Coconut Oil.
Coconut oil is one of the few foods that can be
classified as a “superfood.”
Its unique combination of fatty acids can have
profound positive effects on health.
Here are the top 10 health benefits of coconut oil
that have been experimentally confirmed in human studies.
1. Coconut Oil Contains a Unique Combination of Fatty Acids With
Powerful Medicinal Properties
Coconut oil has been demonized in the past because it
contains saturated fat. In fact, coconut oil is one of the richest sources of saturated fat known to man, with almost 90% of the fatty acids in it
being saturated.
However, new data is showing that saturated fats are harmless. Many massive studies that
include hundreds of thousands of people prove that the whole “artery-clogging”
idea was a myth.
2. Populations That Eat a LOT of Coconut Are Among the Healthiest
People on The Planet
Coconut is kind of an “exotic” food in the Western
world, primarily consumed by health conscious people.
However, in some parts of the world, coconut is a
dietary staple that people have thrived
on for many generations.
The best example of such a population is the Tokelauans,
which live in the South Pacific.
They eat over 60% of their calories from coconuts and
are the biggest consumers of saturated fat in the world.
These people are in excellent health, with no evidence of heart disease
3. Coconut Oil Can Increase Your Energy Expenditure, Helping You Burn
More Fat
Obesity
is currently one of the biggest health problems in the world.
While some people think obesity is only a matter of
calories, others believe that the
sources of those calories are critical too.
It is a fact that different foods affect our bodies
and hormones in different ways. In this regard, a calorie is NOT a calorie.
4. The Lauric Acid in Coconut Oil Can Kill Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi,
Helping to Stave Off Infections
The fatty acids and breakdown products
in coconut oil can kill harmful pathogens, potentially helping to prevent
infections.
5. Coconut Oil Can Kill Your Hunger, Making You Eat Less Without Even
Trying
One interesting feature of coconut oil is that it can
reduce your hunger.
This may be related to the way the fatty acids in it
are metabolized, because ketone bodies can have an appetite reducing effect.
The fatty acids in coconut oil can
significantly reduce appetite, which may positively affect body weight over the
long term.
6. The Fatty Acids in Coconut Oil Are Turned into Ketones, Which Can
Reduce Seizures
A so-called ketogenic (very low carb,
very high fat) diet is currrently being studied to treat various disorders.
The best known therapeutic application of this diet is
treating drug-resistant epilepsy in children.
This diet involves eating very little carbohydrates
and large amounts of fat, leading to greatly increased concentrations of ketone bodies in the blood.
For some reason, this diet can dramatically reduce the rate of
seizures in epileptic children, even those who haven’t had success with
multiple different types of drugs.
The coconut oil can increase blood
concentration of ketone bodies, which can help reduce seizures in epileptic
children.
7. Coconut Oil Can Improve
Blood Cholesterol Levels and May Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
Coconut oil is loaded with saturated fats, which
actually do not harm the blood lipid profile like previously thought.
This improvement in cardiovascular risk factors should
theoretically lead to a reduced risk of heart disease over the long term.
Studies in both humans and rats show
that coconut oil improves important risk factors which may translate to a
reduced risk of heart disease.
8. Coconut Oil Can Protect
Hair Against Damage, Moisturize Skin and Function as Sunscreen
Coconut oil can serve various purposes that have
nothing to do with eating it.
Many people are using it for cosmetic purposes and to
improve the health and appearance of their skin and hair.
Studies on individuals with dry skin show that coconut
oil can improve the moisture and lipid content of the skin
Coconut oil can also be very protective against hair
damage and one study shows effectiveness as sunscreen, blocking about 20% of
the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Another application is using it like mouthwash in a
process called oil pulling,
which can kill some of the harmful bacteria in the mouth, improve dental health
and reduce bad breath
Coconut oil can be applied topically as well, studies showing it to be
effective as a skin moisturizer and protecting against hair damage. It can also
be used as a mild form of sunscreen and as mouthwash.
9. The Fatty Acids in Coconut Oil Can Boost Brain Function in
Alzheimer’s Patients
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of
dementia worldwide and occurs primarily in elderly individuals.
In Alzheimer’s patients, there appears to be a reduced ability to use
glucose for energy in certain parts of the brain.
Ketone bodies can supply energy for the brain and
researchers have speculated that ketones can provide an alternative energy
source for these malfunctioning cells and reduce symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Other studies support these findings and medium chain
triglycerides are being intensively studied as potential therapeutic agents in
Alzheimer’s disease.
Studies show that the fatty acids in
coconut oil can increase blood levels of ketone bodies, supplying energy for
the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients and relieving symptoms.
10. Coconut Oil Can Help You Lose Fat, Especially the Dangerous Fat in
Your Abdominal Cavity
Given that coconut oil can reduce appetite and
increase fat burning, it makes sense that it can also help you
lose weight.
Coconut oil appears to be especially effective in
reducing abdominal fat, which lodges in the abdominal cavity and around organs.
This is the most dangerous fat of all and is highly
associated with many Western diseases.
Waist circumference is easily measured and is a great
marker for the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity.
If
you want to enjoy the health benefits outlined in the article, then you must
get organic, virgin coconut oil… NOT the refined stuff.
Comments
Post a Comment