Coconut oil is one of those few foods that can be classified as a “superfood.”
Thanks to the unique combination of fatty acids, it can have an array of positive effects on your health. Some of the most appealing include improved brain function, fat loss and other impressive benefits.
Keep in mind, while coconut oil offers many health benefits (found here) there are also countless other coconut oil uses, making this one of the most beneficial and versatile products available today.
Ready to dive into the benefits offered by coconut oil? If so, keep reading.
The Fatty Acids Offer Potent Medicinal Properties
Coconut oil is extremely high in healthy saturated fats. Each of these have different, yet potent effects, than the majority of other fats found in your diet. The fats can help to boost your fat burning ability and provide your brain and body with a quick source of energy. They can also help to raise the levels of good HDL cholesterol that are present in your blood, which has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease.
The majority of fats you consume in your normal diet are called long-chain triglycerides. However, the fats found in coconut oil are MCTs, or medium chain triglycerides. This means the fatty acids are significantly shorter than other types of fats.
When you consume these type of fats, they will go directly to the liver. Upon arrival, they can be used as a quick source of energy or be turned into ketones. Ketones have extremely powerful benefits for your brain and are even being studied as a treatment option for Alzheimer’s, epilepsy and a number of other conditions.
Coconut Oil Increases Fat Burning
Obesity is an epidemic, not only in the U.S., but all around the world. While some believe that obesity is just related to calories, others believe that the source of the calories is also important.
The MCTs present in coconut oil can help to increase the number of calories you burn, compared to the same number of calories found in longer chain fats. In fact, a study has found that 15 to 30 grams of MCTs each day increase total energy expenditure over a 24-hour period by five percent, totaling to approximately 120 calories each day.
This means consuming coconut oil increases the calories you burn.
Coconut Oil can Reduce Hunger
One of the more interesting features of the fatty acids found in coconut oil is that they can help reduce your hunger. This is related to the way the fats are metabolized. Ketones have an appetite reducing effect, minimizing how hungry you feel.
If you are trying to lose weight, then adding coconut oil to your diet can be beneficial for this reason. If you aren’t as hungry, you don’t eat a much, leading to more weight loss.
Increase Good HDL Cholesterol
Coconut oil is full of natural saturated fats. Do you know what that means? It can actually increase the good HDL cholesterol present in your body. They can also help and turn the bad/dangerous LDL cholesterol into a different form that isn’t as harmful.
When you increase your HDL, some experts believe it could impact your heart health. This means that coconut health may actually be good for your heart, compared to the negative effects of other types of fats.
As you can see, coconut oil is an impressive oil and one you may want to consider adding to your diet. With all the benefits highlighted here, if you are trying to lose weight, improve heart health or just feel better, this is definitely an oil you want to add to your day to day routine.