Sometimes called CAM, complementary and alternative medicine broadly encompasses therapies and treatments that lie outside the conventional practice of medicine, and are used together with it, or in lieu of it. IMPORTANT: Before sending a query, please read the Terms of Use at right.

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Why is Coconut Oil Good For You?
Part I

Arthur M. Echano, MD, ND, MACNEM

There is a widespread belief that since coconut oil contains mainly saturated fat, it is bad for you. Even my 17 year-old daughter thinks this way. I haven't spoken to anyone yet that has any positive comment on the use of coconut oil.

The Power of Misleading Information

Believe it or not, the erroneous idea of coconut oil being dangerous to our health is not based on science but on falsehood. Actually, the opposite is true. Coconut oil is very good for us. Why? In the Journal of the American Oil Chemistry, Soc. 59, 230, 1982, R.B. Wolf streesed the vital point that tropical oils (e.g. coconut oil) are far superior to cold climate oils (corn oil, soy oil, safflower oil, etc.) since tropical oils are stable at high temperatures.

Even after a year, coconut oil is still rancid-free. At about 98 degrees F though, other oils undergo speedy oxidation, resulting in the formation of dangerous oxidants or free radicals. Free radicals are now linked to almost 100 chronic diseases of modern men. The unpopularity of coconut oil is based on ignorance and the massive promotion of the seed oil industry favoring unsaturated vegetable oils.

A long standing myth that has been embraced even by health care providers is the mistaken idea that saturated fat like coconut oil raises cholesterol level and cause heart disease. According to Dr. Mercola, the culprit is not saturated fat but too much carbohydrates and another form of fat, trans fat.

One scientific study to prove the link between saturated fat and cholesterol to heart disease was the Framingham Heart Study. In 1948, 6,000 people from Framingham, Massachusetts, USA participated in this study. At the end of the study, the director admitted that "...the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the patients's serum cholesterol..." The lipid hypothesis (saturated fat/cholesterol causes heart disease) was therefore put into question.

In Defense of Coconut Oil

Amidst the confusion and misinformation with regard to the real story about coconut oil, I turned to a highly respected American biochemist. Have you heard of Dr. John R. Lee, MD? He is the Harvard medical alumni who is the world renowned pioneer on the use of natural progesterone in women. His educational campaign on the dangers of synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a blessing to millions of women globally.

The scientist who greatly influenced Dr. Lee with the natural progesterone story was Dr. Ray Peat, Ph.D., a man who is not swayed by hype, pseudoscience, promotion, and advertising. He tells the world exactly how he sees things as a biochemist. When something is not right, he voices his scientific opinion. He was dead right with the proper use of natural progesterone in women. Little did I know that he is also strongly advocating the use of coconut oil for many health reasons.

When Dr. Peat speaks, open minded people listen. By listening to Dr. Peat, Dr. Lee started a worldwide revolution on the safety and efficacy of natural progesterone in women. Today, you can hardly talk about women's health without referring to Dr. Lee. With regard to the use of coconut, another American, this time, a naturopathic doctor , Dr. Bruce Fife, ND, is trying to reverse the bad publicity of coconut oil. And tell the world the true facts about this marvelous, health-promoting, breakthrough product.

Coconut Oil Lowers Cholesterol Level

It is hard to comprehend why many people think that coconut oil raises blood cholesterol level. According to Dr. Peat, coconut oil normalizes cholesterol level by promoting its conversion to pregnenolone. It is not surprising then that coconut eaters generally have lower cholesterol count than non-eaters. Dr. Peat added that majority of cardiovascular problems come from lipid peroxidation of unsaturated fats. Not saturated fats.

What About Olive Oil?

Olive oil is undoubtedly part of the Mediterranean diet that makes it a healthy diet. This mainly monounsaturated fatty oil which has one double bond in its biochemical structure is the number one choice among health seekers in cooking. However, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of the best selling book Total Health Cookbook and Program, "Coconut oil contains the healthy (and weight reducing!) form of saturated fat, it does not form dangerous trans fatty acids that even olive oil does, and it is far healthier than the other vegetable oils out there."

The verdict is out. Olive oil may be good for salad dressing but when it comes to cooking, there should be only one primary choice- coconut oil. Incidentally, olive oil is rich in oleic acid, the form that decreases the production of prostaglandin, an important anti-inflammatory substance. Excessive oleic acid levels may also increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease.

It is about time that coconut oil is restored to its lofty position in the fatty acid industry. I have dispelled some wrong deeply rooted beliefs about it. The truth of the matter is that coconut oil is the best cooking oil of all. It is so stable that even after a year at room temperature, it is still non-rancid. It does not increase cholesterol nor does it cause heart problems.

In next month's concluding article, I will cover the many benefits of coconut oil, the criteria in choosing high quality coconut and where to get it. And why unsaturated fat is the type of fat that we should avoid.

Arthur M. Echano is a nutritional medicine practitioner locally. He also holds a doctorate degree in naturopathy in the U.S. and a medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. He is a full member of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) and the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society (ATMS). Contact number is (02) 9834 4154 or email: amechano@acay.com.au.

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