Experts' Findings on the Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Dr. Sinatra
Cardiologist with 30-plus years’ experience.
Coconut oil is good for the heart and the entire body. One of the greatest attributes of coconut oil is that because it is a saturated fat, it doesn't oxidize. Saturated fats used to be thought of as bad for the heart, but the truth is that saturated fats are perfectly okay because they are very resistant to oxidation. Even though omega-3 essential fatty acids are good for heart health, if they become oxidized they can be as toxic as even the most ugly fats of all—trans fats. Omega-6 oils such as corn, canola, and vegetable oils are very prone to oxidation and can be very toxic to the body if over consumed.
Coconut oil also contains monolaurin, which supports the immune system. So, consider coconut oil as a good option to boost heart health and immune health.
I’ve become convinced that the root cause of heart disease is low-grade inflammation within the body. And I’ve seen that directly attacking inflammation with the right diet, natural supplements, and lifestyle changes is, in fact, the best way to treat and prevent heart disease
Dr. Conrado Dayrit
 Emeritus Professor, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines,
Former President National Academy of Science & Technology, Metro Manila, Philippines
With all the opprobrium cast against it, it bears repeating again and again
that no evidence has ever been presented to prove that coconut oil causes
coronary heart disease in humans. The human epidemiologic evidence
proves that coconut oil is safe. Coconut eating peoples like the Polynesians
and Filipinos have low cholesterol, on the average, and very low incidence
of heart disease. All evidences now point to inflammation and low HDL as
the principal instigators of plaque formation. The chemical properties of
coconut oil (CNO) and its biologic actions as a medium chain fatty acid
make CNO superior to other oils for cooking and health use. Its anti-inflammatory
and immune-regulatory actions as shown by its remarkable control of diabetes,
hypertension, heart disease, auto-immune diseases and cancer, make coconut oil unique.
Source: Dayrit, Conrado S. 2006. Coconut Products and Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO)
for Health and Nutrition - A strategy for Making Coconut Globally
Competitive. In Proceedings of the XLII Cocotech Meeting, 21-25 August
2006, Manila, Philippines.
Dayrit, Conrado S. 2005. The Truth About Coconut Oil: The Drugstore in
a Bottle. Anvil Publishing, Inc. Manila, Philippines.
M. Verallo-Rowel, M.D.
 Award-winning American Fellow Dermatologist and Medical Researcher based in Manila, Philippines
The Coconut is the Perfect Health Nut. The coconut can help you avoid
obesity, boost your immunity, protect you from bacteria, fungus, and
viruses - all while keeping you heart-healthy and moisturizing your skin to a
natural glow and beauty, even treating acne, and providing beneficial
antiseptic, tumor-protecting, and antioxidant effects.
source: Verallo-Rowell, V.M. 2005 RX: Coconuts! (The Perfect Health Nut). Bookman, Inc, Manila, Philippines.
G. Enig, Ph.D.
Director Nutritional Sciences Division, Enig Associates, Inc.
12501 Prosperity Drive, Suite 340, Silver Spring, MD, 20904-1689 USA
The lauric acid in coconut oil is used by the body to make the same disease-fighting fatty acid
derivative monolaurin that babies make from the lauric acid they get from
their mothers´ milk. The monoglyceride monolaurin is the substance that keeps infants from getting viral or bacterial or protozoal
infections. Until just recently, this important benefit has been largely
overlooked by the medical and nutritional community.
source: Enig, G.M. 2001. Health and Nutritional Benefits from Coconut Oil: an
Important Functional Food for the 21st Century.
Coconuts Today, Special
Edition for the 13th Asian Pacific Congress of Cardiology, October 2-3,
2001, EDSA Shangrila Hotel, Manila, Philippines.
Dr. Jon J. Kabara
Emeritus Professor, Michigan State University, and Technology Exchange Inc.
Galena, Illinois 61036, U.S.A.
Never before in the history of man is it so important to emphasize the value
of lauric oils. The medium-chain fats in coconut oil are similar to fats in
mother's milk and have similar nutriceutical effects. In the past four
decades misinformation and disinformation provided by certain politically
biased agricultural groups and repeated in professional and lay press have
led people to believe that all saturated fats are unhealthy. Little attention is
focused on the fact that saturated fatty acids are not single family of fats but
comprise three subgroups: short (C2-C6), medium (C8-C12) and long (C14-
C24) chain fatty acids. The medium chain fats are found exclusively in lauric
oils.
source: Kabara, J.J. 2000. Nutritional and Health Aspect of Coconut Oil In:
Proceedings of the XXXVII COCOTECH Meeting/ ICC 200, 24-28 July
2000, Chennai, India, pp. 101-109 .
DR. D.P. Athukorale
Cardiologist, Pharmacologist, Academician, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Coconut milk and coconut oil are consumed by the majority of Sri Lankans
and rural people which comprise 70% of our population. They get a
significant portion of their calories from coconut. It has been found that the
majority of people in the rural areas get about 35 gram of fat per day from
coconut and they consume very little food containing fats such as milk,
butter, cheese, beef, pork, and corn oil as they cannot afford these
expensive dietary items. From our clinical experience, we know that serum
cholesterol level of people in rural areas is very low. When we investigate
patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) from rural areas, we find that
their serum cholesterol is normal or low. The commonest risk factor for
heart attack in rural areas is smoking.
Coconut has been used in Sri Lanka for over 1000 years but the epidemic of
IHD is of recent origin. Before 1950, heart attacks were not common in Sri Lanka.
source: D.P. Athukorale 1996. The Truth About Coconut Oil. In Facts About Coconut Oil, Jakarta: APCC, pp. 52-54 .
S.M. Sadikot
Endocrinologist, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Bombay; Hon. Diabetologist,
All India Institute of Diabetes, Bombay, India
Coconut oil and mustard oil are traditional cooking
media, which have been used in India and other developing
countries for thousands of years. Although they are
saturated fats, they do not show a wide Omega-6 to Omega-3
fatty acid ratio, which is quite high in polyunsaturated
oils. The desirable ratio is less than 10:1. Increasing
prevalence of diabetes and other related diseases are found
correlated with increasing Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio. On the
other hand, consumption of coconut oil, which is deficient
in polyunsaturated fatty acids, has been found to enhance
secretion of insulin and utilization of blood glucose. It is
beneficial to consume the traditional edible fats such as
coconut oil along with polyunsaturated fats to reduce the
Omega-6 intake and maintain optimum Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio
in the diet.
source: Coconut for Health Nutrition. Jakarta: APCC, 2005: 6
Soerjodibroto
MD, Ph.D. Nutrition Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
The clinical study on the effects of virgin coconut oil (VCO) on immune
responses among HIV positive patients in Dhamais Hospital, Jakarta
concludes that the macronutrient intake, mostly in terms of energy, fats and
protein were significantly improved among the VCO supplemented group. In
addition, the weight and nutritional status of the subjects, especially among
the VCO supplemented group, were maintained well throughout the study.
By maintaining body weight and nutritional status, it is expected to have
significant increases in CD 4 concentration because nutritional status is
frequently associated with immune status, both humoral and and cell-mediated.
source: Research Report on the Effects of Virgin Coconut Oil on Immune Responses among HIV Positive Patients in Dharmais Hospital,Jakarta, 2006:21
Dr. Bruce Fife
Certified Nutritionist and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, USA
If there was an oil you could use for your daily cooking needs that helped
protect you from heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative conditions,
improved your digestion, strengthened your immune system, and helped
you lose excess weight, would you be interested? This is what coconut oil
can do for you. The oil from the coconut is unique in nature and provides
many health benefits obtainable from no other source. Coconut oil has been
called the healthiest dietary oil on earth. If you are not using coconut oil for
your daily cooking and body care needs, you are missing out on one of nature´s most amazing health products.
source: Fife, B. 2004. The Coconut Oil Miracle. Penguin Books (USA.) Inc. New York, USA.
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