Coconut oil has been touted as beneficial to the body. The research doesn’t support these claims. 

A major misconception is that coconut oil’s saturated fats don’t affect the body in the same way that saturated fat from animals does. Unfortunately, coconut oil is composed mostly of longer-chain saturated fats that raise LDL cholesterol, the kind of cholesterol that collects in the walls of your blood vessels, raising your chances of health problems like a heart attack or stroke. No wonder the Journal of the American College of Cardiology recommends that cardiac patients avoid coconut oil. 

And even coconut milk presents concerns. One study comparing the effects of meals with animal fat and meals with coconut milk found that both impaired artery function. 

We would be wise to keep usage of coconut oil and milk to a minimum. This is because the healthiest sources of fat come from foods in their natural state with fiber intact—think nuts, seeds, avocados, and coconut with its meat. 

This health tidbit is taken from the Lifelines section in our latest issue. Read the whole section for free here!

“What About Coconuts, Coconut Milk, and Coconut Oil MCTs?” NutritionFacts.org, Feb. 2, 2021.