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Coconut oil is not heart healthy

Highly successful Industry marketing has convinced many that coconut oil is a ‘health food’. Unfortunately, this is not borne out in the scientific literature. Coconut oil is unusual amongst plant foods in being high in saturated fat, which contributes more than 80% of the fatty acid composition. Diets high in saturated fat consistently lead to elevated LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood, which is a direct cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Lauric acid, a type of saturated fat, comprises about half of the total fatty acids in coconut oil. Although classed as a medium chain fatty acid, it acts more like a long chain fatty acid and does elevate LDL-cholesterol. In addition, 25% of coconut fat consists of the long-chain saturated fatty acids myristic acid and palmitic acid, known to adversely affect cardiovascular health.

A well-conducted meta-analysis of 16 studies from 2020 confirmed that coconut oil consistently leads to an increase in blood LDL-cholesterol levels by 8.6%. Even though there was a corresponding rise in HDL-cholesterol level, this is unlikely to counteract the adverse effects of the raised LDL-cholesterol. Shockingly, the impact on LDL-cholesterol levels was worse for coconut oil compared to palm oil. It should be noted that there are no studies that have evaluated the potential benefit of coconut oil consumption in preventing actual cardiovascular outcomes. In contrast, a 1mmol/l (38.7mg/dL) reduction in LDL-cholesterol levels (through lifestyle modification or medication) is associated with a 23% reduction in major vascular events (heart attack, stroke, death) over a 5 year period. It can therefore be assumed that the rise in LDL-cholesterol levels from consuming coconut oil would have an opposite/negative effect.

Although coconut oil may compare favourably to animal sources of fat, such as butter, there is no doubt that oils high in unsaturated fats are healthier. Saturated fat increases the production of cholesterol from the liver and reduces uptake of cholesterol from the blood by down-regulating receptors for LDL-cholesterol in the liver. In contrast, oils such as extra virgin olive oil and rapeseed oil, high in unsaturated fats, have the opposite effect and have been shown to lower LDL-cholesterol and thus improve cardiovascular health outcomes and reduce the risk of premature mortality. Despite various myths surrounding the consumption of ‘seed oils’, rapeseed oil outperforms olive oil when it comes to LDL-cholesterol lowering.

If you are going to use oil in cooking then it is best to stick with oils high in unsaturated fats, such as extra virgin olive oil and rapeseed oil. Processed oils are not required in the diet and healthy fats can be obtained from whole plant foods, such as nuts, seeds and avocado. Coconut oil should be used only occasionally and sparingly for flavour and texture when required.

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