Coconut oil benefits - The truth about this tropical oil

 

Coconut oil benefits have been known for many years by many pacific dwelling people.  Coconut oil is edible oil consumed in many parts of the world since thousands of years. Clinical trials done on tribal diet that is high in coconut consumption revealed that people with such consumption are usually healthy and are less susceptible to suffer from the modern diseases those are found in Western countries.

 

Coconut oil has been labeled as "the healthiest oil on this planet", which itself shows its importance and benefits. It is interesting to know about benefits of coconut oil and also why is it so good and what makes it different from rest of the oils, particularly the ones with saturated fats!

On the other hand, some of the people believe that coconut oil can create heart problem as after all it is oil! According to one report based on research that contradicted this claim was published in Clinical Biochemistry1 wherein researchers kept coconut oil as a component of diet in laboratory animals (Sprague-Dawley rats). In this study, a virgin coconut oil (obtained through wet process) showed beneficial effects in lowering levels of total cholesterol, lipids, triglycerides and also LDL (low density lipoproteins).

 

Another study that dealt with lipoproteins and cholesterols was executed in women. Investigators found that the diet based on coconut oil brought down tissue plasminogen activator and Lp (a) after meals.2 Lipoprotein (a) is a compound that is a much more exact indication of having risks of heart attacks as compared to blood cholesterol levels.

 

Health Benefits of coconut oil:

 

  • Hair: Coconut is best natural product nurturing the hair. Coconut oil helps in healthy growth of hair that provides hair a shinny look. Regular head massage using coconut oil can also make scalp free of dandruff, lice, and their eggs. It can also prevent dryness of the scalp.
  • Stress: Coconut has soothing properties and hence coconut oil relives stress. Application of coconut oil on the scalp followed with appropriate massage can help to get rid of anxiety and fatigue.
  • Skin: Coconut oil is very good for skin if massaged. It serves as an effective moisturizer and suits on almost all kinds of skin texture. Coconut oil has been used as effective medicine to treat various skin ailments such as psoriasis, skin rashes, and inflammation of the skin.
  • Aging: Coconut oil prevents premature aging and degenerative changes because of its antioxidant action.
  • Heart: Coconut oil is protective for the heart. It contains about 50 per cent of lauric acid that help to prevent various cardiac disorders including high cholesterol and hypertension.
  • Weight: Coconut oil is very helpful to reduce body weight. It has short and medium fatty acid chain that help to shed off extra pounds.
  • Immunity: Coconut oil is also said to strengthen the immune system. It can boost immunity as it contains antimicrobic lipids, and acids like caprylic, capric and lauric. They all have protective action against attacks of fungus, bacteria and viruses.

 

Coconut oil has also been used as an additional treatment protocol in some kinds of poisoning3. Its action against bacteria and viruses has been supported by many clinical trials. Coconut oil contains antimicrobial agent like monolaurin that help to stop the growth or to kill microorganisms4.

 

REFERENCES

  1. Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid parameters and in vitro LDL oxidation by K.G. Nevin and T. Rajamohan for Clinical Biochemistry 37, 2004; 830-835.
  2. A Diet Rich in Coconut Oil Reduces Diurnal Postprandial Variations in Circulating Plasminogen Activator Antigen and Fasting Lipoprotein(a) Compared with a Diet Rich in Unsaturated Fat in Women by H. Muller, A.S. Lindman, A. Blomfeldt, I. Seljeflot and J.I. Pedersen for Journal of Nutrition. 133:3422-3427, 2003.
  3. Successful treatment of acute aluminium phosphide poisoning: possible benefit of coconut oil by S. Shahin, R. Mojgan, P. Abdolkarim, R. Mmohammad-Hosein, A. Mohammad for Human & Experimental Toxicology, 24:215-218, 2005.
  4. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria by Preuss HG, Echard B, Enig M, Brook I, Elliott TB. Molecular Cell Biochemistry, 2005:272:29-34.