5 Day Coconut Oil Update Is It Bad For You?

Recently I found an article in my dads AARP magazine about coconut oil and I thought it was pretty surprising. Here's what it said--

It's hard to escape the excitement surrounding coconut oil as the up-and-coming superfood, but its purported brain benefits may be based on hype and hope, not on science.

Websites tout the benefits of coconut oil for everything from lowering risk of heart disease and cancer to improving memory and even preventing Alzheimer’s disease. But many scientists are not convinced.

"The buzz on coconut oil is remarkable, given the lack of evidence," says Harvard nutritionist and epidemiologist Walter Willett, M.D. Fats in general, not just coconut oil, generate ketones, he notes, "but I'm not aware of any evidence that [ketones] improve cognitive function in normal people."

According to the British Journal of Nutrition, the use of coconut oil to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease is not supported by any large, peer-reviewed clinical trials; "however, coconut remains a compound of interest requiring further investigation."

In the long run, the type of fat you use is important, notes Willett, in part because clogged arteries that are a hallmark of heart disease are a contributing factor to Alzheimer's. This means emphasizing olive, corn, soybean and canola oils. "We need more data on coconut oil," he says, "but from what we know, it is very likely worse than unsaturated plant oils for long-term prevention of cardiovascular disease."

"If you want to include coconut oil in your diet, go ahead," says Penn State nutritionist Penny Kris-Etherton, "but keep in mind that it's all fat, and it has more saturated fat than butter." You can't simply add coconut oil to your diet; you have to substitute it for some other fat, notes Kris-Etherton. "Everyone thinks coconut oil has all these great medicinal qualities, but there's no evidence to support it."—Nissa Simon