Coconut Health Benefits

The wonders of Coconut

The coconut tree ‘the tree of life’ has countless amounts of health benefits and therefore it is no surprise that as the Sri Lankans have this so readily available to them they choose to derive 80% of their fat intake from coconut. The benefits of this tropical fruit are used worldwide for aesthetic and health reasons and therefore today I am going to be focusing on the beautiful effects coconut oil and water and we can use it to ourselves looking and feeling fantastic.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is pretty versatile as it can be used in a whole host of ways such as topically or in cooking. It has a smoke point of 117C which makes it a perfect option for cooking at low temperatures  as the oil won’t denature and best of all it is flavorsome.  

The oil itself contain saturated acids but is predominately made up of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) 8% caprylic acid and 44.6% lauric acid; these are the fats that we are particularly interested in today.   

The fat myth

So many foods are now marketed as ‘low fat’ and people have now begun to follow low fat fad diets to support weightloss and prevent high cholesterol. The more this is researched the more this seems that a diet rich in carbohydrates and low in fats makes weightloss almost impossible and encourages endless amounts of health concerns such as diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and depression.  It is true that there are bad fats such as trans fats which are found in cakes and biscuits, these should be avoided as they can be damaging. However, good fats from plant and animal sources are needed in the diet to support a healthy mind, hormones, skin and hair integrity and encourage a healthy digestive system.  

Weight management

The fats within coconut are really effective at providing satiety, women that used coconut supplementation for 12 weeks experienced a reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI), abdominal obesity and altered their lipid profile for a more healthy balance of HDL to LDL[i]. The medium chain triglyceride capylic acid within coconut oil can also be useful for people that have weight gain not necessarily from increased adiposity but from bloating  if due to candidiasis as the supplement damages the pathogens that are producing gas byproducts.    

Loving your heart

Lauric acid is naturally present in human breast milk for a positive effect on the bodies lipid profile by increasing the level of good fat HDL, this may inversely have a relationship with a reduced risk of atheroschlerosis and high cholesterol. 

The natural antibiotic for flawless skin

Two of the short chain fatty acids within coconut oil are caprylic acid and lauric acid which have antibacterial roles against certain bacterial strains. One common bacterial strain that naturally occurs in every persons skin flora and nasal passage is Staphylococcus aureus.  If this strain over populates as a pathogen it then cause minor skin infections; impetigo, foliculitis, abscesses.  Recent research has shown lauric acid to be effective alternative treatment to antibiotics when treating acne vulgaris[ii].

Combating common infections

 Using coconut oil after a workout or swim at the gym may reduce your risk of athletes foot as the capylic acid acts as an antifungal against candida albicans.

Hair health

Dietary essential fatty acids help to lock moisture into your hair and applying them topically is also supportive.  By massaging coconut oil into the scalp you are stimulating circulation and protecting the hair follicles to encourage hair regrowth and prevent dandruff on the scalp. Don't just stop at the scalp, massaging the oil throughout the hair as you would with a conditioner will leave your locks with a bouncy shine. Coconut oil has endless benefits and can also be used on children's hair as it contains fatty acids such as lauric acid which acts as an antimicrobial against lice when massaged into the scalp.

Sports rehydration

 Let’s not just stop at the oil, the whole coconut has different benefits. The water from the coconut is classed as a popular rehydrating drink post workout in sports as it is rich in fundamental electrolytes; potassium magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and calcium.

The coconut water is so effective that it has been administered intravenously in an emergency as a hydrating solution in parts of the world where coconuts are inexpensive and medical solutions hard to come by.[iii] 

---

[i]Assunção ML, Ferreira HS, Santos AF, Cabral CR  and Florêncio TM (2009) Effects of Dietary Coconut Oil on the Biochemical and Anthropometric Profiles of Women Presenting Abdominal Obesity Lipids 7: 593-601 [Online] www.springerlink.com

[ii] Nakatsuji T, Kao MC, Fang JY, Zouboulis CC, Zhang L, Gallo RL, Huang CM (2009) Antimicrobial property of lauric acid against Propionibacterium acnes: its therapeutic potential for inflammatory acne vulgaris. J Invest Dermatol. 129:2480-8 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 

[iii]  Campbell-Falck D, Thomas T, Falck TM, Tutuo N, Clem KC (2000) The Intravenous Use of Coconut Water

 American Journal of Emergency medicine 18: 108-111  http://www.ajemjournal.com