Coconut Oil and Dietary Fatty Acids References

Duncan Crow
Wholistic Consultant

Early Traditions Yield to Modern Sensibilities

Early studies of historic dietary traditions before the westernization of the food chain included a careful analysis of the oil-eating habits of native people such as the residents of the islands of Pukapuka and Tokelau near New Zealand.

In the typical tropical tradition, these people ate only natural foods, and 60 percent of their calories came from primarily saturated fat as coconut oil. Although this is far more than the 35 percent fat that people in western countries consume today, diet-induced diseases associated with "bad" oil intake were rare.

There were no high cholesterol readings, no sign of kidney disease or hypothyroidism, no atherosclerosis, heart disease, colitis, colon cancer, hemorrhoids, ulcers, diverticulosis, or appendicitis that we would normally associate with a "high-fat" diet. These people had no digestive problems either; in fact they were lean and healthy, and as a whole had an ideal body mass index.

coconut oil references

From Traditional Methods . . .

This recent photo shows coconut oil extraction done in the tropical tradition in rustic dirt-floored, open-air shelters on family farms. The coconut meat is shredded and fermented and then brought into the shelter to be heated slightly so oil can be skimmed from the vat by hand. The coconut oil is then heated to drive off any water. This yields a good quality coconut oil with only a moderate loss of flavour.

In a more modern method the shredded coconut meat is force-dried on huge heated griddles, then the dried meat is cold-pressed to squeeze out the oil. This oil is also heated to drive off the last of the water. Even with the heating it yields a light, flavourful oil, but it's not really "virgin", which is a term for an unheated oil.

Though these traditional methods raise a red flag with people who are concerned about hygiene, coconut oil references show that even contaminated oil is unlikely to harbour many live organisms.

. . . To Modern Sensibilities

The modern wet milling and cold extraction method is perferred by a more discerning clientele. It employs hygienic conditions, and a strict quality assurance system preserves the best attributes of natural coconut oil without heat, and without the difficulties and inherent risks of the backyard-manual process.

In this example the fresh coconuts are opened, shelled and processed within 48 hours of picking. The meat is chopped and placed in a expeller press; the resulting liquid, a filtered coconut milk emulsion, is chilled to 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) so that the oil will pull out of solution and solidify on top. Finally, a large centrifuge extractor spins the water out of the oil. The whole process takes less than three hours.

This represents the only method of extraction that requires no heat at all. "Extra Virgin" coconut oil thus produced is the least refined on the market, it is lighter, most people think it's better tasting, and it is pharmaceutically pure.

Virgin Oil De Coco-Crème™

How do you tell the difference between the gourmet coconut oil and other grades of coconut oil? Try an evaluation through comparison samples.

Here is what you should see:

See	- White solid / Colourless and crystal clear when melted
See	- Melts evenly and more easily than RBD coconut oil
Smell	- Light, fresh coconut aroma (not an added scent)
Taste	- Natural unprocessed sweet (not roasted) taste
Touch	- Melts very easily on touch
Touch	- Quick absorption
Touch	- No oily after - feel
Touch	- Very light viscosity (lighter than fractionated oil)

The references given here show that long-lived mammals have shorter lifespans when fed more unsaturated and polyunsaturated oils (such as canola, corn, and soy). While pourable oils impose a huge free radical load that damages internal organs and creates inflammation and biological imbalance in both man and beast, saturated oils generally, and particularly coconut oil, are the lowest free radical-producing dietary oils.

Saturated medium-chain (MCT) oils in coconut oil do not raise "bad" LDL cholesterol; they don't even require cholesterol for transport in the blood. The Cholesterol Myths reveal medical posturing that is designed to panic you into using cholesterol medication. MCT oils don't circulate in the bloodstream, they are sucked up by cells including liver cells and converted into energy rather than being stored as fat. Coconut oil research shows that the oil, because of the healthy medium chain fatty acids, promotes weight loss by speeding up the body's metabolism which in turn burns more calories. Farmers use fattening, thyroid-suppressing unsaturated oils like corn, canola, cottonseed and soy to force their stock to gain weight because when they tried cheaper coconut oil, the livestock became lean, active and hungry. Do we want to be fat and slow or lean and active? 'Nuf said!

Coconut oil references show that in single doses, coconut oil reduces triglycerides by 15 percent, while canola oil raises triglycerides by 47 percent.

Check out this chart or an interactive worksheet of the peroxidation index of selected food oils. Lower peroxidation index is better.

According to the Ayurvedic classics, coconut oil nourishes the body and increases strength, Michigan State University professor Emeritius and consultant to private industries J Kabara said. The oil was also valued for its antimicrobial properties. Different preparations of coconut oil promote luxurious hair growth and protect the skin from bacterial, protozoal, and viral infections. Fresh coconut oil is wholesome to the heart and relieves skin troubles, and also has a pronounced anti-yeast effect.

Initial trials have confirmed that coconut oil or purified monolaurin has an anti-viral effect that reduces the viral level in HIV-AIDS patients to undetectable vallues, University of the Philippines, Emeritus professor of pharmocology Conrado S Dayrit said. A minimum of 50 ml of coconut oil would contain 20 to 25 grams of lauric acid, which has the maximum antiviral activity of the fatty acoids, he said.

Based on this research, the first clinical trial using monolaurin as monotherapy on some of the HIV patients was undertaken, in which fifteen patients were given nearly 50 ml of coconut oil for a period of six months. By the end of the first three months of clinical trials viral levels of seven patients had gone down and by the sixth month viral counts in the others had gone down substantially. No, it's not a cure, but it shows a measurable gain.

Coconut oil references wouldn't be complete without mention of international oils expert Mary Enig's work, espeically her book Know Your Fats, and her exposure of the scam created by the seed oils industry in her article The Oiling Of America

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