Is Coconut Oil Good for Your Heart?

Coconut oil is the health food darling on the Internet. However, media headlines this past week proclaimed "coconut oil isn't healthy" based on a new report from the American Heart Association.  So who is right?   In this article, I'll answer the question, is coconut oil good for your heart?  I'll also share with you four ways to enjoy coconut oil without putting your heart at risk.

The American Heart Association's Coconut Oil Stance

As part of the low fat craze in the 1980s, coconut oil was something that should be avoided.  Now with the low carb craze, coconut oil has suddenly become a health food on the Internet.

This past week, the American Heart Association (AHA) published a warning on coconut oil and other foods high in saturated fats.  Their stance was that saturated fats increase LDL (bad cholesterol) and that a high LDL puts you at risk of cardiovascular disease and a premature death.

The AHA's hope is that Americans will replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat from nuts and seeds or complex carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables.  In contrast to previous publications, the AHA clearly warned that replacing saturated fat with sugar or processed carbohydrates was a recipe for a cardiovascular disaster.

As coconut oil is 90% saturated fat, which is far more than butter (60% saturated fat), beef (40% saturated fat), or even lard (40% saturated fat) it should be avoided according to the AHA.  Interestingly, while there are no specific studies linking coconut oil to heart disease in their publication, the AHA still argues that because coconut oil sends your LDL (bad cholesterol) through the roof, it must be causing harm.

4 Arguments for Coconut Oil as a Health Food

In sharp contrast to the AHA, many Internet sites claim coconut oil is a health food.  Here are the four main arguments in support of coconut oil.

1. Saturated fat isn't bad.

The belief that saturated fat isn't bad comes from studies showing that when you replace saturated fats with carbs, people did worse.  The problem is that you really need to look at these studies closely.  In most of these studies, people replaced saturated fats with sugar and processed carbs.

While saturated fat is "less bad" for you than sugar or processed carbohydrates, that doesn't mean it is a health food.  Indeed, if you carefully review all the studies published, when people replace saturated fats with healthy fats and unprocessed carbohydrates they do much better.

2. Coconut oil raises HDL and lowers triglycerides.

Studies show that coconut oil raises HDL or good cholesterol and lowers triglycerides.  HDL is like the garbage truck taking bad cholesterol (LDL) out of your body.  This is why the saturated fat in coconut oil carries a much lower risk of heart disease than the saturated fat in cheeseburgers and bacon.

Triglycerides, or the little fat particles in your blood, also cause heart disease.  Triglycerides shoot up if you eat sugar or processed carbohydrates.  If you are eating more fats then you are also probably eating less sugar and processed carbs.  Thus, triglycerides tend to be much lower on a high fat diet.

3. Pacific Islanders on a coconut diet don't get heart disease.

Studies of Pacific Islanders show that islanders eating a high coconut diet have very low rates of cardiovascular disease.  However, these were studies of lean Pacific Islanders who were physically active and were otherwise eating a healthy diet.  Sadly, once Pacific Islanders immigrate to the U.S., coconuts lose any possible protective effect.

4. Coconut oil may prevent diabetes.

Studies show that coconut oil may improve insulin sensitivity and prevent diabetes.  As diabetes is one of the biggest causes of heart disease, anything you can do to keep your sugar levels low will minimize your risk.