Coconut oil is mainly made of saturated fatty acids. And of the predominant composition of saturated fatty acids lies the germ-fighting lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. These fatty compounds are not only good at fighting off super germs, but are also good at...
Coconut oil is made of about 2% polyunsaturated fat, 6% monounsaturated fat and 92% saturated fat. It carries no trans fat as it is naturally made from coconut cream.
Other than being a 100% dietary fat, coconut oil also holds trace amounts of fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamin E and K, and iron. However, these nutrients do not serve much health benefits to us since they're too small in amount to be significant. For this reason, they're not the reason why coconut oil is good for our health.
It is the predominant content of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that makes the tropical oil a super food for health and weight loss. How so?
About 70% of the saturated fat are made of MCFAs, which means 64% of the content of coconut oil is made of MCFAs.
As opposed to LCFAs (long-chain fatty acids), MCFAs get digested very quickly due to their shorter chain and smaller size. As a result, MCFAs convert easily to energy and fuel our cells to boost metabolic activities. Additionally, as they can permeate our cell membranes without the need for insulins, they essentially won't contribute to fat gain.
Besides converting quickly to energy, MCFAs also help to burn off long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) that you may have ingested together with via food. As LCFAs are harder to digest and break down into energy, they're literally the main contributors of fat gain. That explains why coconut oil is now widely used by overweight people to help them burn their excess body fat and lose weight.
On top of that, because the MCFAs in coconut oil are mostly made of lauric acid, which is a super antimicrobial, you're well protected against health-detrimental bacteria, viruses and other super germs that appear anywhere and everywhere. Of course, other MCFAs like capric and caprylic acids provide antimicrobial properties too, which means, you get even stronger protection against harmful microbes when you eat coconut oil and rub it on your skin every day.
Another huge benefit of coconut oil on your health is that the predominant saturated fatty acids in the oil are antioxidants by themselves, unlike most other vegetable oils which are primarily made of unsaturated fats that promotes oxidation and encourages free radical activity.
In other words, coconut oil can effectively prevent free radical attacks and oxidation, and in turn, stop plaque formation that may clog arteries..
One thing worth mentioning is that the saturated fats in coconut oil are not the same as those present in animal proteins. Saturated fats in animal proteins are mainly made of LCFAs, which as mentioned earlier are hard to convert to energy. Hence, they tend to get stored as body fats. Coconut oil's saturated fats, on the other hand, are mostly made of MCFAs which our body can easily utilize as energy.
Is Coconut Oil as Nutritious as Whole Coconut?
Coconut oil and whole coconut serve different nutritional purposes, with the oil being a concentrated source of fats, particularly beneficial lauric acid, while the whole coconut provides a broader spectrum of nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, and essential minerals. This article delves into the nutritional differences and health implications of consuming coconut oil versus whole coconut.
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