Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Coconut Oil and Cholesterol
There were studies done on hydrogenated coconut oil several years ago. As you can imagine hydrogenated coconut oil left the participants devoid of essential fatty acids and caused all kinds of health problems including heightening serum cholesterol. This research, of course, gave coconut oil a bad name. However, it was the hydrogenation that was creating the problems rather than the actual coconut oil in its natural form.
Coconut oil increases the HDL cholesterol (the good kind of cholesterol) and by doing so also prevents some of the problems that result in heart disease. Conversely, it is important to note that individuals with low cholesterol levels who were fed coconut oil had an opposite effect. Those with low cholesterol levels actually increased their LDL levels after the coconut oil -- all of which had a leveling out effect. Coconut oil acts as a neutralizer to get the body back in balance where it needs to be to function at optimum levels.
There were studies done on hydrogenated coconut oil several years ago. As you can imagine hydrogenated coconut oil left the participants devoid of essential fatty acids and caused all kinds of health problems including heightening serum cholesterol. This research, of course, gave coconut oil a bad name. However, it was the hydrogenation that was creating the problems rather than the actual coconut oil in its natural form.
Coconut oil increases the HDL cholesterol (the good kind of cholesterol) and by doing so also prevents some of the problems that result in heart disease. Conversely, it is important to note that individuals with low cholesterol levels who were fed coconut oil had an opposite effect. Those with low cholesterol levels actually increased their LDL levels after the coconut oil -- all of which had a leveling out effect. Coconut oil acts as a neutralizer to get the body back in balance where it needs to be to function at optimum levels.
