Coconut Oil versus Obesity

Excerpted from:

Rediscovering the Truth of the Coconut: Curative Properties of Coconut Oil
(Part 2 of 2)

March 13, 2014

By: STAR SCIENCE By Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit, Ph.D. (The Philippine Star)

http://www.ateneo.edu/news/ls-research-updates/rediscovering-truth-coconut-curative-properties-coconut-oil

[The following excerpt from Dr. Dayrit's research describes the second of three applications which illustrate the usefulness of coconut oil, including their scientific basis:  (1) antimicrobial, (2) anti-obesity, and (3) anti-cancer activities. The other two applications  are posted in this blog separately.]

Coconut Oil versus Obesity

During the 1970s, nutrition researchers became interested in the metabolic response of humans to different types of fats. As a result of these studies, it was discovered that medium-chain fatty acids have the property of raising body temperature, a response called diet-induced thermogenesis.

In studies on humans, which involved overfeeding human volunteers with both medium-chain fats and long-chain fats, it was shown that the former stimulated thermogenesis to a greater degree than the latter. Since coconut oil is unique in its composition of having over 65 percent medium-chain fats, even excess consumption will not make one fat compared with other fats and oils.

In 2003, Marie-Pierre St. Onge and co-workers from Montreal compared the effects of diets rich in medium-chain fats versus long-chain fats on body composition, energy expenditure, and fat oxidation among 24 overweight but healthy men. They found that the diet rich in medium-chain fats led to greater loss of adipose fat compared to long-chain fats and they recommended the use of medium-chain fats for the prevention of obesity. 

In 2009, Monica Assunçao and co-workers in Brazil studied the effects of dietary supplementation with coconut oil versus soybean oil on the lipid profiles of obese women. They found that coconut oil raised the HDL level, improved the LDL/HDL ratio, and reduced the body-mass index (BMI) of the subjects. In contrast, soybean oil raised total cholesterol and LDL and gave an unfavorable LDL/HDL ratio. They concluded that coconut oil promotes reduction in abdominal obesity and does not cause dyslipidemia (abnormal amount of fat in the blood), in contrast to soybean oil which gave poorer results.

The scientific basis for the action of coconut oil in combating obesity has been attributed to increased metabolic rate and thermogenesis. Upon ingestion, medium-chain fats are brought directly to the liver where they are metabolized for energy unlike the long-chain fats which circulate in the blood stream before being brought to the liver.

About the Author: Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit is a brilliant, multi-awarded scientist, who is Professor of Chemistry and former Dean of Ateneo University's School of Science and Engineering, among other distinguished positions he holds in the field of advanced science and technology research and development. He graduated cum laude from Ateneo with a degree in Chemistry, and received both his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry from Princeton University.