Coconut oil isn't healthy and it's never been healthy

It's precisely the fact that Coconut oil is 100% plant-based, saturated fat that it IS healthy. The notion that saturated fat causes heart disease has been thoroughly debunked as sham science. It's the inflammation in the arteries stimulated by excess sugar consumption (refined carbs, table sugar, soda, etc) that causes the problem. The body sends cholesterol to the scene to patch the damage.

Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-...

Best analogy I've heard is "Gee whiz, everytime I see a fire, I see firemen. I guess firemen cause fires". Cholesterol does not cause heart disease all by itself.

You'd think scientists and the media, by this time, would have stopped relying on Dr. Ansel Keyes for their rationale for what causes heart disease. His 1950's "Seven Countries" study was an example of cherry-picked data to support a pre-determined outcome that was desired.

Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/07/the-sugar-co...

Finally, I can show you cultures, such as the Inuit, who's diet is almost exclusively saturated fat and protein and which are healthy (as long as they stick to their native diet). I challenge anyone to show me a culture who's diet is primarily sugar-based which has comparable health.

Reference: http://www.theiflife.com/the-inuit-paradox-high-fat-lower-he...

I stopped thinking the AHA were credible after they stuck dogmatically to their 'salt is evil' message despite the complete lack of any evidence to this effect, (and some evidence that low salt consumption is problematic).

"This finding is inconsistent with the cholesterol hypothesis (ie, that cholesterol, particularly LDL-C, is inherently atherogenic). Since elderly people with high LDL-C live as long or longer than those with low LDL-C, our analysis provides reason to question the validity of the cholesterol hypothesis."

http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/6/e010401.full

"We might also point out that the vast area in the middle is shared by both those with and without heart disease. In fact, the solid line represents about seven times as many people as the dotted line. That means that the vast majority of people who developed heart disease developed it with cholesterol levels similar to those of seven times as many people who remained free of heart disease."

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2011/03/14/genes-ldl-choleste...

Look, everyone should be making their own informed decisions about their health and nutrition. I've made mine, and that's to completely cut out extraneous carbohydrates, and eat adequate amounts of protein, with healthy fats thrown in for flavour and satiety. I've never felt healthier, more focused, and full of energy in my life. For me, I stick to green and cruciferous vegetables. My fats include olive oil, butter, avocado oil, and coconut oil, in that order. Canola oil is used sparingly. And of course, any fats normally found in meats, nuts, eggs, and dairy.

Even if you don't subscribe to my way of eating, please understand that the American Heart Association has a financial interest in promoting this biased research. They receive most of their funding from private donors, and are backed by pharmaceutical companies that produce statins which they sell to us for big money. Finally, in the US, a lot of your food is labeled with the AHA's Heart-Check Food Certification Program.

To meet the AHA's Heart-Check requirements, you need to adhere to these requirements: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/He...

They have a financial interest in promoting these loaded facts so that companies keep paying them for the label.

Coconut oil is definitely not going to meet those requirements. These are the same people that keep telling you to eat less butter, and eat more grains. If that worked, then why are so many of us struggling with our weight, diabetes, and heart disease? Moreover, I'm sure these studies increased fat intake without decreasing carbohydrate intake at all, which completely changes the interactions in the body.

Do your research, and judge for yourself. I just hate that folks are being told these loaded facts and are being set up for failure.

BTW, as of today, I've lost 18.6 lbs in 53 days with this new lifestyle. It does work, and I'll be getting a follow-up blood panel in 3 months to confirm it.

Bullshit, the problem is not fat, it's the carbs. Watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vr-c8GeT34 David Diamond, Ph.D., of the University of South Florida College of Arts and Sciences shares his personal story about his battle with obesity. Diamond shows how he lost weight and reduced his triglycerides by eating red meat, eggs and butter.

This one is not heart problem related, but still interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ Can a person be "cured" of Type 2 Diabetes? Dr. Sarah Hallberg provides compelling evidence that it can, and the solution is simpler than you might think.

So after learning a lot about it I just started ketogenic diet a couple of weeks ago (very low carb, high fat, moderate protein). Everything I read about it says MCT is good, so coconut oil is good. Pure MCT is much better but it's £18 half litre so I'm not going to cook with that.

KCKO :)

I pretty much take the stance that any bit of news that says "don't eat this thing", without also saying "do eat these things instead" is a completely worthless energisation of pixels.

From the article: "While the AHA warns against it, people who cut saturated fat out of their diet might not necessarily lower their heart disease risk, a 2015 BMJ review suggested. That's because some people fill the void with sugar, white flour and empty calories."

So this bit of news translates to saying precisely "blah blah blah blah, you're all going to get heart disease. We don't know how to prevent or treat it".

But we do know the risk factors, so we should do those things that reduce or eliminate the risks: Eat food, but not too much, mostly plants. Fast regularly. Exercise, but not too much. Relaxy. Practice diaphragmatic breathing exercises. Get plenty of rest, and ensure you sleep properly. Avoid those things you find stressful. Have good relationships with your family. Get a dog and love it. Stop eating high carb foods all the freaking time. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption.

I think that roughly covers most of the risk factors for heart disease.

You will still die, something will snuff you out eventually.

Edit: fixed a word

So, I guess the American Heart Association is still committed to the LDL cholesterol causes cardiovascular disease idea.

OMG the back and forth is exhausting.

What I've personally decided is: my entire family has been using coconut based products for generations and my grandparents have lived to sufficiently long ages. I would be happy to live just that long and thank you, I will continue to use coconut oil.

Unfortunately, I am failing to readily find good references, but coconut oil has long been medically recommended for serious stomach disorders, including cystic fibrosis (which causes pancreatic insufficiency, among other things) and stomach cancer. This is in part due to the fact that it can basically be used directly by the body without digestion. It can simply be absorbed.

I have no idea if it is heart healthy, but this sort of broad dismissal is unfounded. Maybe it does bad things for your heart, but if you have gut problems that are literally killing you, coconut oil has a long track record of helping with those. This can be life saving if your gut issues are severe enough.

As someone who drinks Bulletproof coffee (ala Brain Octane oil), how does this fit in? Is the concentrated coconut oil in brain octane oil also just as bad? Or is the fact that its very concentrated mean it contains less of the negative qualities?

I feel like what this article is saying is that, just guzzling oil isn't good for you, which is obvious, but in small doses, is it ok?

>never

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/03/25/scien...

If this article is correct, please explain why my blood pressure and cholesterol figures go through the roof when my diet includes fructose.

Please also explain how and why everything goes back to normal when I cut fructose out entirely. I am an quite serious - I do not allow even trace amounts in sauces and mayo and the like, nor in hidden sources such as "agave nectar" (which is 50-90% fructose).

Oh and BTW, I eat TONS of pasta, saturated fat (including butter), plants, and a really nice steak every month. I pour heavy whipping cream into my coffee every morning (not the usual trash, but the fancy expensive stuff free of polysorbate 80 and carrageenan.)

Unless you're eating a fresh strawberry that hasn't been mutilated in a blender (and even then, not too many all at once), fructose makes you fat because it messes with your appetite regulation in the bad direction. Even a little fructose makes you hungry.

Dietary fat (saturated or otherwise) does the exact opposite: all other things being equal, it makes you feel sated.

Don't just take my experience over the last ten years into account - here's a leading endocrinologist that's overturning decades of dogma. He'll set you right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Coconut oil is one of the more stable fats at high temperatures - which is a health benefit.

Or rather, it's less of a health detriment.

Why does the AHA even still exist? Anyone who is at all informed about nutrition has long ago stopped listening to their nonsense.

The answer is of course that the AHA exists chiefly to promote the financial interests of the entities that fund them - the processed food industry (i.e. wheat, corn, and soy), and to give their "heart healthy" product marketing campaigns the illusion of scientific/medical legitimacy.

I'm vegan. "Plant-based" is not a panacea and not automatically healthy. This article is one-dimensional when there are multiple health considerations including both cholesterol effects, cancerous compounds in cooking vapors and cancerous compounds like aldehydes generated depending on the amount and time of heating.

In general, olive oil is the healthiest oil to use for frying, both in terms of cholesterol effects and aldehydes. Furthermore, oil consumption can be greatly reduced by good cooking and minimal frying techniques.

The graph in this news report probably started the coconut oil cargo cult, which overlooked its inherent unhealthiness:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11981884/Cooking...

Good as cry-proof mascara remover tho. Just saying.

I've been substituting to avocado oil. Seems healthy.

I feel vindicated. All my hipster friends cook with this crap... My main issue is it makes everything taste like coconut.