This weeks Topic of the Week ^[1] is on the health benefits of coconut oil.

I was introduced to coconut oil several years ago by my mother, also a bodyworker and naturopath. (I followed her out to massage school in 1991 where I met Jordan, but that is another story.)

One visit, she asked me if I had heard about coconut oil, and proceeded to tell me that it was beneficial. I was dubious, so we walked to Vitality health food store and picked up some. I was surprised that it tested beneficial (using applied kinesiology) so we started using some.

Over the next month I continued to test my patients for it and found that 90 -95% of my patients tested beneficial for it. I was amazed because no one thing had tested so well for so many.

What I had learned in school

In school I had learned that saturated fats (like coconut oil) are bad for you and contribute to heart disease. New research shows that it is not true. Coconut oil is made up of 65% medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Most other oils, (from sunflower to butter, to olive) are made up of Long Chain Triglycerides (LCTs). Unlike LCTs, MCTs found in coconut oil are rapidly absorbed by the gut and don’t need the pancreatic enzyme lipase for absorption. The MCTs are then brought to the liver and rapidly absorbed as energy. Conrado S. Dayrit, MD, in his article Coconut: Atherogenic or Not? ^[2] also states, “MCTs (medium chain Triglycerides) unlike LCTs, do not enter the cholesterol cycle, are not deposited in fat depots and do not cause obesity.”

What it actually does.

Because MCTs are rapidly converted to energy, replacing other oils with coconut oil may help people lose weight. The increase of energy can also help with stimulating the thyroid.

Being a saturated fat, coconut oil allows your body to use its antioxidants to combat precancerous cells. Polyunsaturated fats go rancid easily. Our body uses antioxidants to keep those fats from going rancid when we ingest them.

Components of Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains Capric, Caprylic, and Lauric Acids which can kill bacterial, virus, protozoa, parasites, and fungus/yeast. The Coconut Research Center ^[3] (www.coconutresearchcenter.org) has research that states that coconut oil can also decrease inflammation, help with nutrient absorption, dissolve kidney stones, improve cholesterol ratios (increase HDL’s), improve digestion and bowel function, and relieves psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema.

While it is important to realize that coconut oil is not a cure all, it is truly a health food, and a positive addition to any diet. We use it with sautéing and frying (I like it with eggs) and is amazing in baked goods.

We have Coconut Oil Supreme™ ^[4] back it stock and it is the product of the month. For the month of March, one pound (16.9 fl. ounces) is 20% off ($13.12). It tastes better than any other coconut oil I’ve tried. To read about it visit www.coconutoil-online.com ^[5].