For certain health food shops and wellbeing sites it is the panacea that helps everything from bad hair and mental grogginess to obesity and haemorrhoids. But the carefully-crafted image of coconut oil as a cure for many ills has been roundly rejected by a Harvard professor.
Karin Michels, an epidemiologist at the Harvard TH Chan school of public health, poured scorn on the superfood movement and singled out the fad for coconut oil in particular, calling the substance “one of the worst things you can eat” that was as good for wellbeing as “pure poison”.
Michels made her comments in a recent lecture entitled
“Coconut oil and other nutritional errors” at the
Michels based her warning on the high proportion of saturated fat in coconut oil, which is known to raise levels of so-called LDL cholesterol, and so the risk of cardiovascular disease. Coconut oil contains more than 80% saturated fat, more than twice the amount found in lard, and 60% more than is found in beef dripping.
Last year, the American Heart Association reviewed the
evidence on coconut oil among other foodstuffs. While three quarters of
the
Other organisations have issued similar warnings. “Coconut oil can be included in the diet, but as it is high in saturated fats should only be included in small amounts and as part of a healthy balanced diet,” the British Nutrition Foundation said. “There is to date no strong scientific evidence to support health benefits from eating coconut oil.”
Despite the advice, promotions from health food shops such
as
“Coconut oil is about 86% saturated fat, about one-third more saturated fat than butter,” said Victoria Taylor, a senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation.
“We know that diets high in saturated fat are associated with increased non-HDL cholesterol in the blood, and high cholesterol is a risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke.
“There has been speculation that some of the saturated fat present in coconut oil may be better for us than other saturated fats, but so far there is not enough good-quality research to provide us with a definitive answer.
“What we do know is that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats like vegetable oil, olive oil and sunflower oil, and their spreads, has been shown as an effective way to help reduce LDL cholesterol levels, so this would be a healthier choice.
“For the time being, if you like the taste of coconut oil, then, as with butter, it’s fine to use it every now and then. However, it’s best to restrict yourself to small amounts and use unsaturated oils as an everyday choice instead.”
Coconut oil is historically used in Kerala (India) for treating a number of ailments. It is an essential ingredient in may aurvedic medicines. It is used as a lubricant, aftershave, antifungal, antibacterial, antiseptic, antiviral and also as moisturizer. Quite a number of skin care and hair care products' base is coconut oil. Recently it was indicated that it is good for the treatment of dementia....
"Does coconut oil help people who have Alzheimer's disease?"
It's a question that, as it turns out, is surprisingly difficult to answer.
Could it help?
"Absolutely it could," says Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., medical director for the Nutritional Magnesium Association.
According to Dean, the potential health benefits of coconut oil have been celebrated since ancient times by different cultures around the world. It's been used as an anti-fungal treatment, a hair-strengthener and a skin softener.
Coconut oil, classified as a medium-chain triglyceride, may even be beneficial for people suffering from other incurable diseases, such as Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
Dean witnessed the potential curative power of coconut oil while working with individuals suffering from HIV and AIDS. "We started getting stories about people with HIV that took coconut oil and felt better. As the testimonials started growing, all of us began to realize that there must be something to it."
But, to understand how coconut oil could help someone with Alzheimer's disease, one must first examine the connection that exists between blood sugar, the human brain and diabetes.