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Coconut Oil - A Bunch Of Reasons It Optimizes Health & Wellbeing

By Anne Edwards

Coconuts
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Most of us have been conditioned to literally cringe at the mention of the words "saturated fat". Images of heart disease, obesity and poor health are conjured with the very thought! However, not all saturated fats were created equal. There needs to be an unmistakable understanding that the saturated fat contained in coconut oil is very different in function to the saturated fat contained in animal fats. It is now known the unique saturated fat contained in coconut oil actually helps prevent and treat a number of serious diseases and contributes to overall good health.

Coconut Oil is composed predominately of a group of fat molecules known as medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). The majority of fats in the western diet, however, are composed almost entirely of long chain fatty acids (LCFA). The primary difference between MCFA and LCFA is the size of the molecule. Medium chain fatty acids are small enough to be absorbed directly into the blood stream in the same fashion as other nutrients are absorbed. However, long chain fatty acids are too large to be directly released into the bloodstream and must undergo a variety of complex transformations before they can be utilised. The other major difference is the cholesterol content; coconut oil does not contain cholesterol, while animal fats such as lard or butter contain significant amounts.

In brief, cholesterol is generally divided into two classes: HDL is known as 'good' cholesterol and LDL is known as 'bad' cholesterol. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have shown that coconut oil consumption increases HDL levels, hence, reducing the risk of heart disease. The cholesterol-lowering properties of coconut oil are a direct result of its ability to stimulate thyroid function.

Most commercially available (mono, poly) unsaturated dietary oils either contain trans-fats or have the potential to mutate into them by heating these oils for long periods at high temperatures, as in deep-frying. These trans-fats are a more recent introduction into our daily diet and are highly detrimental to health and wellbeing. Trans-fats are developed when fatty acid chains are altered from their original form as found in nature, by the oil refining process. Partially hydrogenated oil such as margarine contains trans-fatty acids due to the process used to manufacture it. Just to make it a little clearer; trans-fats may be polyunsaturated or monounsaturated but NEVER saturated.

Including cold-pressed oils in the diet would be a far better alternative to trans-fat containing unsaturated oils, however, using coconut oil as the main source of dietary fat is THE best alternative by far. In many aspects the human body is amazingly precise and efficient, unfortunately it is not perfect. To our body edible fat is edible fat, whether it's good for it or bad for it the body will use it anyway. Unfortunately we are not programmed to recognise any difference between a healthy natural fat and an unhealthy manufactured trans-fat or hydrogenated fat. Upon consuming these, what I call 'hybrid fats' (manufactured fats), the body has no idea they are not capable of performing the functions for which nature had intended them, and therefore can lead to disease. It is now an undisputable fact that the presence of trans-fatty acids in the diet is linked to a variety of serious health problems such as Cardio-Vascular Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Cancer, Obesity, Liver Dysfunction and Infertility, to name a few. (Continued on page 2)

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