Coconut oil is widely marketed as a super food. The unique combination of fatty acids in coconut oil may have positive effects on your health, such as boosting fat loss, heart health, and brain function. The oil derived from coconuts has a number of emerging benefits for your health. In order to get the most out of it, make sure to choose organic, virgin coconut oil rather than refined versions.
Before you get excited about this potential miracle food, bear in mind that there are still constant researches and studies going on, to properly ascertain these claims, and as such, they are liable to being changed or altered.
The list below enumerates 6 possible benefits of using coconut oil.
Coconut oil contains healthy fatty acids
Coconut oil is high in certain saturated fats. These fats have different effects in the body compared with most other dietary fats. The fatty acids in coconut oil can encourage your body to burn fat, and they provide quick energy to your body and brain. They also raise HDL (good) cholesterol in your blood, which may help reduce heart disease risk
Consuming coconut oil may encourage fat burning
Obesity is one of the biggest health conditions affecting the world today. While some people think obesity is just a matter of how many calories someone eats, the source of those calories is important, too. Different foods affect your body and hormones in different ways. The MCTs in coconut oil can increase the number of calories your body burns compared with longer-chain fatty acids.
Coconut oil may have antimicrobial effects
Lauric acid makes up about 50% of the fatty acids in coconut oil. When your body digests lauric acid, it forms a substance called monolaurin. Both lauric acid and monolaurin can kill harmful pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Coconut oil is believed to reduce hunger
One interesting feature of MCTs (medium chain triglyceride) is that they may reduce hunger. This may be related to the way your body metabolizes fats, because ketones can reduce a person’s appetite
Medically, coconut oil may reduce seizures
Researchers are currently studying the ketogenic diet, which is very low in carbs and high in fats, to treat various disorders. The best known therapeutic use of this diet is treating drug-resistant epilepsy in children. The diet dramatically reduces the rate of seizures in children with epilepsy, even those who haven’t had success with multiple types of drugs. Researchers aren’t sure why. Reducing carb intake and increasing fat intake leads to greatly increased concentrations of ketones in the blood.
In beauty; coconut oil may protect your skin, hair, and teeth
Coconut oil has many uses that have nothing to do with eating it. Many people use it for cosmetic purposes to improve the health and appearance of their skin and hair. Studies show that coconut oil can improve the moisture content of dry skin and reduce the symptoms of eczema
Coconut oil can also protect against hair damage. One study shows that it may work as a weak sunscreen, blocking about 20% of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Oil pulling, which involves swishing coconut oil in your mouth like mouthwash, may kill some of the harmful bacteria in the mouth. This may improve dental health and reduce bad breath, though more research is needed.
Keep in mind that coconut oil is very high in calories and can easily lead to weight gain if eaten it in large amounts.