http://www.care2.com/greenliving/zap-fat-with-fat.html
Zap Fat with Fat?
By Joyce Hendley, Eating Well magazine
Can coconut oil help you lose weight? There is science to suggest that the tropical oil may cause a slight (temporary) boost in your metabolism.
Anytime you eat, the process of digesting food burns off about 10 percent of the calories you consume. For example, if you consume 500 calories in a meal, your body uses about 50 of those calories to transform food into the energy that fuels your body. But theoretically if you eat a 500-calorie meal and replace the fat from oils or butter with coconut oil, your metabolism will speed up and burn more like 15 percent, or 75 calories.
It comes down to the molecular structure of the oil and how the body digests it. The fatty acids in coconut oil (called medium-chain triacylglycerols, or MCT) are shorter and more water-soluble than those in other oils, such as olive or canola. “So they’re more directly routed to the liver, where they’re readily burned for fuel,” explains Peter Jones, Ph.D., professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Therefore, they have less opportunity to be deposited in fat stores.
But there is no scientific evidence to show that consuming coconut oil helps people lose weight. There is one recent study, however, using an MCT oil, which suggests coconut oil may work in the same way. In the study, 31 overweight men and women followed a low-calorie diet that included just over a tablespoon for women and just under two tablespoons for men each day of either an MCT oil or olive oil. After four months, the MCT-oil users lost an average of 7 pounds; the olive oil group just 3 pounds. The investigators suggested that the metabolic boost produced by the MCT oil likely played a role.
Even if coconut oil does help people lose weight, few nutrition experts recommend it, since coconut oil is loaded with saturated fat: 12 grams in 1 tablespoon versus 7 grams in a tablespoon of butter.
Bottom line: The extra calorie burn produced by coconut oil might give you a slight edge, but only if you make room by eating less of something else. A tablespoon of any oil sets you back around 120 calories.
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9 comments
add your comment »Sadly our doctors learn nothing about nutrition and how the right foods is all we need with exercise to live a healthy died , why is this so, well they have a multi billion dollar drug /pharma mafia to support, so they need all the customers they can get and so many of us are tripping over each other to be their next patient.
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Thank you, Carol J., for clarifying the myth about coconut oil being a bad saturated fat. I was diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism 3 yrs ago and refused to go on Synthroid. Instead, I started taking 3 tbs a day of ORGANIC coconut oil and my doctor couldn't believe my thyroid function tests were normal 2 months later.....and continue to be!
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Yes, on the left, click on "Natural Remedies" and read the article on: "6 Healthy Uses for Coconut Oil", which discusses it's anti-viral properties, etc.
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I've only recently read about the benefits of Coconut Oil, but awhile back, I read that Grape Seed Oil withstands heat up to 500 degrees F. without changing it's structure to something carcinogenic, as is the case with most other oils.
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I've only recently read about the benefits of Coconut Oil, but awhile back, I read that Grape Seed Oil withstands heat up to 500 degrees F. without changing it's structure to something carcinogenic, as is the case with most other oils.
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Here's a nice article on Coconut Oil you might find helpful:
Break Out the Coconut Oil: It is Good for You
http://www.naturalnews.com/025717.html
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A great book is The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife. It outlines much of the research and dispels many myths about saturated fats. Coconut oil, along with many saturated fats, is stable (no missing molecules on chain) which makes it healthier and less susceptible to free radical damage. It also outlines the anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. We cook often with coconut oil, even add a little to fruit, and I use it on my skin & lips. A must-have for any household.
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Coconut Oil is a wonderful substitute for so many of the things we expose ourselves to. It is the most healthy oil to cook with as it withstands heat oxidation far better than any other oil, even olive oil. Only extra virgin coconut oil (unprocessed) should be used, just like with olive oil, honey, milk, etc. SATURATED FAT IS NOT HARMFUL AND DOES NOT CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN. The fat studies in the 1980's did not disseminate between saturated and trans fats and therefore saturated fats were carelessly vilified. Your brain is almost 60% fat, so when your brain cells die, saturated fat is needed to replace them.
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I thought coconut oil had other health benefits- I thought I remembered reading that it had anti-viral properties. Any info on this?
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