Coconut Oil: Health Friend or Foe?

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

You might have seen advertisements or read magazine articles and health books touting the health benefits of coconut oil. We’re often led to believe that there is a new health secret to using this oil – that adding it to your diet is definitely a good choice. But what’s the truth about coconut oil? 

Coconut oil is a vegetable fat - it comes from a coconut after all. But unlike most vegetable fats, coconut oil has a lot of saturated (artery clogging) fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is no different from any other saturated fat and it raises the “bad” LDL cholesterol (think “L” for Lousy). But coconut oil is different from other saturated fats because it also raises the “good” HDL cholesterol (think “H” for healthy).

It’s not really clear what impact coconut oil has on overall heart health because studies show that it raises both good and bad cholesterol. So is it healthy? I’d stick with the other vegetable oils like soybean, canola, or olive that do not raise bad cholesterol but do raise good cholesterol. 

Skip the hype of coconut oil as a health promoter. If you like it, use it now and then, as an alternate to butter. But don’t confuse it with the documented health benefits of most other vegetable oils.

And when it comes to fats and oils of any type, they ALL have around 120 calories per tablespoon, so be mindful of your serving size. Don’t have a tablespoon handy? It’s about the size of the tip of your thumb. Not much, but a little goes a long way.

Do you have an opinion about coconut oil? I’d love to hear it!