While coconut oil has dragged itself out of the muck of vast
misrepresentation over the past few years, it still rarely gets the
appreciation it truly deserves. Not just a "good" saturated fat,
coconut oil is an exceptional healing agent as well, with loads of
useful health applications.
Some examples of "good" saturated fat include
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Fat-burning: Ironic, isn't it? A saturated fat which
can accelerate the loss of midsection fat (the most dangerous kind).
Well, there are now two solid, human studies showing just two
tablespoons a day (30 ml), in both men and women, is capable of reducing belly fat within 1-3 months.
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Brain-Boosting: A now famous study, published in 2006 in the journal Neurobiology of Aging,
showed that the administration of medium chain triglycerides (most
plentifully found in coconut oil) in 20 subjects with Alzheimer's
disease or mild cognitive impairment, resulted in significant increases
in ketone bodies (within only 90 minutes after treatment) associated
with measurable cognitive improvement in those with less severe
cognitive dysfunction.[i]
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Clearing Head Lice: When combined with anise spray, coconut oil was found to be superior to the insecticide permethrin (.43%).[ii]
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Healing Wounds: Coconut has been used for wound healing
since time immemorial. Three of the identified mechanisms behind these
healing effects are its ability to accelerate re-epithelialization,
improve antioxidant enzyme activity, and stimulate higher collagen
cross-linking within the tissue being repaired.[iii]
Coconut oil has even been shown to work synergistically with
traditional treatments, such as silver sulphadizine, to speed burn wound
recovery.[iv]
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NSAID Alternative: Coconut oil has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and fever-reducing properties.[v]
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Anti-Ulcer Activity: Interestingly, coconut milk
(which includes coconut oil components), has been shown to be as
effective as the conventional drug sucralfate as an NSAID-associated
anti-ulcer agent.[vi]
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Anti-Fungal: In 2004, 52 isolates of Candida species
were exposed to coconut oil. The most notorious form, Candida albicans,
was found to have the highest susceptibility. Researchers remarked:
"Coconut oil should be used in the treatment of fungal infections in
view of emerging drug-resistant Candida species."[vii]
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Testosterone-Booster: Coconut oil was found to reduce
oxidative stress in the testes of rats, resulting in significantly
higher levels of testosterone.[viii]
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Reducing Swollen Prostate: Coconut oil has been found to reduce testosterone-induced benign prostate growth in rats.[ix]
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Improving Blood Lipids: Coconut oil consistently improves the LDL:HDL ratio
in the blood of those who consume it. Given this effect, coconut oil
can nolonger be dismissed for being 'that saturated fat which clogs the
arteries.'
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Fat-Soluble Nutrient Absorption: Coconut oil was recently found to be superior to safflower oil in enhancing tomato carotenoid absorption.[x]
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Bone Health: Coconut oil has been shown to reduce
oxidative stress within the bone, which may prevent structural damage in
osteoporotic bone.[xi] [Note: Osteoporosis is a Myth, as presently defined by the T-Score]
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Sunscreen: Coconut oil has been shown to block out UV
rays by 30%. Keep in mind that this is good, insofar as UVA rays are
damaging to the skin, whereas UVB rays are highly beneficial (when
exposure is moderate).[i] Make sure to check this list of other sun-blocking oils.
Of course, when speaking about coconut oil, we are only looking at
one part of the amazing coconut palm. Each component, including
coconut hull fiber,
coconut protein and
coconut water has experimentally confirmed therapeutic applications.
References
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[i]
Mark A Reger, Samuel T Henderson, Cathy Hale, Brenna Cholerton, Laura D
Baker, G S Watson, Karen Hyde, Darla Chapman, Suzanne Craft . Effects
of beta-hydroxybutyrate on cognition in memory-impaired adults. Neurobiol Aging. 2004 Mar;25(3):311-4. PMID: 15123336
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[iii] K G Nevin, T Rajamohan . Effect of topical application of virgin coconut oil on skin components and antioxidant status during dermal wound healing in young rats. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2010 ;23(6):290-7. Epub 2010 Jun 3. PMID: 20523108
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[xi] Mouna Abdelrahman Abujazia, Norliza Muhammad, Ahmad Nazrun Shuid, Ima Nirwana Soelaiman. The Effects of Virgin Coconut Oil on Bone Oxidative Status in Ovariectomised Rat. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012 ;2012:525079. Epub 2012 Aug 15. PMID: 22927879
Source:
Green Med Info
