Coconut oil can cause harm?
In recent years, COCONUT OIL HAS GAINED the title of “SUPERFOOD” A search engine’s listings might even show it as a remedy for any illness. The applications are limitless: you will find information on how to clean your teeth using oil, replace moisturizers with it, and obviously diversify your food choices.
However, nutritionists frequently speak out against the usage of coconut oil within foods. For instance, just recently, Harvard professor of epidemiology Karin Michels gave a lecture at the University of Freiburg and said that “coconut oil is pure poison.” Her lecture was watched by a large number of people. News sites across the world raised the alarm. But is the infamous “superfood” actually that harmful? Let’s figure out if we should just give all coconut oil for good or if it offers advantages.
How are fats classified
Its shape like jellyfish. The “head” contains glycerol while”tentacles,” or “tentacles” are fat acids. Fatty acids are lines of carbon atoms, with hydrogen atoms that face outward. Each carbon of the chain has an chemical bond with the hydrogen atoms of two. Sometimes, only one hydrogen atom can be attached to a carbon and the carbon is then joined by an additional connection between carbons. The chain angle is altered as well as the distance between molecules of fatty acids and the molecules that are adjacent are also separated.
Double bonds can also determine the degree to which saturated fatty acids are. Only one bond between carbons is referred to as saturated while those that have double bonds are referred to as unsaturated. Depending on where in the chain where the double bond is located the fatty acid will be identified with a specific name. For instance “omega-3” signifies that it’s located just after the third carbon at to the end “tail” that is the fat acid.
The proportion of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids can affect the physical characteristics that the oil has, including the melting temperature. Therefore, animal fats mainly comprise saturated fatty acids that stay solid when heated to room temperatures, as well as liquid vegetable oils in contrast comprise unsaturated ones. Our bodies can produce saturated fatty acids in order to store energy, however they also require two unsaturated acids, namely Linoleic (omega-6) and the alpha-linoleic (omega-3) fats. Both are present in the majority of vegetable oils.
Coconut oil production made
In terms of botanical terminology the coconut is not actually a nut it is an actual kernel. These include such things as Apricots and cherries. They comprise three layers comprising the outer shell the exocarp, flesh, mesocarp and the hard shell that surrounds the seed, called the endocarp. The mesocarp in coconut is dry and fibrous, which is different from other fruit kernels. Available for sale in Russia typically, the exocarp and the majority of the mesocarp is taken away leaving a tough brown seed. This is what is known as the “hairy coconut” from the “Bounty” commercials.
The seed that is contained in the brown shell comprises two primary elements which are the white fleshy pulp and the transparent liquid that is the solid and the liquid endosperms, respectively. The endosperm contains a variety of proteins, starch, as well as fats. It is vital to supply the plant with nutrients. As the fruit grows, the endosperm that is liquid thickens becoming more oily and turns the appearance of a milky yellow. When a mature coconut the coconut’s liquid is solidified and only one kind of endosperm remains the coconut pulp.
Coconut pulp that is mature is then used for the production of coconut oil. It can be hot or cold-pressed. The cold method is produced by simply squeezeing the shavings that are shredded, which allows extraction of only one-tenth of the coconut oil. The end product is much more appealing flavor and tastes more similar to the coconut itself. If the product is heated and processed, it can be thermally processed in either drying it using an oven or the sunlight. This is the second technique that is frequently employed in the food business since it allows you to make use of coconut in the most rational way possible.
Coconut oil is a component of HTML0.
In contrast to the other oil types, coconut is made up of the highest percentage of saturated fats, which is between 80 and 90%, which means it can remain in place even at room temperatures. It is interesting to note that regular butter contains significantly less saturated fats – “only” 51 percent. Coconut oil is heavily influenced by lauric fatty acid. It also contains myristic (which is high in butter) and palmitic fats (hello palm oil). In addition they are all saturated.
It contains a small amount of unsaturated fatty acids. In contrast to many vegetable oils that contain unsaturated fatty acids, coconut oil is a low source of alpha-linolenic and linoleic acids. However despite the fact that coconut oil is similar to animal fats in physical properties however, it is not a source of cholesterol. This is due to its particular composition as well as its fact that it is different from vegetable oils like sunflower and olive oil, that debate on the benefits of coconut oil has gotten heated.
The controversy surrounding fats
On the other hand over the last few years nutritional experts have been suggesting that an increase in saturated fats in our diet may be detrimental to cardiovascular and heart health. For instance, the American Heart Association, for instance, suggests consuming no more than 13 grams of saturated fat equivalent to around one spoonful of coconut oil every day. Incredibly, the research that triggered the “war against saturated fats” in the second quarter of the last century did not provide any scientific evidence and was mostly built on speculation.
In the years following it became evident that the risk element wasn’t just the level of cholesterol in the body, but the particular lipoproteins (the proteins that carry cholesterol through the liver as well as various organs) comprised it. It is from this that the notion that there was “bad” cholesterol and “good” cholesterol was born Lipoproteins with low density (LDL) are known as “bad” as are high-density lipoproteins (HDL) are referred to as “good”. A high level of LDL in blood raise the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, whereas HDL in the opposite way reduces the risk of it.
In 2015 an Harvard University study showed that replacing saturated fats by unsaturated fats in the diet could have an improved impact on the health of your heart rather than substituting them with refined carbohydrates such as those that are that are found in white bread and sodas. In addition the principal component in palm oil, called lauric acid which, on one hand, increases the level of “good” cholesterol in the blood. However, in the opposite direction, it raises amounts of “bad” cholesterol. There is no research to determine to determine which of these variables is more important.
It is interesting to note that those who have a diet heavily affected by coconut oil (e.g. New Zealanders living in the Tokelau Territory) do not suffer from any issues in their heart system. Even though 60 percent of their calories is from coconut-based products, the overall health of the people in Tokelau remains high. In all these cases however, it begs the question of the role that other factors play, for instance, genetics and physical activity. It is also a question of whether there is something that can block the negative effects of eating saturated fats. There is however no scientific proof to suggest that coconut oil can be “pure toxic,” either.
In moderation
The primary issue with the controversy surrounding coconut oil lies in the fact that it’s not well researched. After all it was only discovered to be popular all over the world just a little time back. Although many of the health-promoting benefits of coconut oil aren’t verified scientifically, some aspects can be stated without doubt. For instance coconut oil contains antiseptic properties, and when applied to the skin , it can help eliminate mold and bacteria. Another advantage is the preservation of the lipid barrier. For certain extent, it could be used as a replacement for a moisturizer, or products for dry hair.
In terms of food, it is believed that eating coconut oil could cause health issues However, we do not know the severity of the problem. Like many other food items such as the so-called superfoods it is imperative to follow the rules and scrutinize all information. There’s no reason to not consume coconut oil , even in tiny quantities however, it appears that a complete change to it might not bring positive results.
