Image from Wikipedia by Phu Thinh Co
(Update, Aug. 27, 2018: Reference links added at the end which include Ty Bollinger’s article as well as a post by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community — both responding to Michels’ claim)
Recently, a Harvard professor-epidemiologist, Karin Michels, called coconut oil “pure poison” in a recent lecture she gave at the University of Freiburg.
HORRORS! It looks like deja vu all over again!
Decades ago, our local coconut oil industry was almost wiped out due to a massive global PR campaign that sent out the message that coconut oil was bad for the heart. This was backed by the American Heart Association (AHA). The better alternative, the food industry and AHA said back then, was canola oil. They also dissed butter and said margarine was healthier. I still remember that the once popular Baguio Oil began disappearing from grocery shelves and was replaced with different brands of canola oil.
Not knowing any better and wanting what she thought was best for her family, my Mom changed her buying habits. For years and years afterwards, our grocery items were filled with canola oil and margarine! And we know that most daughters, when they get married, follow what their mothers did. So you can just imagine what MY grocery items also consisted of when we began our own family.
Recent studies though have debunked the negativity hurled against coconut oil. In this article by Ty Bollinger of The Truth About Cancer, it was revealed that the food industry in the 60s conducted their studies on coconut oil using partially hydrogenated coconut oil. The chemical alteration of hydrogenation transformed what was a healthy natural virgin coconut oil into another product which became harmful.
Dr. Joseph Mercola, one of the more popular resource persons in the alternative medicine world, has this to say about vegetable oils in one of his articles:
Vegetable oils are one of the unhealthiest oils you can consume. They are rich in trans fat, which is a synthetic fatty acid that inhibits your body’s production of prostacyclin, a factor that keeps your blood flowing smoothly. If your body cannot produce enough prostacyclin, blood clots can form in your arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease.
Aside from endangering your cardiovascular health, trans fat may even impair your memory. According to a study published in Time, participants who consumed high levels of trans fat remembered 11 fewer words compared to those who consumed lower levels.
Much of the reason why vegetable oils contain trans fat is because they are hydrogenated, a process wherein hydrogen gas is forced into the oil at a high pressure during manufacturing. Companies use this method to extend the shelf life of their products, but at the cost of people’s health.
Furthermore, vegetable oils produce oxidized cholesterol when heated, increasing thromboxane formation, a factor that clots your blood, as well as two toxins: cyclic aldehydes and acrylamide.
In light of all this information, which vegetable oils should you avoid? I’ve put together a list of vegetable oils that can endanger your health:
- Soybean oil: This contains plenty of highly processed omega-6 fats. When you use it to cook food, the increased levels of omega-6 can lead to chronic inflammation.
- Corn oil: Similar to soybean oil, corn oil has extremely high amounts of omega-6 compared to omega-3. In fact, the ratio is estimated to be around 49:1. Ideally, the ratio should be 1:1 only.
- Cottonseed oil: It’s estimated that 93 percent of cotton in the U.S. is genetically engineered. Consuming oil made from these cotton plants can have an adverse effect on your health in the long run.
- Canola oil: You may have seen plenty of advertisements that present canola oil as a safe and healthy cooking ingredient. Unfortunately, this is not true, as canola oil can introduce oxidized cholesterol into your body when consumed.
If that is the case against vegetable oils, what is the case for coconut oil?
Dr. Conrado Dayrit, the Father of VCO
For decades, one of the staunchest defenders of coconut oil as a healthy oil was Conrado Dayrit, a Filipino doctor and scientist. Known as “Dr. Coconut” and “Father of VCO” (virgin coconut oil), he was one of the co-founders of the Philippine Heart Association and became its president. He authored a book, The Truth About Coconut Oil – The Drugstore in a Bottle. When the coconut industry was being vilified, Dr. Dayrit continued to defend the healthy benefits of coconut oil and is considered instrumental in keeping the industry afloat. Much later, one of his sons, Dr. Fabian ‘Toby’ Dayrit, co-authored a book, Coconut Oil: From Diet to Therapy, which contained an updated version of his father’s book.
Another article by Ty Bollinger says this of coconut oil:
Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin (the compound found in breast milk that strengthens a baby’s immunity). A great deal of research has established the fact that lauric acid is used by humans to destroy viruses, and various pathogenic bacteria and microbes such as yeasts, fungi, bacteria, parasites, and molds.
Coconut oil contains zero trans-fats and about 2/3 of the saturated fat in coconut oil is made up of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). By contrast, most common vegetable or seed oils are comprised of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), which put strain on the pancreas and the liver, are chiefly stored in the body as fat, and harden the arteries with cholesterol. The MCFAs in coconut oil have antimicrobial properties, are beneficial to the immune system, and are easily digested for quick energy.
The natural health industry, as well as the cosmetics industry, now recognize coconut oil’s benefits. Not only is it good on the skin but it is just as good when taken internally or used for cooking food.
Let’s be clear. Hydrogenated coconut oil is harmful because it transforms the coconut oil into trans fat. Virgin coconut oil (and coconut cooking oil) is healthy.
Back to the Harvard professor Michels….what could her basis for the poison claim be? It would be interesting to scrutinize the source/s of her allegation. And it would be interesting to see if she is backed by the same institutions that, decades ago, set out to destroy the coconut oil industry.
I have strong confidence in the healthy benefits of coconut oil. Daily, I take a teaspoon of Laurin, a form of VCO high in MCTs or medium chain triglycerides (very healthy). We also use coconut oil for cooking. Laurin is also what I use with my essential oils. Many of my skin care products contain coconut oil. Oh yes, even my Perla soap (for laundry and hand washing) is 50% coconut oil. I consider myself lucky to be in a country that is abundant in coconuts.
Check out this infographic from Dr. Joseph Mercola’s website:
Additional References: