The Health Benefits of Coconut Oil for health and beauty

Last Updated on Saturday, 22 October 2011 03:11 Written by Natural Health Team Saturday, 22 October 2011 03:11

Health Information about The Health Benefits of Coconut Oil for health and beauty

Coconut Oil: What ‘s The Deal?

It seems everywhere you turn these days there are companies promoting their products as the best, the healthiest, the new miracle cure for everything from hair loss to cancer. It can be confusing to sift through all of the information to find the facts.

Coconut oil was blacklisted years ago because it was a “dangerous, saturated fat” and was quickly pulled from common usage. Tropical oils were labeled bad and unhealthy, and Americans shunned them without a second thought. Now, coconut oil is not only making a come back, but making a comeback as a health, nutritional supplement that cures everything from hepatitis to HIV. How can something move so quickly from “bad” to “good”?

The negative research that was published about coconut oil in the past was a result of one study that was conducted over forty years ago! The study used hydrogenated coconut oil, the type that is altered from it’s natural form and not virgin oils. remember, too, that hydrogenation has now been shown to be bad for the body. So, was it the coconut oil or the hydrogenation that was the problem?

tandard or Organic Coconut Oil?

Much of the commercial grade coconut oils are made from the dried kernel of the coconut, called copra. Copra is the dried coconut meat of the coconut. If the copra is used as a starting material, the unrefined coconut oil is not suitable for consumption and has to be purified and refined. The copra is not dried by sanitary methods so it must go through a process where it is refined, bleached, and deodorized.This is accomplished by the use of high heat, then the oil is filtered through bleaching clay to remove the impurities. at that point sodium hydroxide is used to remove free fatty acids and improve the shelf life of the finished oil. Most, if not all of the coconut oil that is commercially and mass produced is made in this way. During this process much of the nutritional value, as well as the natural health benefits of the oil are removed and what is left is a tasteless, useless oil. Since it is not organic there also may be traces of chemicals used to fertilize the coconut plants as well as pesticides in the oil. These chemicals are the basis of many illnesses!

Organic, virgin coconut oil is handled and processed much differently. The virgin coconut oil is made by using non-copra (fresh coconut meat). Since the natural coconut oil is pure it is very stable and has a shelf life which can be measured in periods of years. It also retains all of it’s delicate taste and nutritional qualities. It needs no further heat, or chemical refining. There are currently two ways of manufacturing Virgin Coconut Oil:

Method one uses a process of quick drying the coconut meat which is then used to press out the oil by mechanical means. Method two is a process called wet-milling. During this method the oil is extracted from the fresh coconut meat without prior drying. The coconut milk is expressed by pressing and then the oil is separated from the water. Several methods can be used to separate the oil from the water including; boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes, and mechanical centrifuge

In either of these methods the health and nutritional benefits of the coconut oil are retained, and because it is organic there are no chemical residues. The delicate flavors are also retained.
Nutrition for the Heart

So, now that you know that you want organi, virgin, coconut oil…Do you know why? What exactly are the nutritional benefits of ingesting this stuff?

The current medical research indicates that at least thrity percent (30%) of our diet should be made up of fats. Each fat is not equal, how ever, affecting the body in a different way. coconut oil is generally favorable, and has been shown tocreate a more favorable hdl/ldl ratio in the body. Coconut oil is a saturated fat, which have been described as having a negative effect on the cholesterol but coconut oil is different from other saturated fats in many ways.

Coconut oil is the highest vegan source (62%) of medium chain triglycerides. At least half of these medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are made up of lauric acid which is the single most important fatty acid in building and maintaining a healthy immune system. The amount of lauric acid in coconut oil is similar to the percentage in breast milk. No other vegetable oil has lauric acid and only milk and butter come close to the percentage, measuring in at 3%!

Virgin coconut oil has been show to raise cholesteral level in some individuals, however it is the beneficial and protective levels that are raised contributing to a healthier ratio of hdl/ldl cholesterol. Studies have also shown that the current popular oil, canola oil, actually was one of the worst oils to use, producing high levels of trans-fatty acids when used in cooking.

Virgin coconut oil actually helps to prevent hardening of the arteries.

Health Information You Need to Know!

* Coconut-Info.com – the place for information on the health..
A website with alot of information on the health benefits of coconut oil, how to use it and the different illnesses and problems that it has been used to treat.
* Health Benefits of Coconut Oil – Research Directory
A website with many pages and articles on coconut oil. Numerous articles based on the research of Mary Enig of the Weston Price Foundation, as well as information about other fats in the diet.
* Coconut Oil – The Healthiest Oil On Earth?
A link to an online health-zine with numerous articles on health and well being. This particular link will take you to a discussion of the health benefits of coconut oil in the diet.
* The Health Benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil by Maggie VandenBrekel
AM article on Natural Health Web about the various benefits to the body of natural coconut oil. Discusses the medium chain fatty acids and coconut oil from a naturopathic point of view.

Nutrition for the Immune System

Monolaurin, the precursor to lauric acid, has helped in inactivating many viruses.The research indicates that it also offers some protection against cancer causing substances and free radicals. It does this by disrupting the lipid membranes of envelope viruses and also inactivated bacteria, yeast and fungi. Some of the pathogens reported by researchers to be inactivated by Monolaurin include; HIV, measles, vercular stomatitis virus (VSV), herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), visna, cytomegalovirus (CMV), influenza virus, pneumonovirus, syncytial virus and rubeola. Some bacteria inactivated by monolaurin include listeria, staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus agalactiae,and groups A, B, F and G streptococci

These health benefits can be achieved by eating approximately one -fourth a cup (four tablespoon fulls) of virgin organic coconut oil per day. In fact, the fats derived from coconut oil are routinely being used in hospitals, baby formulas and sports drinks to increase the strength of the individual immune system.

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