Coconut oil is all the rage these days to benefit your health. It has been rumored to help with heart disease, thyroid problems, slow aging, and protect against illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, diabetes and even weight loss. But what is the truth about coconut oil? Tune into this webinar to learn fact from fiction about this popular oil. Learning Objectives The participant will be able to discuss the composition of coconut oil and the metabolism of its triglycerides. The participant will be able to explain the science behind the purported benefits of coconut oil for weight loss and blood lipid levels. The participant will be able to assist clients in understanding the inclusion of coconut oil in the context of a healthy dietary pattern.

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https://militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org/event/22086/
Coconut Oil:
Super Food or Super Fad
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2. Connecting military family service providers
and Cooperative Extension professionals to research
and to each other through engaging online learning opportunities
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MFLN Intro
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3. NW
https://militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org/event/22086/
Coconut Oil:
Super Food or Super Fad
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4. Kristi Crowe-White PhD, RD
Associate Professor, University of Alabama
kcrowe@ches.ua.edu
•PhD in Food Science & Nutrition at the University of Maine while holding
a fellowship with the National Science Foundation
•Research Focus: impact of bioactive food compounds on reducing
oxidative and inflammatory stress as mechanisms underpinning cardio-
metabolic diseases
•Current research funded by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,
United States Department of Agriculture, and the American Heart
Association
•Holds service and leadership positions within the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics
•Active member of the Institute of Food Technologists serving as a Food
Science Ambassador and Media Spokesperson
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Today’s Presenter

5. Learning Objectives
• THE PARTICIPANT WILL BE ABLE TO…
• DISCUSS THE COMPOSITION OF COCONUT OIL AND THE METABOLISM OF ITS
TRIGLYCERIDES.
• EXPLAIN THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE PURPORTED BENEFITS OF COCONUT
OIL FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND BLOOD LIPIDS.
• DISCUSS THE CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING COCONUT OIL
• ASSIST CLIENTS IN UNDERSTANDING THE INCLUSION OF COCONUT OIL IN
CONTEXT OF HEALTHY DIETARY PATTERNS.
• LEARNING NEED CODES
• 2020 (COMPOSITION OF FOOD)
• 2070 (MACRONUTRIENTS: FAT)
• 5370 (WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND OBESITY)
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6. Triglyceride and Fatty Acid Review
TRIGLYCERIDES ARE COMPOSED OF A GLYCEROL BACKBONE AND
THREE FATTY ACIDS. FATTY ACIDS (FA) ARE COMPOSED OF CARBON
CHAINS THAT CAN DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER IN…
1.LENGTH OR NUMBER OF CARBON ATOMS – SHORT, MEDIUM*, AND
LONG CARBON CHAINS
2.DEGREE OF SATURATION DETERMINED BY DOUBLE BONDS*
3.CONFIGURATION OF HYDROGENS ATTACHED TO DOUBLE BONDS
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7. Coconut Oil:
A Unique Blend Of Triglycerides (TG)
• DEGREE OF TG SATURATION ~ 87%
• MEDIUM CHAIN LENGTH FATTY ACIDS (MCFA) IN COCONUT OIL
• LAURIC ACID – C12:0
• CAPRYLIC ACID – C8:0
• CAPRIC ACID – C10:0
• MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES (MCT) IN COCONUT OIL
• 58% OF LIPIDS IN COCONUT OIL
• ENERGY PROVISION = 8.25KCAL/G
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9. Mahan, L. Kathleen., Escott-Stump, Sylvia., Raymond, Janice L.Krause, Marie V. (Eds.) (2012) Krause's food & the nutrition care process /St. Louis, Mo. : Elsevier/Saunders,
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Metabolism of TG
with Long Chain
Fatty Acids

10. https://nutritionreview.org/2013/04/medium-chain-triglycerides-mcts/
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Metabolism of TG with Long Chain Fatty Acids

11. QUESTIONS
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12. Science behind Coconut Oil
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13. MCT and Weight Loss: Mechanisms
• RAPIDLY METABOLIZED VIA Β-OXIDATION
REDUCING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR
UPTAKE IN ADIPOSE TISSUE
• ENHANCED UTILIZATION OF MCT =
ENERGY EXPENDITURE MORE SO THAN
ENERGY STORAGE
• POTENTIAL INCREASES IN SATIETY AS A
RESULT OF MCT OXIDATION TO KETONES N = 21 studies
Duration = 4 to 16 weeks
BMI = 20 -30 kg/m2
MCT Intake = 1% (2g/d) to 24%
(54g/d) energy intake
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14. MCT and Weight Loss: Research Update
PRIMARY OUTCOMES
• BODY WEIGHT (BW): - 0.51KG (95% CI, -0.80 TO -0.23KG)
• WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE: -1.46CM (95% CI, -2.04 TO -0.87CM)
• HIP CIRCUMFERENCE: -0.79CM (95% CI, -1.27 TO -0.30CM)
• TOTAL BODY FAT: -0.39 (95% CI, -0.57 TO -0.22)
• VISCERAL FAT: -0.55 (95% CI, -0.75 TO -0.34)
• SUBCUTANEOUS FAT: -0.46 (95% CI, -0.64 TO -0.27)
•SECONDARY OUTCOMES
• NO SIGNIFICANTLY ADVERSE INFLUENCES OF MCT ON LIPID PROFILES
DESPITE DOSE RANGE.
J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;115:249-263.
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15. Coconut Oil and Blood Lipids:
Research Update
• TWENTY-ONE STUDIES MEETING I/E WITH ONLY 8 CLINICAL TRIALS
• COMPARED TO UNSATURATED OILS, THE FOLLOWING RESULTS WERE
OBSERVED:
• SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER TC AND LDL-C
• DIVERGENT, ALBEIT NON-SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS RELATED TO HDL-C
• COMPARED TO BUTTER, BLOOD LIPID
LEVELS WERE SIMILARLY INFLUENCED
WITH SOME STUDIES SHOWING
NON-SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER BLOOD
LIPIDS WITH COCONUT OIL AS THE
PREDOMINANT SATURATED DIETARY FAT.
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16. Coconut Oil and Brain Function:
Mechanisms
• INSULIN SIGNALING IS IMPAIRED IN COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, ESPECIALLY
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE (AD), CONTRIBUTING TO INADEQUATE ENERGY
PROVISION TO THE BRAIN.
• KETONE BODY-DERIVED OXIDATION OF MCFA…..
• ENHANCES MITOCHONDRIAL PRODUCTION OF ATP
AND MAY PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL SOURCE
TO SUSTAIN NEURONAL VIABILITY
• ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS
WARRANTED TO DETERMINE IF
ENERGY PROVISION VIA KETONES
ALSO AFFECTS AMYLOID-Β LEVELS,
A HALLMARK FEATURE OF AD.
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17. Coconut Oil and Brain Function:
Research Update
• SEVERAL CLINICAL STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS ON
COGNITION AFTER CONSUMING MEDIUM CHAIN FATTY ACIDS INCLUDING
COCONUT OIL
• SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF BLOOD KETONES WERE OBSERVED
• APOE-4 ALLELE CARRIERS HAVE INCREASED NUMBER OF AMYLOID
PLAQUES AND RISK OF AD
• BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF COCONUT OIL WERE NOT OBSERVED
AMONG APOE-4 ALLELE CARRIERS WITH AND WITHOUT CURRENT
AD DIAGNOSIS
• COCONUT OIL AND THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER (BBB)
• FEW SMALL OR LARGE DRUGS CROSS THE BBB
• EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT TWO KETONES DERIVED FROM MCFA CROSS
THE BBB AND ENTER THE MITOCHONDRIA FOR CONVERSION TO ENERGY
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J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;115:249-263.

18. QUESTIONS
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19. Understanding Discordant Reportings
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20. Research Findings in Context
“COCONUT OIL IS PURE POISON”
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21. • IN 2017, A NEW SCIENCE ADVISORY WAS ISSUED AGAINST SATURATED FATS,
INCLUDING COCONUT OIL. THE ADVICE WAS BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF
OVER 100 RESEARCH STUDIES, DATING FROM THE 1950’s.
• THE AHA RECOMMENDS LIMITING ALL SATURATED FATS TO NO MORE THAN 5-6
PERCENT OF TOTAL CALORIES. THIS INCLUDES FATS FROM TROPICAL OILS,
WHETHER OR NOT THEY CONTAIN MCTS.
• THE 2015-2020 DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS ARE A LITTLE LESS
STRICT, RECOMMENDING NO MORE THAN 10 PERCENT OF TOTAL CALORIES
COME FROM SATURATED FAT.
• REMEMBER – IF USED, IT SHOULD BE A REPLACEMENT
FOR OTHER SOURCES OF FAT NOT OTHER
MACRONUTRIENTS OR IN ADDITION TO DAILY FAT INTAKE!
American Heart Association
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22. QUESTIONS
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23. Dietary
Inclusion
of Coconut Oil
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by
J
Chilek
from
AdobeStock

24. R&D Use of Coconut Oil
in Processed Foods
• LESS EASILY OXIDIZED AND
STABLE IN COOKING DUE TO
DEGREE OF SATURATION
• ASIDE FROM COCONUT
OIL, MCT OILS CAN BE
MANUFACTURED.
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25. Bioactive Compounds
in Coconut Oil
• ANTIOXIDANTS
• PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS - VIRGIN COCONUT OIL CONTAINS 7.78-
29.18MG GALLIC ACID EQUIVALENTS PER 100G OIL
• TOCOPHEROLS
• PHYTOSTEROLS
• COMPOUNDS WITH STRUCTURAL SIMILARITY TO CHOLESTEROL
• PRESERVING BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS
• CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE EXTRACTION AS USED IN VIRGIN
COCONUT OIL EXTRACTION. READ PACKAGING LABELS!
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26. Types of Coconut Oil
• PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COCONUT OIL IS JUST AS
HARMFUL AS OTHER HIGHLY PROCESSED OILS THAT
CONTAIN TRANS FATS.
• REFINED COCONUT OIL IS EXTRACTED FROM CHEMICALLY
BLEACHED AND DEODORIZED COCONUT MEAT.
• VIRGIN COCONUT OIL IS EXTRACTED FROM THE
FRUIT OF FRESH, MATURE COCONUTS WITHOUT
USING HIGH TEMPERATURES OR CHEMICALS. IT IS
CONSIDERED UNREFINED OR VIRGIN.
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27. Dietary Inclusion of Coconut Oil
• CULINARY APPLICATIONS
• SMOOTHIES
• BAKED DESSERTS OR FRUIT STIR FRY
• SALAD DRESSINGS
• PAN FRYING OR SAUTÉING, ESPECIALLY WITH FISH AND SEAFOOD
• GRANOLA
• CONFECTIONS
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28. ContraIndications for
the use of Coconut Oil
• CAUTION WITH USE DURING PREGNANCY AND BREAST-FEEDING
• CONTRAINDICATIONS – CIRRHOSIS OR OTHER LIVER PROBLEMS,
DIABETICS WITH INABILITY TO METABOLIZE KETONES, INDIVIDUALS
WITH ALTERED LIPID METABOLISM
• POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS - DIARRHEA, VOMITING, IRRITABILITY,
NAUSEA, STOMACH DISCOMFORT, INTESTINAL GAS, ESSENTIAL
FATTY ACID DEFICIENCY, ETC. INCLUSION IN FOOD RATHER THAN
BY THE SPOONFUL MAY REDUCE THE SIDE EFFECTS!
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29. QUESTIONS
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30. Nutrition & Wellness
Continuing Education Credits
MFLN Nutrition & Wellness is offering 1.0 CPEU
for today’s webinar.
To receive credits, please complete the evaluation at:
https://vte.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5bW7jr6K2xCYlTL
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31. Upcoming Nutrition & Wellness Event
• Title: Clinical Insight into Vitamin B12
• Time: 11am-12pm EDT
• Date: October 31, 2018
• Location: militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org/event/22090
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For more information on MFLN
visit militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org
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32. Learn with us at https://militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org
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