With reference to the article Coconut oil: It’s good for you after all, Sunday Times Plus of October 16; the article is misleading at best.
The most significant fact, not highlighted in the article, is that coconut oil contains the highest percentage of saturated fats (responsible for increasing serum cholesterol levels in blood) of all the cooking oils. In fact coconut oil contains 11.8 grams saturated fats per teaspoon, which is TWICE more of the dangerous fat than lard (pork fat), which only contains 5 grams! It is even better to use butter or tallow than coconut oil, they all contain less saturated fat than coconut oil! The table at the end of this article gives the actual numbers and USDA citations.
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| One stage of the process of making coconut oil |
Ok, we in Sri Lanka love our coconut oil. Whether it is for deep-frying, temparadu, coconut milk in curries or used in baking, coconut oil has that special flavour other oils just can’t match. Used in moderation, (like most things), coconut oil is not the worst that we do to our health. The catch phrase is Used in moderation; the underpinning to Buddhism that we grapple with.
Referring to the article, the fact that coconut oil contains phenols does not negate the dangers of coconut oil. Cars that have airbags are safer…but that does not compensate for dangerous driving and over speeding. Furthermore, other oils, notably olive oil, also contain phenols…zero sum for coconut oil.
It is interesting to note in the article that the research found coconut oil that we buy in stores, the copra method, is the worst kind…while the virgin coconut oil, that we cannot buy in stores, is better.
In describing the research methodology, what is irresponsible are the casually used terms of “it may be suggested” and the lack of consistency in the types of coconut oil used…should not have been used to justify a (false)conclusion that coconut oil is good for us.
It is true that coconut oil is thermally highly stable. That is because coconut oil is a saturated fat…their carbon-atom linkages are filled—or saturated—with hydrogen.
While it may be true that phenolic anti-oxidants present in coconut oil are also thermally highly stable; this is also true with many of the other cooking oils.
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| The table shows, in grams, how much saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans fats are contained in 1 tablespoon of various commonly used oils and fats. |
This notably true with olive oil, which contains thermally stable polyphenols;from the simple Phenols of tyrosol to Terpenes to Hydroxybenzoic acids. Furthermore, olive oil is actually “good”… about 75% of its fat in the form of oleic acid (a monounsaturated, omega-9 fatty acid). In terms of monounsaturated fat, the closest common culinary oil to olive is canola oil, with about 60% of its fat coming in monounsaturated form. 2
The article states “This addition of anti-oxidants and heavy cooking might be the reason that copra oil is not as bad as expected when thinking of saturated compounds.
”The fact that Sri Lankan cook with lots of anti-oxidants (as in spices) cannot be used to complement and augment the health values of coconut oil. In reality, the author apologies for the negative effects of copra / coconut oil.
The author is correct that “Any oil,… is unhealthy if consumed in excess.” Isn’t that the truth!
However, what is NOT true is the conclusion of the article “The Kelaniya research, however, has finally restored the humble coconut oil to its past glory.”
No. It has not. And Coconut oil is NOT the better alternative.
(The writer is Professor Emeritus, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.A.)
Comments based on the simple saturated fat-heart theory
This is what Prof. Kapila Seneviratne of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Kelaniya has to say.
It is unfortunate that the author’s comments on the article are based on merely the saturated fat content of coconut oil. If the author carefully read the article, he must have noticed that it clearly mentions that the saturated fatty acid content of coconut oil is 93 %, which is a good indication of the high saturated fat content of coconut oil.
The author’s comments are based on the simple saturated fat-heart theory which indicates that saturated fats increase cholesterol levels and high cholesterol levels cause heart diseases. However, modern research indicates that the relation between saturated fat in the diet and heart diseases is not that simple especially when it comes to plant-based oils. Our recent studies (International Food Research Journal (2011), 18(4): 1303-1308) and studies done in New Zealand (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1998) 52, 650-654) indicate that cholesterol contents in blood do not proportionally increase with the saturated fat content in the diet.
Even though saturated fat content of coconut is high, these fats are derived from short and medium chain fatty acids that are almost non-existent in other cooking oils. In the diet-heart theory the possible metabolic pathways and mechanisms by which individual fatty acids or glycosides may control the levels of plasma cholesterol and lipoproteins have been seriously overlooked. The author mentions that it is even better to use butter or tallow than coconut oil, they all contain less saturated fat than coconut oil. Again, it is not scientifically reasonable to draw such conclusions simply based on the saturated fat content.
Coconut oil contains about 93% saturated fat, while butter contains about 64% saturated fat. However, reports indicate that cholesterol synthesis is lower during diets rich in coconut fat and safflower oil compared with diets rich in butter (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1998) 52, 650-654)
Findings that are more recent than lipid-heart theory also indicate the importance of phenolic compounds in reducing the risk of coronary heart diseases. Some new non-lipid causes of coronary heart diseases such as bacteria Chlamydia pneumonia seems to divert attention from saturated fat to other causes of heart diseases (Infection and Immunity, (1996), 64, 1614–1620). Now, cardiovascular researchers are being tantalized by hints that the bacteria and viruses that cause such common ailments as pneumonia, gum disease, and, ulcers could be at least contributing factors in plaque formation according to the Science (Science (1998), 281 no. 5373, 35-37).
Studies conducted with two human groups indicate that the group consuming twice as much as coconut compared to the other group has higher serum cholesterol levels. However, heart diseases are not common in both groups (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (1981), 34, 1552-1561). These scientific data indicate that the simple saturated fat-heart theory has to be seriously refined and modified. If the claims of the author about coconut are true Sri Lanka and many other coconut consuming countries should have the highest rates of coronary heart disease in the world. However, what is true is the antithesis.
The author mentions, the fact that coconut oil contains phenols does not negate the dangers of coconut oil just like cars that have airbags are safer but that does not compensate for dangerous driving and speeding. Drawing such parallels in scientific research is invalid and I am unable to comment on any such mentioned similarity between phenolic compounds in coconut oil and airbags in cars. However, some epidemiological evidence of lower incidence of coronary heart disease in the Mediterranean area has led scientists to hypothesize the protective effect of some olive oil phenolics (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. (1998), 46, 4292-4296). Recent studies also demonstrate that despite the high saturated fat content, the potential beneficiary effect of virgin coconut oil in lowering lipid levels in serum and tissues is much more superior to that of highly polyunsaturated ground nut oil (Clinical Biochemistry (2004), 37, 830– 835).Even though I have mentioned that the nutritional quality of copra oil is poorer compared to other types of coconut oils, the same article indicates that even copra oil is not that bad as expected by the saturated fat content. It is also important to bring to the notice of the readers that modern techniques can improve the extraction and purification methods of copra oil and this causes the improvement of the quality of copra oil.
In science, research projects are conducted to investigate certain things and further studies are also conducted to confirm or prove certain findings. Such clear findings are reported in scientific literature. However, during a research project certain observations need further proof and for such observations, it is common to make suggestions to explain such observations with some uncertainty. What is irresponsible is reporting something which lacks clear evidence as a well-established fact without using the terms such as ‘may be suggested’.
The author indicates that phenolic antioxidants present in many other oils are also thermally stable. It is partially true. However, the important feature of coconut oil is both phenolic and lipid fractions are highly thermally stable.
This discussion could have been more interesting if the author presented some solid scientific evidence for his claims without giving mere fat contents of edible oils with some web addresses. If he is interested, I am more than willing provide him with more scientific literature related to this subject. |
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