Health Benefits of Coconut

Coconut oil is one of the few foods that can be classified as a “superfood.”Its unique combination of fatty acids can have profound positive effects on health.This includes fat loss, better brain function and various otheramazing benefits.Here are 10 evidence-based health benefits of coconut oil.If you want to try it now for free, then get thisorganic virgin and fair-trade oil from Thrive Market.1. Coconut Oil Contains Fatty Acids With Powerful Medicinal PropertiesCoconut oil has been demonized in the past because it contains saturated fat. In fact, coconut oil is one of the richest sources ofsaturated fatknown to man, with almost 90% of the fatty acids in it being saturated (1).However,new datais showingthat saturated fats areharmless. Many massive studies that include hundreds of thousands of people prove that the whole “artery-clogging” idea wasamyth(2).Additionally, coconut oil doesn’t contain your average run-of-the-mill saturated fats like you would find in cheese or steak.No, they contain so-calledMedium Chain Triglycerides(MCTs) – which are fatty acids of a medium length.Most of the fatty acids in the diet are long-chain fatty acids, but the medium-chain fatty acids incoconut oil are metabolized differently.They go straight to the liver from the digestive tract, where they are used as a quick source energy or turned into so-called ketonebodies, which can have therapeutic effects on braindisorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.Bottom Line:Coconut oil contains a lot of medium chain triglycerides, which are metabolized differently and can have therapeutic effects on several brain disorders.2. Populations That Eata Lot of Coconut Oil Are HealthyCoconut is kind of an “exotic” food in the Westernworld, primarily consumed byhealth conscious people.However, in some parts of the world, coconut is a dietary staple that people havethrivedon for many generations.The best example of such a population is theTokelauans, which live in the South Pacific.They eat over 60% of their calories from coconuts and are the biggest consumers ofsaturated fat in the world.These people are inexcellenthealth, withno evidenceof heart disease (3).Another example of a population that eats a lot ofcoconut and remains in excellent health is the Kitavans (4).Bottom Line:Plenty of populations aroundthe world have thrived for multiple generations eating massive amounts of coconut.3. Coconut Oil Can HelpYou Burn More FatObesityis currently one of the biggest health problems in the world.While some people think obesity is only a matter of calories, others (myself included) believe thatthe sourcesof those calories are critical too.It is a fact that different foods affect our bodies and hormones in different ways.In this regard, a calorie is NOT a calorie.The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in coconut oil can increase energy expenditure comparedto the same amount of calories from longer chain fats (5,6).One study found that 15-30 grams of MCTs per day increased 24 hour energy expenditure by 5%,totalling about 120 calories per day(7).Bottom Line:The medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil have beenshown to increase 24hour energy expenditure by as much as 5%, potentially leading tosignificant weight loss over the long term.4. Coconut Oil Can Kill Harmful MicroorganismsAlmost 50% of the fatty acids in coconut oil is the 12-carbonLauric Acid.When coconut oil is enzymatically digested, it also forms a monoglyceride called monolaurin.Both lauric acid and monolaurin can kill harmfulpathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi (8).For example, these substances have been shown to kill the bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus (averydangerouspathogen) and the yeast Candida Albicans, a common source of yeast infections in humans