Scientific Brains Needed! Thoroughly Confused About The Science Behind Coconut Oil

[KiaKaha]

OK - So I have searched this site (not sure I am doing it right) and various on the web and am now thoroughly confused.

I am taking cold pressed coconut oil for chronic candidiasis and would like to mainline it in my diet for all sorts of reasons. But when I L/C - my cholesterol goes up and it was high when I started. So I need to know what of the following hype/ fact is important to ensure I am not adding to my problems by being misguided about the supposed facts.

The claims have me a little confused:

Various websites and product sites make the following claims -

1. Coconut Oil doesnt have cholesterol because it has MDFA's
2. Coconut Oil is full of plant sterols and thus it lowers cholesterol
3. Coconut Oil is 92% saturated
4. You must get cold pressed oil that hasnt been left to sit in the sun or heated as it turns into transfats eg: Nutiva Brand says it is cold pressed at below 102F.
5. Since the 1960s, coconut oil has been mistakenly described as unhealthy. The media reported on studies finding that tropical coconut oils were laden with artery-clogging fats. What went unreported was the fact that the coconut oil used in the studies was hydrogenated—not the virgin oil used for centuries as a staple food.
6. Coconut Oil melts at 76 degrees.
7. It has a high smoke point at 450F
8. Google says it is slow to oxidise and doesnt go rancid for about 2 years. It is not affected by warmer temperature.

MY QUESTIONS ARE:

?1. How does saturated fat get hydrogenated? As in the 60's studies. Or are they only talking about the 8% of unsaturated fats?

?2. If they were talking about the 8% of unsaturated - what in their testing made scientists think it was the worst oil around ever?

?3. Does it lower cholesterol or not add to cholesterol - anyone know of any reliable studies?

?4. If it is not affected by warmer temperatures - why do I need to buy coconut oil extracted under 102 degrees?

?5. At what temperature does the unsaturated fats become oxygenated? At what temperature does the saturated fats become hydrogenated?(assuming you can hydrogenate something that is saturated)

?6. If it needs to be kept below 102 degrees, surely when it is shipped from a tropical location, it will reach that anyway - my kitchen is up to 110 at the moment also.

?7. Should I be keeping it in the Fridge?

?8. Are there any health impications (good or bad) to it having a high smoke point?

?9. Should I be having it if I have a fatty liver?

?9. What industrial process is used for making coconut milk? Google says it is grated and has hot water added to it and then pressed?

?10. Is it likely that the water temperature (or other aspect of the process) in industrial Coconut Milk production will cause the fats in the milk to become transfats?


Sorry if this is making me sound really dumb but I dont want to buy the expensive stuff (about $40 for 30 fluid oz) unless I need to. I also dont want to consume any coconut based product if it is not going to be better for me (or as good as) than what I currently use (I currently only ever use EVOO, CP Avocado Oil in salads and Butter). I also dont want to go to the bother of making my own coconut milk if it is healthy to eat the canned stuff.

Thanks!

[mike_d]

I did one for you. Nutiva is the brand I like or Rexall from Wal*Mart. I use Lou Ann for skin.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/search.php?searchid=1496012

[KiaKaha]

Mike - thanks for that. After being so frustrated with not figuring out how the search is refined - I can now see it at the bottom of the page.

Well I've read over 100 pages of posts and got some good links to research to read at my leisure. There is stuff on there about CO and cholesterol but I am still in the dark over the hydrogenation issue.

I need to know particularly because I am importing Nutiva from the US and its amazingly expensive. I have found various versions locally imported from Fiji and the Phillipines. In order to change brands however I need to understand what the important issues to watch for with CO and Coconut Milk are.
Particularly relating to hydrogenation - what causes CO to be hydrogenated and if T - at what heat? What processes are also bad - solvents vs temperature?

[mike_d]

Particularly relating to hydrogenation - what causes CO to be hydrogenated and if T - at what heat? What processes are also bad - solvents vs temperature?I used to work in the solid fats analysis industry (NMR). We used anhydrous glycerol, CO and OO as "standards." Its my understanding a trans-fat is man made in a reaction vessel using heat, hydrogen gas and a catalyst -- not likely to happen in your kitchen. A small amount of TF can occur in nature though. Since CO is already ~90% saturated its a quite stable fat and would need the above processing to make it a trans-fat [this is sometimes done to keep it solid in a tropical climate]. If its white, has a MP of 24-25°C (76°F), smells and tastes like coconut its the good stuff. Nutiva is pricey, but worth it. Your local stuff if "expeller pressed or extra virgin" should be good as well. I avoid fats that are labeled "partially hydrogenated like commercial lard for example"

Note: I just noticed your comment about cholesterol. Mine has gone up some and I am not eating CO now, when I was it was lower-- I am eating more eggs though. The Doc says my triglycerides are low and HDL is high so I am still good. He said there is nothing wrong with my heart.

[Nancy LC]

?2. If they were talking about the 8% of unsaturated - what in their testing made scientists think it was the worst oil around ever?You have to realize these "scientists" (CSPI) recommended using trans fats over coconut oil. So I wouldn't exactly trust anything else they say.The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) campaigned against the use of saturated fats for fast food cooking starting in 1984. When fast food companies replaced the saturated fat with partially hydrogenated unsaturated fats, CSPI's campaign against them ended. While CSPI defended trans fats in their 1987 Nutrition Action newsletter, by 1992 CSPI began to speak against trans fats and is currently strongly against their use.[13]

Plant based oils don't have cholesterol, however they can be saturated.

But this is irrelevant unless you buy into the whole cholesterol hypothesis of heart disease, which more and more is looking to be extremely wrong.

And don't freak out about trans fats found in nature. There's no avoiding them except by becoming a vegan and eating no fat.

[KiaKaha]

Thanks for that. Its a lot clearer now - I am just wary over oils after using EVOO exclusively for years and then finding its bad for you if you fry it. Other than that it is just confusing when you see how various products are marketed and how they each claim their process is healthiest.

Fortunately our EVCO here comes from Fiji or Samoa many direct from small local groups/ families who make it by hand (I think this is expeller method - it gets hand pressed through a small mincer type thing). Now that I understand it better - I feel safe to go and buy some and it'll be cheaper. Nutiva is yum though!

[LessLiz]

Frankly, the claims made for coconut oil are unbelievable. It's more useful than oopsie rolls.

[eshapard]

Here are my best guesses:

?1. How does saturated fat get hydrogenated? As in the 60's studies. Or are they only talking about the 8% of unsaturated fats?

Saturated fat cannot be hydrogenated.

?2. If they were talking about the 8% of unsaturated - what in their testing made scientists think it was the worst oil around ever?

The high amount of saturated fat is why they thought it was bad, not the unsaturated fat.

?5. At what temperature does the unsaturated fats become oxygenated? At what temperature does the saturated fats become hydrogenated?(assuming you can hydrogenate something that is saturated)

I'm pretty sure that unsaturated fats can become oxidized at any temperature, but the rate increases with temperature and, of course, oxidizing agents present and type of fat. Linseed oil oxidizes very rapidly.

?6. If it needs to be kept below 102 degrees, surely when it is shipped from a tropical location, it will reach that anyway - my kitchen is up to 110 at the moment also.

My guess is that this is to prevent bacterial/fungal growth. It will be shipped to you in vacuum sealed containers or containers filled with nitrogen gas, so there shouldn't be a problem.

?7. Should I be keeping it in the Fridge?

No, It will get too hard in the fridge. Other than that, there's nothing bad about the fridge.

?8. Are there any health implications (good or bad) to it having a high smoke point?

Not that I know of, just cooking implications.

[ambimorph]

I get it for just a little above the price of butter at my local Indian foods store.