” Marie-Pierre St-Onge, associate teacher of dietary medicine at Cornell University Medical School, told TIME in April.

“Coconut oil has a greater percentage of medium-chain triglycerides than the majority of other fats or oils, and my research showed consuming medium-chain triglycerides might increase the rate of metabolism more than consuming long-chain triglycerides.”

The issue is St-Onge’s research study used a “designer oil” packed with 100% MCTs. Conventional coconut oil just contains about 13 to 15%. Another study she published showed smaller doses of MCTs doesn’t appear to help with weight-loss in overweight teenagers.

The AHA advises consuming no greater than 6% of hydrogenated fat as part of overall everyday calories for those who require lower cholesterol.

Before you trash your coconut oil, know that hydrogenated fat is a packed term. While the AHA cautions against it, people who cut hydrogenated fat from their diet plan might not always lower their cardiovascular disease risk, a 2015 BMJ evaluation recommended.

That’s because some individuals fill the void with sugar, white flour and empty calories. Likewise, some fat is necessary to assist our bodies in taking nutrients from other foods.

Although coconut oil may not be great for internal consumption, it can still be an effective moisturizer or hair conditioner.

“You can put it on your body, however don’t put it in your body,” Sacks stated.


Just as a reminder, here is a general guideline about foods to eat and others to avoid as suggested by Dr. Wallach.