with valentine’s day around the corner and february being heart health month, what better time to chat about one of the more controversial topics in the world of cardiovascular health? coconut oil: healthy or not?
coconut oil has seen a surge in use and popularity over the last decade and comes packaged not only with a hefty price tag, but also quite a few grandiose health claims.
the people who make these claims do so on the back of the fact that coconut primarily contains a unique form of fatty acids known as medium chain triglycerides (mcts) .
mcts are metabolized more quickly and easily than other types of fats and travel immediately to the liver to be used as energy, which theoretically, means they are more easily digested and offer some sort of metabolic advantage.
there’s only one problem.
coconut oil is high primarily in the mct known as lauric acid, which structurally, is a mct, but
scientists believe that it doesn’t act like an mct in the body
– meaning it would not offer these theoretical benefits.
in other words, coconut oil is not a physiological equivalent to mct oil, even if it is inappropriately presented as such. which brings us to another question: what does coconut oil offer besides a pricey, smooth creamy taste?