The hype surrounding coconut oil all these years has been difficult to ignore. Starting right from coconut oil being staple ingredient in the keto and paleo diets to it being hailed as a superfood aiding in weight loss- has ignited controversial discussions in the public. Let’s bust this myth now, shall we?
Saturated fats (the unhealthy fats) make up 92% of coconut oil – a higher percentage than butter!! Coconut oil is particularly high in one type of saturated fatty acid called lauric acid. This type of fatty acid tends to mimic healthy unsaturated fats by boosting HDL (good) cholesterol. However, studies show that with the consumption of coconut oil, whilst healthy HDL cholesterol levels appear to rise, so does total cholesterol and unhealthy LDL cholesterol in the blood too.
Overall, the current evidence shows that coconut oil, infact, at the end of the day does more harm than good and simply does not stack up against healthy unsaturated fats (like those found in olive oil).
By Soumya Kumar (Certified Nutritionist/Dietician)
