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Coconut Oil, Saturated Fat, and Trans Fat
The bottom line is that coconut oil contains predominantly saturated fat, and fat, especially saturated fat is best kept to about 10% or less of the calories of a healthy human diet. This means eating French fries (cooked in coconut oil) is an unhealthy practice.
The main complication is that fat is an excellent source of calories, and saturated fat has a long shelf life (meaning it doesn't go rancid easily). (But the real complication is that French fries taste good.) Rancid oil is a far worse and more immediate threat to health than the plaque buildup associated with a high fat diet. Rancid oil causes much damage immediately, and is likely to make a person feel sick because of the damage it does to the tissues of the human body.
Now for some data: According to the Merck Index Twelfth Edition, page 416, 2523. Coconut Oil is a, “White, semisolid, lard-like fat; stable to air. Remains bland and edible for several years under ordinary storage conditions....Constituents are trilaurin, trimyristin, tripalmitin, tristearin and various other glycerides.... 5396. Lauric Acid. C12H24O2.... 6416. Myristic Acid. C14H28O2.... 7128. Palmitic Acid. C16H32O2.... 8959. Stearic Acid. C18H36O2 Occurs as a glyceride in tallow and other animal fats and oils, as well as in some vegetable oils; also prepared synthetically by hydrogenation of cottonseed and other vegetable oils.
From www.pubmed.com, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=10948851 The link between excessive consumption of dietary saturated fats and coronary heart disease (CHD) is now well established. Because of its high content of saturated fatty acids, the consumption of foods containing coconut oil may therefore be a risk factor for CHD. While the fatty acid composition of coconut oil is well established, relatively little is known about the other constituents of coconut: the milk, water, cream and meat fractions. In this study, we show that while the water fraction is low in lipid content, the milk contains about 24% of the fat content of oil and the cream and meat fractions about 34%. The other coconut constituents contain significant amounts of medium-chain triglycerides that are formed from fatty acids of chain length 8:0 to 14:0. It is these fatty acids, primarily 14:0, that are thought to be atherogenic. On the other hand, medium-chain triglycerides may be advantageous under some circumstances in that they are absorbed intact and do not undergo degradation and re-esterification processes. As a result, medium-chain triglycerides provide a ready source of energy and may be useful in baby foods or in diet therapy. Nevertheless, the possible negative effects of the saturated fatty acids and the absence of the essential fatty acid linolenic acid from all coconut constituents suggest that the coconut milk, oil and cream should not be used on a regular basis in adults.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=15294485 Concluding remarks - The main focus of national recommendations on dietary fats is on reduced intake of saturated fat and trans fatty acids, and balanced intake of n-6/n-3 essential fatty acids. Importance should also be accorded to the consumption of fat from a variety of sources, both plant and animal. Just as the consumption of a variety of foods is more likely to provide essential nutrients and other biologically beneficial components, the consumption of fat from various foods including fish, nuts, seeds, plant oils and fruits should be encouraged. These and other dietary guidelines, combined with regular physical activity, moderate alcohol consumption and abstinence from smoking, remain the underpinnings of a healthy lifestyle.
From © Kokonut Pacific Pty Ltd: http://www.kokonutpacific.com.au/OilSales/OilIndex.html?OilCoconutoil/Oil_specs.html
From http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/copra+oil Coconut oil, also known as coconut butter, is a fat consisting of over 80 percent saturated fat, extracted from coconuts and used in cosmetics as well as baking and cooking. Coconut oil constitutes seven percent of the total export income of the Philippines, the world's largest exporter of the product. Hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated coconut oil is often used in non-dairy creamers, and snack foods. Physical propertiesCoconut oil is a triglyceride containing 86.5% saturated fatty acids, 5.8% monounsaturated fatty acids, and 1.8% polyunsaturated fatty acids. Of its saturated fatty acids, coconut oil is primarily 44.6% lauric acid, 16.8% myristic acid and 8.2% palmitic acid, though it contains seven different saturated fatty acids in total. Its only monounsaturated fatty acid is oleic acid while its only polyunsaturated fatty acid is linoleic acid.[1] Among the most stable of all vegetable oils, coconut oil is slow to oxidize and thus resistant to rancidity. Unrefined coconut oil melts at 20-25°C and smokes at 170°C (350°F).[2], while refined coconut oil has a higher smoke point of 232°C (450°F). Health effectsThe American
Heart Association, advises that coconut oil's high saturated fat
content is detrimental to cardiovascular health and promotes heart
disease. By way of contrast Enig[3]
states, "Hostmark et al (1980) compared the effects of
diets containing 10% coconut fat and 10% sunflower oil on lipoprotein
distribution in male Wistar rats. Coconut oil feeding produced
significantly lower levels (p=<0.05) of pre-beta lipoproteins
(VLDL) and significantly higher (p=<0.01) alpha-lipoproteins (HDL)
relative to sunflower oil feeding."[4]
“...three hours after eating [the coconut oil meal], the lining of the arteries was hindered from expanding to increase blood flow. And after six hours, the anti-inflammatory qualities of the good cholesterol were reduced. “But [the safflower oil meal] seemed to improve those anti-inflammatory qualities. Also, fewer inflammatory agents were found in the arteries than before the meal.”[5].
References
1. ^
Vegetable
oil, coconut These were probably referenced in the text at one time but no longer are:
External linksCoconut oil proponents
Coconut oil opponents Trans Fat The data on trans fat is not worthy of publication. Trans fat is very similar to saturated fat in its chemistry. Cis fat, on the other hand, makes a big chemically speaking. The double bond area makes a portion of the fat that acts like a jump rope whirling about, making the fat much more fluid because it does not easily stack with or entangle itself with other fat molecules.
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