Coconut Oil Benefits Weight & Cholesterol

A new study has shown that coconut oil is good for reducing the most important kind of fat and improving the most important kind of cholesterol. . . .

The study included 116 people who were mostly elderly and who all had high blood pressure. 94.5% of them had cholesterol problems and were on cholesterol medication. Some of them were placed in a diet group and some were placed on the same diet with the addition of about 1tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil.

At the end of the three month study, waist circumference was reduced by 2.1cm, which was significantly better than the diet only group. This specific measure of weight loss is crucial because waist circumference is a measure of abdominal fat, and abdominal fat is the most detrimental fat for your health.

The coconut oil group also had significantly greater elevations of the heart friendly HDL cholesterol. Elevating HDL cholesterol is even more important than reducing LDL cholesterol.

The researchers concluded that the study showed that a diet rich in extra virgin coconut oil seems to favor the reduction of WC [waist circumference] and the increase of HDL-C concentrations, aiding with secondary prevention for CAD [coronary artery disease] patients.” 

Nutr Hosp 2015;32:2144-52