Posted by kathryn in Fats & oils

Before getting on to this week’s questions, I have to clear up one issue from last week. Nick asked about coconut oil:

Something I’ve been somewhat confused about is the health effects of saturated fat in coconut oil. Coconut oil is very high in saturated fat, but I’ve read things that suggest there are mitigating factors that somehow prevent this particular saturated fat from significantly raising one’s LDL cholesterol, like butter would for example. Is this really the case? Or is coconut oil one of the worst (health-wise) fats that one can consume?

A google search reveals thousands and thousands of pages about the health effects of coconut oil, along with a wide range of products for sale.

At the moment, I think the jury is still out on coconut oil. Much of the research and promotion is based on stats from South Pacific countries, where people ate high coconut oil diets and yet remained healthy, within a good weight range and had a low incidence of heart disease.

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, the one we’re told to avoid. A high intake of saturated fat is associated with a higher risk of being overweight and obese, along with a higher risk of heart disease. Given this isn’t the case in the South Pacific, the theory is that the saturated fats in coconut oil must be different to that in meat, and must have positive health benefits.

My opinion

I’m sceptical of this though. I simply don’t agree that you can compare health effects between our society and traditional South Pacific communities. The groups that were studied did not have a first world lifestyle or diet. They were highly physically active and their diets contained large amounts of fish, fruit, wholegrains and vegetables. In this situation, a diet high in saturated fats is not going to be a problem.

However we in the “first world” do not live like this. We have sedentary lives, most people don’t eat anywhere near enough vegetables and our diets are too high in saturated (and trans fats) already. Given this, on current evidence, I would advise against using large amounts of coconut oil and milk.

Having said that, you don’t have to avoid it altogether, as we do need some saturated fats in our diet. I’d just be careful about how much you use, especially when you’re having it with other foods high in saturated fat (meat, dairy). Plus, supplement your meal with lots and lots of vegetables and wholegrains.

Photograph by Isriya under the terms of a creative commons license.

21 June, 2007