Is coconut oil a superfood?
Coconut oil has been a pretty controversial food recently. It’s often praised as a healthy superfood but its high saturated fat content (86%, much higher than butter at 51%) means that official dietary guidelines have in the past warned about its dangers for cholesterol and heart health.
That’s why Dr. Michael Mosely decided to help run a trial as part of a BBC2 documentary to find out the effects of butter, olive oil and coconut oil on cholesterol.
The big surprise was the coconut oil. Not only was there no rise in LDL levels, which was what we were expecting, but there was a particularly large rise in HDL, the “good” cholesterol, up by 15%.
On the face of it that would suggest that the people consuming the coconut oil had actually reduced their risk of developing heart disease or stroke.
Read the full article here:
BBC News: Is coconut oil a superfood?
Clearly, this is just a small experiment, and they did not measure clinical outcomes proving reduced cardiovascular events. However the results line up with modern reviews of all the science.
Dr. Mosley says that to label coconut oil as a superfood would be premature, but that there certainly doesn’t seem to be any reason to stop eating it. That sounds about right.
Top videos on cholesterol
![The cholesterol network system]()
![What about cholesterol?]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #9 — Dr. Ron Krauss]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The great cholesterol myth]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Cholesterol on keto]()
![How cholesterol really works – Dave Feldman]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Cholesterol on a low-carb diet]()
![Why high cholesterol is healthy]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #8 – Dave Feldman]()
![Is high cholesterol dangerous on a low-carb diet?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Practical lipid management]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Cholesterol: A passenger, not a driver]()
![Diet Doctor Podcast #27 – David Diamond, PhD]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Framingham and the Muddy Waters]()
![LCHF and LDL]()
Top videos on fat
![The cholesterol network system]()
![The big fat surprise]()
![The unknown story of vegetable oils]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![The myth of vegetable oils]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Why our dietary guidelines are wrong]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Vegetable oils – the unknown story]()
![Is saturated fat bad?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![What makes people obese?]()
- MEMBERS ONLY
![Dietary fat and cardiovascular disease]()
More articles on saturated fat
![Does eating extra fat make you fat?]()
Does eating extra fat make you fat?![What happens if you eat nothing but bacon for 30 days straight?]()
What happens if you eat nothing but bacon for 30 days straight?![Vegetable oils: Are they healthy?]()
Vegetable oils: Are they healthy?
Also the fat content does not get stored as fat it gets burned for energy. Just don't over eat like in most cases and you won't have a problem with weight gain. It also keeps you feeling full. Im a huge advocate for coconut oil. I use it on my face every day. I use it for my moisturizer. And my skin glows!!?
Just think about it, for a mbt.
If they cured everyone's, hiw they're going to make so much $$$$$$$...
Huh!! Be your own ambassador.
See Dr's, when you have to, but take charge, of your own health.
This guy has done some very revealing experiments on cholesterol and has shown (I won't quite say proven just yet) that cholesterol only reflects what you have eaten and most importantly the amount you have eaten in the 3 days prior to the blood test.
Another fact that has been shown and occurred with me is that when you start a keto diet and ARE LOSING WEIGHT, your LDL will increase sometimes quite dramatically. This is simply your body burning off excess fat as you shed weight and is a good thing. Once you stabilise your weight your LDL will drop and your doctor will be delighted with your numbers.
This shouldn't scare anyone. In fact, it's quite encouraging to go ahead consume it.