1. DISCLOSURE:
Michael Richman, M.D., serves as a
consultant to Health Diagnostic
Laboratory and is a member of the
speaker’s bureau for Amarin
Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Richman's
presentation will not include discussion of
off-label or unapproved usage.
2. Coconut Oil Cardiovascular
Benefits: Myth or Reality?
Michael Richman M.D., F.A.C.S.
CEO and Director,
The Center for Cholesterol Management
Los Angeles, California
www.lipidcenter.com
3. Background on Coconut Oil:
Edible oil extracted from matured
coconuts harvested from the coconut
palm (Cocos nucifera).
Primary source of fat in the diets of
millions, for generations throughout the
tropical world.
Applications in food, medicine, and
industry.
Heavily promoted by Coconut oil
producers for a variety of health benefits.
4. Coconut Oil Health Benefits
Cures/reverses Alzheimer’s disease
Kills Candida fungus
Improves Type I and Type II diabetes
Improves/heals skin diseases including acne,
eczema, psoriasis, rocasea
Provides peak performance energy
Increases metabolism
Helps with hypothyroidism
Raises body temperature
Conditions and strengthens hair
Kills lice
Improves dandruff
Kills many bacteria AND viruses
Promotes weight loss
Preserves muscle mass
Promotes ketosis
5. Why Walk Away
Saturated fats should be
avoided
Coconut oil high in
saturated fats
No better than eating
butter
8. Heavy Saturated Fat Diets = High
Cholesterol Levels
Saturated fats are found in
animal fats, dairy, and
tropical oils.
Coconut oil has more
saturated fat than anything
else.
9. Heavy Saturated Fat Diets = High
Cholesterol Levels
E.g.: Olive and soybean oils = ~15% percent
saturated
Beef fat = ~50% saturated
Butter = ~63% saturated
Palm kernel oil = ~49% saturated
Coconut fat is 92%saturated!
Coconut oil has more saturated
fat than anything else
10. Heavy Saturated Fat Diets = High
Cholesterol Levels
Recommendations against the consumption of
large amounts of coconut oil:
FDA
WHO
International College of Nutrition
Dept. of Health & Human Services
British National Health Service
Dietitians of Canada
ADA
AHA
11. Heavy Saturated Fat Diets = High
Cholesterol Levels
High proportion of lauric acid
Increases HDL cholesterol &
Increases LDL cholesterol
* Claims that Lauric acid increase good HDL &
improves cholesterol ratios are not
supported by recent studies
12. Supporters & Endorsers
Who are the sponsoring organizations of
scientific research asserting the benefits
of coconut oil for cardiovascular health?
Are the studies peer-reviewed?
Are they comparing apples to oranges?
14. Myth of Heart Health Benefits
Coconut oil is new and sexy topic
Popular press & new food fads
Too many internet experts
Self-interested parties promote it
15. In Summary
Coconut oil DOES have some benefits:
o Medium chain triglycerides
(MCTs)are very beneficial and
necessary for certain gastrointestinal
conditions
o Coconut water is tasty & beneficial
Coconut milk & coconut oil are harmful
to humans from a cardiovascular
standpoint
As a cardiac surgeon who runs The Center for Cholesterol Management in Los Angeles, I have been concerned about the health benefit claims made on behalf of Coconut Oil, especially as they relate to cardiovascular health.
Background on Coconut Oil:
1. Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera).
2. Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations.
3. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry.
4. In recent years it has been heavily promoted by Coconut oil producers, their trade association and the Philippines -- where much of it is produced -- for a variety of health benefits.
Look at all these ailments it can address - it sounds like a Miracle Cure doesn't it?
- Alzheimer's
- Diabetes
- Skin Diseases
- Weight Loss
- Peak Performance Energy
I'm not an expert in these areas. Others can analyze the validity of those assertions. It could well be great for skin care, for example. But, in terms of cardiovascular health, when it comes to Coconut Oil, walk the other way.
The general public has been educated for years that saturated fats should be avoided.
Coconut Oil, it turns out, has a very high percentage of saturated fats.
I do like coconut milk. BUT, I also know that it is no better than ingesting butter. And, while that tastes good, it's really not very good for you.
Here's a simplified table out of Wikipedia showing percentage of saturated fats in common vegetable oils.
Here's a simplified table out of Wikipedia showing percentage of saturated fats in common vegetable oils.
Coconut Oil has 91 percent saturated fat, the most of any of the vegetable oils. In fact, Coconut oil has more saturated fat than animal sources like beef fat -- about 50 percent saturated-- or butter, which is 63 percent saturated.
Let's step back for a minute. Why is saturated fat a bad thing? Among other reasons because it raises blood cholesterol levels, and too much cholesterol can build up on the walls of the arteries, reducing the flow of oxygen and blood to the heart, leading to cardiovascular disease and increased risk of heart attacks.
What we know is that diets heavy in saturated fats increase cholesterol levels, which - in turn - contribute to heart disease by -- in simplest terms clogging up the pipes. To summarize:
Saturated fats are found in animal fats, dairy, and tropical oils. Coconut oil has more saturated fat than anything else.
Olive and soybean oils, for example, are about 15 percent saturated. Beef fat is about 50 percent saturated and butter is 63 percent saturated, only palm kernel oil, at 49 percent saturated, rivals coconut oil - 92 percent of coconut fat is saturated.
Leading health organizations have advised against the consumption of high amounts of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat. These include:
the United States Food and Drug Administration
World Health Organization
International College of Nutrition
the United States Department of Health and Human Services
American Dietetic Association
American Heart Association
British National Health Service
Dietitians of Canada.
Further, Coconut Oil contains a large proportion of lauric acid— a saturated fat that raises blood cholesterol levels by increasing the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
It's been claimed that lauric acid increases the good HDL cholesterol in the blood to help improve cholesterol ratio levels. However, studies have shown that raising HDL-C does not affect how well it functions, nor produce worthwhile reductions in the risk of heart attacks, strokes and operations to open blocked arteries.
There are supposed scientific studies that assert the benefits of Coconut Oil for cardiovascular health. But, when you look deeper,
who are the sponsoring organizations?
are they Peer Reviewed?
Are they comparing apples to oranges? (I.E., mice studies can't be compared to humans)
The Coconut Research Center (coconutresearchcenter.org), for example, has links to numerous such studies
So, how then do we get the myth that Coconut Oil promotes heart health?
- Coconut oil is one of the new and "sexy" topics that seem to garnish the attention of many people who are looking to improve their overall health, which possibly can translate into looking younger and living longer.
- The popular press gets caught up in a new food fad
- The internet - where anybody can be an expert on anything -feeds this
- Self interested parties promote it
Bottom line, I wouldn't say that Coconut Oil is without any benefits. Medium chain triglycerides, which are found in coconut oil, are very beneficial and necessary for certain people with gastrointestinal conditions. MCTs are passively absorbed in the intestine unlike other triglycerides, and those individuals who cannot absorb triglycerides for different reasons need MCTs as a source of energy for the body.
However, I have to say with certainty that coconut oil and milk, not coconut water, are harmful to humans from a cardiovascular standpoint.
