Coconut Oil Sinner or Saint

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FOOD FACT FILE cardiovascular disease [CVD].” It goes on to state: “As much as 90 per cent of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, 6 per cent monounsaturated and 1.5 per cent polyunsaturated fat. “Compare this with the saturated fat content of butter (52 per cent) and palm oil (50 per cent).” A cholesterol conundrum Policy guidelines promoted by the WHO and the AHA state that saturated fats such as coconut oil raise cholesterol and therefore increase the risk of CVD. However, whilst human trials have demonstrated that coconut oil increases both total cholesterol and LDL (so-called ‘bad’ cholesterol) levels, one review stated that better indicators for measuring CVD risk (such as LDL-HDL ratio and triglyceride levels) were not affected even when comparing coconut oil to ‘healthy’ vegetable oils and ‘unhealthy’ butter. 5 So, confusingly for the consumer, there is a growing opinion that the evidence associating saturated fats and CVD is inconclusive, as emerging studies appear to debunk traditional thinking. 6 Following the AHA’s statement, some doctors and scientists were quick to question it. One critic is cardiologist and co-author of The Pioppi Diet, Dr Aseem Malhotra, who told Optimum Nutrition: “My responsibility is to patients and scientific integrity, and when you look at the evidence the first thing to say is that there is no evidence at all that saturated fats clog the arteries.” That “myth”, he says, has been “busted”. Using coconut oil needs to be taken in the context of “a healthy eating package” He also questions the AHA’s statement as being based on “poor science” and cherry picked studies from decades ago — although ‘cherry picking’ data is a common accusation from both sides of the fat debate. Busted? “Of course coconut oil will affect [cholesterol],” says Malhotra. “It varies from person to person.” But data, he says, shows that when it raises LDL, it also increases HDL (so-called good cholesterol). And a high LDL level is not necessarily associated with heart disease. Coconut oil consumption needs to be taken in the context of “a healthy eating package”, he says. “So that as long as you are following what I recommend, which is kind of a low refined carbohydrate Mediterranean diet, having some coconut oil is not going to cause you a problem.” Malhotra also questions the economic background to the AHA’s report. “You have to question their motives when they are an organisation that receives a considerable amount of money from the drug industry. There is a huge industry that has developed around cholesterollowering drugs.” This is an observation put forward by other critics, as it is noted that the AHA review was part-funded by major manufacturers of cholesterol-lowering medications, the Canola Oil Council, and the California Walnut Commission 1 (all of which was declared). “The other thing that is really concerning,” says Malhotra, “is promoting the consumption of vegetable oils or industrial seed oils on the basis that they lower cholesterol as effectively as statins.” He says that trials that lowered cholesterol by dietary changes, such as increasing vegetable oil consumption, did not reduce death rate, heart attack or the risk of stroke. Beyond the cholesterol debate, however, Malhotra says he can only look at the best available evidence that is there. “Like anything obviously consumed in moderate amounts, it is not harmful. “I have a tablespoon of coconut oil in my coffee every morning. It keeps me full, it gives me energy... whatever, a nice replacement for sugar which is obviously much worse.” Good for all? Claims of other health benefits include coconut oil being associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease. One study found that anti-inflammatory components in coconut oil can pass the blood-brain barrier with neuroprotective effects. 7 However, the study in question only focussed on populations that already consumed large amounts of coconut oil. Similarly, studies that have associated coconut oil consumption with reduced cancer risk have tended to be conducted on animal models or non-western populations where overall diet and lifestyle may differ from that in the west. Lifestyle factors may make all the difference. For example, whilst coconut oil is said to be better for cooking than other vegetable oils because it is resistant to oxidation and polymerisation (when small molecules join together to make long molecules, so result in a change in the chemical structure), this benefit is lost when cooking at high temperatures — such as in deep frying. Despite its stability, coconut oil also has a low smoke point (171C/350F) 8 which is the temperature at which it produces smoke and toxins, so is only suitable for gentle or mid-heat frying. As for beneficial antimicrobial properties, research has shown coconut oil can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria at a cellular level which, in theory, 30 OPTIMUM NUTRITION | AUTUMN 2017
FOOD FACT FILE “I would not go as far as to say that it’s a superfood and it has all these other properties” would help with diarrhoea caused by antibiotic use. 9 However, such studies have so far only been in small lab tests, and human studies have not shown any significant beneficial changes. It is perhaps no wonder that Heart UK states that the “health benefits of coconut oil are definitely over hyped”. “I would not go as far as to say that it’s a superfood and it has all these other properties,” says Malhotra. “There may be some evidence there, but I can’t go that far. But what I can say — as a cardiologist — is that consuming coconut oil in moderation as a part of what I call a low refined carbohydrate Mediterranean diet, will not do you any harm. “I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I can tell you it is very good for you — that it is good for your health, but it can be very much part of a healthy diet.” And it is probably such advice that we need to keep in mind. Coconut oil is only a tiny part of a much bigger picture, and if we are living on a diet of chips and little else, then frying them in coconut oil isn’t going to turn them into a healthy option. Cold pressed, virgin or extra virgin? If you have wondered which to buy, you are not alone. We contacted several coconut oil companies to find out what the difference was between these labels but received little response. One industry insider who did not wish to be named said that there was “almost no difference” between extra virgin and virgin coconut oil. Another said that extra virgin coconut oil was higher quality, but was unable to elaborate as to why. Still confused, we resorted to the internet. One commentator, writing in coconutoil.com, says: “the only truly ‘unrefined’ coconut oil you can consume is the oil still inside the coconut meat from a fresh coconut just picked off the tree”, 10 and that coconut oil can only be produced by three different methods: refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD); cold pressed; or wet milled. Wet milled is considered to be the best because it does not require drying and heavy refinement. Research has shown that wet milled coconut oil contains higher amounts of antioxidants, but health comes at a price because this tends to be the most expensive. 11 At the other end of the spectrum; RBD uses higher temperatures to extract the oil from the coconut meat (between 70-80C), and then treatment with chemicals to get rid of impurities and to deodorise it, but it is also the cheapest. Cold pressed extraction is similar to RBD but uses lower temperatures to extract the oil (
Page 1: FOOD FACT FILE Christian Billinghur

Coconut Oil Sinner or Saint

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