I’ve always been under the impression that coconut oil is unhealthy. My ladyfriend has heard otherwise. It’s been hard to find unbiased and reliable accounts online and wikipedia doesn’t go into much detail. Is there any health silver lining to coconut oil or what?
Take a look at the composition (in the wikipedia entry, for example). Over 90% saturated fatty acids. You know those “omega-3” and “omega-6” acids you’ve heard of? They’re mono-unsaturated cis acids; oliec acid and linoleic acid are mono-unsaturated cis acids as well.
In general, mono-unsaturated cis acids are considered healthier than saturated acids; polyunsaturated cis acids are worse than either of the other two. The problem with these studies is that often what gets published depends on who was paying for it, due to selection bias (if they don’t like a study’s results, they won’t have it published).
“Hydrogenated” fatty acids (which you may also have heard about) are insaturates to which hydrogen has been added, to make them mono-unsaturated or saturated; the problems with this process stem from the fact that there’s no way to convince every individual insaturate molecule to react identically and from the reaction being reversible, so that if you start from 100% di-unsaturated cis acid you’ll end up with a mixture of
di-unsaturated cis-cis acid
di-unsaturated cis-trans acid
di-unsaturated trans-trans acid
two mono-unsaturated cis acids; there’s two because either of the two unsaturated spots can have reacted
two mono-unsaturated trans acids
unsaturated acid
and some other versions with unsaturated spots in a different location from the original ones
The trans ones are Very Bad For You.
So, hydrogenated coconut oil: do not use for cooking. Non-hydrogenated: I wouldn’t, but then I’m from an olive-oil country.
Coconut oil is awesome for skin care. For eating, not so much (although I don’t mind it in cookies, particularly).
What is your ladyfriend’s source for her contrary opinion?
Coconut oil has pluses and minuses. It is a saturated fat and could clog your arteries, but it also could help your memory:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/aging/article879333.ece
Simply put, saying coconut is healthy or unhealthy is not so simple. Maybe if you were comparing it to something. It is healthier than trans-fats or hydrogenated anything.
I just want to elaborate on what I said earlier.
My husband and I both have the kind of skin that’s very prone to sun damage, and we’ve been out in the sun a lot, and we’re getting old. So my husband had age spots (formerly freckles), rough spots, lumps, and wrinkles. (Well, me too, but I have been more careful about sunscreen, and am not ashamed to use wrinkle cream, etc.)
A few months ago I noticed that his skin looked really good. I kidded him about secretly using Botox, but he said what he was doing was putting on coconut oil. He has never been a cosmetic type of guy, too macho to use hand lotion and all that. But coconut oil–well, that’s not wussy stuff.
So I, who have spent a small fortune on various Clinique and Lancome and Avon and what-have-you, some of which actually worked, started using coconut oil, too. I figured it couldn’t hurt and it was a lot cheaper. It was amazing. As effective as anything else I’ve used. And versatile.
When my hair gets all flyaway in the winter, I put a little coconut oil on my hands, rub hands together to get it melted and distributed, and then sort of wipe my hands on my hair. No more flyaway. I’ve also put it on wet hair to help with the comb-through, as my hair tangles and snarls. It helps there, too. Yet it doesn’t look greasy. (Note that I am not using a whole lot.)
It’s also really great as a massage oil, which is why we had it around in the first place. Melts at skin temperature. Very mild odor (no, you will not end up smelling like a macaroon).
We have also used it in cooking, but don’t do that as a regular thing. The only commercial thing I’ve seen where it’s listed as an ingredient is little white donuts, and you know those aren’t particularly good for you even without the coconut oil. I don’t know what else it’s in–we don’t buy a lot of processed food.