I've recently heard that coconut oil is considered to be "one of the
world's healthiest fats."  Is this claim backed up by scientific data,
or is this pure hype?  If this statement is true, what are the actual
positives?

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 17 Jun 2005 14:59 PDT

Howdy, purrsian!

Coconut oil used to get a bad rap because it was thought to increase
blood cholesterol levels. These days it is being praised to the skies.
Just goes to prove that old saying: some times you feel like a nut,
sometimes you don't. ;-D

You'll find a passle of links to peer-reviewed research here:

http://www.coconutoil.com/peer_reviewed.htm

Although the place linked above is obviously a pro-coconut oil site,
the research links look quite legit to me.

Would this be a fully satisfactory answer to your question?

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Clarification of Question by purrsian-ga on 17 Jun 2005 15:48 PDT

Hey there, Pink,

You always put a big smile on my face - you smart cookie (coconut, perhaps??).

I'm reading a book called, "Dr. Mercola's Total Health."  It's not as
whacky as the title would imply.  In fact, I think it's well written. 
But, he really rides the bandwagon on the virtue of coconut oil.  I'm
thinking, is this the next soybean, green tea, and are they going to
market it into every conceivable package that the American consumer
will swallow whole with religious zeal?

Anyway, I'll visit your link - I trust you to provide nothing but the best. :o))

Thanks!

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 17 Jun 2005 15:50 PDT

I'll be glad to gather more info for you. Can you give me some
guidance? This is a very large subject, and if I can focus my searches
we'll both be happier, I think.

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Clarification of Question by purrsian-ga on 17 Jun 2005 16:46 PDT

Well, one of the claims about the saturated fat in coconut oil is that
it is virtually instantly used by the body for energy and not storage.
 Also, that there are properties in the oil that lower cholesterol.

I'm actually also interested in trying it in homemade mayonaise. 
Wonder if the flavor of the oil is consistent with a good taste for
mayonaise.

It would be terrific if you could address those issues, Pink.  Thanks, bunches.

Purr

I've gathered info on the coconut oil topics that you mentioned.

This sums up the situation rather well:

"Whether consuming coconut oil will result in unhealthy changes to
blood cholesterol levels is controversial. In a double-blind study of
young men with normal cholesterol levels, coconut oil was used to
create a diet higher in both myristic and lauric acids, and this diet
was compared with a similar diet with longer-chain saturated fatty
acids. The coconut oil diet resulted in higher levels of both total
and LDL cholesterol, whereas HDL levels were not significantly
different. Most other controlled studies of healthy young adults have
reported that coconut oil increases both LDL and HDL compared with
either beef fat, palm oil, or vegetable oils high in unsaturated fats.
A controlled study of Polynesians found that a diet with coconut oil
resulted in lower LDL levels compared with butter, while HDL was not
different between the two diets. However, one trial found no
difference in the effects on cholesterol levels of a diet containing
small amounts (4% of total calorie intake) of coconut oil compared
with similar diets containing other fat sources. More research is
needed to determine whether consuming coconut oil will affect the risk
of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Animal studies suggest that coconut oil can affect energy and fat
metabolism in a way that could improve the results of a weight-loss
diet. In a two-week double-blind trial investigating the effect of
dietary fat on fat metabolism, a diet containing shorter-chain
saturated fatty acids from coconut oil and butter was compared with
one containing longer-chain saturated fatty acids from beef fat. The
coconut oil-butter diet led to changes in fat metabolism that
suggested that eating these fats might result in better control of
body weight. However, no studies have investigated whether consuming
coconut oil actually affects body weight.

According to test tube studies, some of the fatty acids present in
coconut oil have antibacterial, antiviral, and immune
system-stimulating effects, suggesting that coconut oil might be
helpful in fighting infections. However, no research has investigated
these possible effects in humans. Synthetic fats resembling those
found in coconut oil have been found to have anticancer effects in
animals but whether these effects would be possible in humans
consuming coconut oil is unknown."

Holland and Barrett: Coconut Oil
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/VF/HealthNotes/HN_live_uk/Supp/Coconut_Oil.htm

As indicated in the article linked above, the effect of coconut oil on
cholesterol and other blood lipids is still under investigation, and
there is, as yet, no consensus on the matter. Numerous studies using
both animal and human subjects have been conducted, but results are
inconclusive. Here's an excerpt from the abstract of one such study:

"The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of
consumption of virgin coconut oil (VCO) on various lipid parameters...
RESULTS: VCO obtained by wet process has a beneficial effect in
lowering lipid components compared to CO. It reduced total
cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, LDL, and VLDL cholesterol
levels and increased HDL cholesterol inserum and tissues. The PF of
virgin coconut oil was also found to be capable of preventing in vitro
LDL oxidation with reduced carbonyl formation. CONCLUSION: The results
demonstrated the potential beneficiary effect of virgin coconut oil in
lowering lipid levels in serum and tissues and LDL oxidation by
physiological oxidants. This property of VCO may be attributed to the
biologically active polyphenol components present in the oil."

Abstract of "Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid
parameters and in vitro LDL oxidation."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15329324&query_hl=2

I found an interesting-sounding recipe for mayonnaise made with virgin
coconut oil (VCO) and olive oil. The author of the recipe says that
using coconut oil alone in the recipe gives a "pasty mouth feel":

Coconut Info: Coconut Mayonnaise
http://www.coconut-info.com/coconut_mayonnaise.htm

My Google search strategy:

Google Web Search: "coconut oil" cholesterol lipids lower OR lowers OR lowered
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22coconut+oil%22+cholesterol+lipids+lower+OR+lowers+OR+lowered

Google Web Search: "coconut oil" mayo OR mayonnaise
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22coconut+oil%22+mayo+OR+mayonnaise

I hope this helps to clarify your oil issues. :-D

Incidentally, Dr. Mercola is a rather controversial figure. Although
much of the material on his website and in his books is quite useful
and accurate, some of his viewpoints are on the far, raggedy fringes
of medical science. I suggest taking Dr. Mercola's writings with a
large, metaphorical grain of salt (unless you are on a metaphorical
sodium-free diet). While I would not go so far as to call him a quack,
others have done so. A Google search using the keywords "Mercola" and
"quack" turns up more than a thousand hits. With results like those,
he could be the next spokesman for AFLAC.

Best,
Pink

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Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 18 Jun 2005 15:12 PDT

While I was assembling my answer, one of my cats leapt onto my
shoulder, knocking part of my brains out. I had meant to include this
link. There's some interesting reading here:

GardenWeb Forums: Coconut Oil
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbal/msg051313412817.html

~Pink

It's always a pleasure to work with Pinkfreud.  She does her homework
and comes up with good links.  (But not everyone is isn't a doctor is
a quack, Pink. ;o)

Coconut oil is a solid below 21-25 deg. C (70-77 deg. F), so it might
not be the best fat to use for making mayo...

Pink,

Thank you for the very interesting links - I especially "enjoyed" the
gardenweb thread.  Seems people either hate Mercola or love him.  I'm
not going to argue in his defense and, yes, maybe he is a coconut oil
salesman.  But, he really does offer a lot of sound advice.  I work in
the pharmaceutical industry and tend to agree about the potential
dangers of modern pharmaceuticals.  Even if the FDA chastises Mercola
about his products not having gone through all the clinical trials to
establish them as new drugs, I'm sorry to say this but much of what
the pharmaceutical industry manufactures should never have ended up in
the market.

By the way, thanks for finding the recipe for coconut/olive oil
mayonaise.  My attitude toward food is similar to how the French and
Italians view it.  Healthy moderation of high quality - and enjoy it. 
One Oreo cookie will probably not kill you, neither will a teaspoon
here and there of coconut oil. My grandma lived to 102 and had a
doughnut and coffee every so often.  But, obviously, her eating a
doughnut every so often is nothing like the eating habits I see in
young people - seconds and thirds of everything from Burger King.

But, good research.  Thanks.  I will see whether I can rate you. 
Maybe after you comment.  Cheers.
Purr

>> I will see whether I can rate you. Maybe after you comment.

I do love commenting (as should be obvious by now!), but it's not
clear to me what you're wanting me to comment on.

~Pink

Wow, thanks for the generous tip and the five stars! This was an
interesting project. Personally, I try to eat a healthful diet, but I
am no longer all that keen on watching my cholesterol. My granny had
sky-high cholesterol, triglycerides that coulda choked a horse, and
some really wonky liver enzymes, and she lived to be 98.

~Pink

Pink,
Well, duh, shows you how much I know about GA.  Sheesh.  

Just as a side note, I worked for a "nutraceuticals" firm for about 3
years.  It was quite an interesting experience.  Their nutraceuticals
were Chinese herbs or "formulas" that were manufactured according to
GMPs.  The founders are Western educated Chinese scientists who had
formerly worked for big pharma in executive roles.  One of their
products, which is a component in coconut oil (a polyphenol) is
marketed to lower cholesterol.  However, according to one of their
scientists (an American born Chinese woman with a doctorate from U.C.
Berkeley) there still isn't enough infomation to state unequivocably
that high cholesterol is a 100% factor in heart disease.

Their company markets most of their products in Asia (they are an
American company) and I think are fairly good at staying below the
radar of the FDA, although they did get boinked by the FDA on their
red yeast rice formula for lowering cholesterol.  It was a pure
business move on the part of the FDA, nothing about questionable
science was involved.)  Anyhoo, like I said, a little side note.

Regarding wonky liver enzymes, etc., I'm beginning to think that each
of us has our own unique health clock, as it were.  Some people can
abuse alcohol for years and suffer relatively little and others who
abuse alcohol watch their livers disolve before their eyes and die at
50.  I'm not advocating poor health habits, but there is definitely a
mysterious X factor when it comes to health and longevity.

NO NEED TO COMMENT. :o)))