Proven Health Benefits You Can Get From Using Coconut Oil

Once in a while you hear the word superfood been assigned to some food products, and coconut oil qualifies as one. The many health benefits you can derive from using coconut oil includes weight loss, stress relief, better skin care, better hair care, and a lot more, as you would see from reading the rest of this article.

With the right type of coconut oil, you’ll experience faster fat loss, excellent brain function, and a plethora of amazing benefits.

Reason Why Coconut Oil is Solid

When compared to other oils that’s prevalent for human use, coconut oil comes with a very high melting point, which is about 76-78 Fahrenheit or 24 to 25 degrees Celsius.

Now you know why it tends to stay solid even at room temperature, and will only melt when the temperature rises tremendously. The coconut oil you buy will most likely come to you in a solid form. Try not to keep it in your refrigerator.

Coconut Oil Varieties

Pure Coconut Oil

This is the most well-known of all the coconut oil varieties. It is extracted from copra or dried coconut kernels. It is unrefined and crude and doesn’t contain any additives.

Pure coconut oil is extracted mainly through the compression of copra inside a mill that is driven either by power or bullocks.

However, the preferred variety is the one extracted using oil mills that are bullock driven.

There are multiple uses for pure coconut oil, including industrial and medicinal uses, cosmetic usage, and as a hair oil, massage oil, and edible oil.

Refined Coconut Oil

It is also referred to as RBD coconut oil at times. This is an abbreviation for refined and bleached and deodorized coconut oil.

This kind of coconut oil is mechanically obtained and the crude coconut oil is refined, bleached and deodorized to make it odorless, colorless and thin without any kind of particle (like proteins) suspended inside.

You get pure saturated fats as an end result of using this method.

Virgin Coconut Oil

This kind of coconut oil comes from the milk that is derived from fresh coconut meat rather than copra, using processes such as enzyme action, centrifugal separation, and fermentation.

As little heat or none at all is used when extracting the oil. When coconut oil is produced in this manner, it smells and tastes the best. It is also laden with medium chain fatty acids and antioxidants.

It has incredible anti-microbial properties as well. It is among the most trusted and respected coconut oil varieties.

Organic Coconut Oil

This type of coconut oil is extracted from coconuts that are from coconut palms that have been grown using organic manure only, without the addition of any insecticides or synthetic fertilizers.

Organic coconut oil production is also conducted without using any chemicals during the processing or extraction processes. It is another very well-respected coconut oil variety.

Organic coconut oil plays an integral role in many organic cosmetic products, including organic snacks, organic lotions and skin creams, organic soaps and many other products of this nature.

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

This is one of the best organic products derived from using just organically grown coconuts. It is perhaps the purest and best type of coconut oil of all. However, it is quite rare and costly!

Based on recent studies, the following health benefits can be derived from using coconut oil

A – Coconut Oil Contains a Combination Of Fatty Acids That Is Unique And Provides Powerful Medicinal Properties. In the past, coconut oil was demonized due to the fact that it contains a high amount of saturated fat.

Coconut oil, in fact, is among the richest saturated fat sources of all. Nearly 90 percent of its fatty acids are saturated. New data, however, shows that saturated fats are actually harmless.

There have been numerous large studies including hundreds of thousands of human subjects that have proven that the “artery-clogging concept” is a myth.

In addition, the average saturated fats that are found in steak or cheese are not the kind of saturated fats that are contained in coconut oil. Instead, Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) is what is contained in coconut oil, which are medium length fatty acids.

A majority of fatty acids that are part of our diets are long-chain fatty acids. However, medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil get metabolized in a different way. These go directly from your digestive tract into your liver.

They are then utilized as a quick energy source or transformed into ketone bodies that can provide therapeutic effects for brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and epilepsy.

B – Populations That Consume Large Amounts Of Coconuts Are Some Of The Healthiest People In The World. In the Western world, coconut is considered to be an exotic food. It is mostly health conscious people who eat it.

However, it is a dietary staple in certain parts of the world. In these areas, people have been thriving on coconut for many generations. The Tokelauans, a population living in the South Pacific, is the best example of this.

Sixty percent of their calories come from coconuts. They are the world’s highest consumers of saturated fat. These individuals enjoy excellent health without any evident heart disease among them.

The Kitavans are another population that consumes lots of coconuts and also enjoy excellent health.

C – Coconut Oil May Increase Energy Expenditure. These Helps You Burn Even More Fat. One of the world’s most serious health problems these days is obesity.

Although some people believe obesity is just a matter of calories, there are other individuals, including me, that believe that the source of the calories is also to blames. Different foods do affect our hormones and bodies in different ways. From this perspective, a calorie is not simply a calorie.

The MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) contained in coconut oil may increase your expenditure of energy compared to the same number of calories coming from longer chain fats.

There was a study that showed that consuming 15 to 30 grams of MCTs each day resulted in a 5% increased in energy expenditure over the 24 hour period. This is equivalent to approximately 120 calories a day.

D – Lauric Acid Contained In Coconut Oil May Kill Fungi, Viruses And Bacteria To Help Stave Off Infections. Nearly half of the fatty acids that are contained in coconut oil are 12-carbon Lauric Acid.

Whenever coconut oil is digested enzymatically, it forms monolaurin as well, which is a monoglyceride. Monolaurin and lauric acid can both kill harmful pathogens such s fungi, viruses and bacteria.

As an example, it has been shown that these substances can kill a bacteria called Staphylococcus Aureus (which is a very dangerous pathogen), along with Candida Albicans, which is a yeast that causes many human yeast infections.

E – Coconut Oil Helps to Quench Your Hunger, Which Results in Less Food Intake. Another interesting feature offered by coconut oil is it can potentially reduce your hunger.

It might be related to how the fatty acids inside it get metabolized since ketone bodies do reduce appetite. There was a study where various amounts of long and medium chain triglycerides were consumed by six healthy males.

The men who ate more MCTs, consumed 256 fewer calories, on average, every day. There was another study that was conducted with 14 healthy men.

It was discovered that the men who ate the largest amounts of MCTs for breakfast consumed a significantly lower number of calories for lunch. The studies were conducted over short periods of time and were small. However, the results could not be denied!

F – Fatty Acids Contained In Coconut Oil Are Converted Into Ketones. This May help contribute to less Seizures. A ketogenic diet contains very high fat and low carbs.

Currently, their many studies been conducted with funds from our government and industry trying to prove the effectiveness of this diet in treating various disorders. To date, the most well-known therapeutic application of the diet is treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy among children.

Large quantities of fat and low amounts of carbohydrates are consumed on this diet. It leads to a significant increase in ketone body concentration inside the blood. The diet, for some reason, is able to dramatically reduce the seizure rate in epileptic children, including those who have not had success using multiple kinds of different drugs.

The MCTs contained in coconut oil are transported to the liver where they are transformed into ketone bodies.

G – Coconut Oil May Lower Risk Of Heart Disease And Improve Blood Cholesterol Levels. Coconut oil is laden with saturated fats. Unlike what was previously thought, it actually doesn’t harm your blood lipid profile.

Saturate fats raised your good cholesterol (HDL) and transform LDL cholesterol into a subtype that is benign. One study with 40 females showed that coconut oil helped to reduce LDL and total cholesterol and increased HDL when compared with soybean oil.

Rat studies have also shown that coconut oil results in reducing LDL and total cholesterol along with triglycerides, increases HDL, and helps to improve antioxidant status and blood coagulation factors.

H – Coconut Oil Functions As A Sunscreen, Moisturizes Skin And Protects Your Hair From Damage. There are many beneficial uses of coconut oil that does not involve consuming it.

It is being used by many people for improving health, for cosmetic purposes and enhancing their hair and skin. Studies with individuals suffering from dry skin have shown that using coconut oil improves the lipid content and moisture of the skin.

It can also protect against hair damage. There was also a study that showed that coconut oil was effective when used as sunscreen. It blocked approximately 20% of ultraviolet rays from the sun.

It is also being used like a mouthwash in the process known as oil pulling. This can kill some harmful bacteria inside your mouth, reduce bad breath and improve dental health.

Is coconut oil healthy?

From all the facts presented in this article, we can all agree a good brand of natural coconut oil will do your body much good.

If you’re considering purchasing coconut oil, Amazon has an excellent selection. There were thousands of customer reviews for you to browse through and read.

You can also find coconut oil in almost any health food store. To enjoy all of the health benefits that have been discussed in this article, choose organic virgin coconut oil instead of the refined stuff.

Top Coconut Oil Brands

Now that you know about the health benefits of coconut oil, you might want to know how to identify the top brands of this healthy product.

In the brief review of the best brands of coconut oil, the link is provided through the image. To find coconut oil for sale simply click on the image.

1 – Nature’s Way Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, 32-Ounce

Nature’s way is a reputable manufacturer of purely organic products and one of their best-selling brand is the Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil.

It comes in a 32-Ounce jar and can be used in smaller quantities for cooking or dietary supplement.

This healthy product is a true Organic extra virgin coconut oil. It is a good source of energy and has a melting point of 76 degree Fahrenheit.

It comes to you in a slightly solid form, but can be scooped up easily with a steel utensil. You don’t need to use a lot like you do with regular cooking oil.

2 – Viva Labs Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16 Ounce

This is another great organic coconut oil from a reputable manufacturer. This cooking or dietary supplement oil is purely extra-virgin, meaning it is unrefined and cold pressed.

This healthy product is not only USDA certified to be organic, but it also meets all kosher labeling laws.

The coconut seeds used to grow this product are not genetically modified. This Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is not only free of bleach, pesticides, hexane, Trans fats, but also gluten free.