Does Coconut Oil help with Weight Loss?

22.10.11 / Uncategorized / Author: admin

Is it possible to lose weight with the help of coconut oil?  Health forums today buzz with this question.  Though not everyone agrees, those that claim the oil has the ability to enhance weight loss have staunchly defended their claims about the extract of the familiar tropical fruit.

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat; opponents of using it for weight loss are quick to point this out.  Advocates of this oil are trying to point out that there is an irrational fear of using anything with fat content for health benefits or dieting.  They believe this oil can aid in weight loss in spite of its high fat content.

The familiar coconut palm tree’s dried fruit is where we derive coconut oil from.  The chemical composition of this oil is predominantly fatty acids of the medium-chain variety.  These acids include by name: caprylic, lauric, myristic, and palmitic acid.

Those same acids are theorized to enhance metabolism and weight loss.  They achieve this effect by being readily converted to energy in the body.  This in turn,  can kick start the metabolic process during exercise and daily activities.

There have been studies done that show that consumption of these types of fatty acids can increase metabolism by nearly 50 percent.  A trusted United States nutrition journal published scientific results suggesting that these medium-chain fatty acids are three times as effective as long-chain fatty acids for raising the metabolism.

Unlike these medium-chain fatty acids, long-chain fatty acids in polyunsaturated oils such as linoleic acid can be difficult for the body to break down and convert to energy.  It is therefore easier for your body to store these fats in the body than it is to burn them readily.  It is these long-chain fats that are blamed for the negative health effects of weight gain and unsightly body fat.

These results indicate to researchers that weight loss and diet can be enhanced by substituting long-chain fatty acids in our diet with the easier to burn medium chain fatty acids.

Here are some coconut oil benefits that can be beneficial to diet and weight loss.  It is claimed that this type of oil can slow down the digestion of food.  The slower digestion helps people feel fuller for a longer time after meals.  This reduces the chance people will get hungry and have to eat between meals.

This slowing effect on digestion can also help normalize levels of blood sugar.  Carbohydrates are converted to glucose slower, allowing a more stable level of glucose in the body and blood.

This amazing natural oil is also useful for weight loss because it helps to detoxify the body and the digestion system in particular.  This digestion maintenance effect allows the digestive system to function better which helps in all areas of health including weight loss.

Not all oil extracts are created equally; virgin unrefined oil is ideal because it preserves all that is naturally good from the oil.  This type of oil is suggested to be taken as a supplement in the form of one teaspoon a day.  For further benefit you are recommended to gradually increase the amount to three teaspoons a day, allowing your body to adapt to the oil in the process.

As is the case with most beneficial supplements, the US Food and Drug Administration has kept a neutral and cautious stance on this apparent miracle oil.  Public administrations have not prohibited or discouraged the use of this oil for weight loss;  they instead insist that further studies must be done to determine the actual scientific effects of this type of oil on the body.

Despite the sluggish acceptance of natural supplements in the medical and scientific communities, advocates continually lobby for further public acceptance of these alternative health maintenance methods.

Coconut oil has been a controversial supplement for weight loss for quite some time now.  This is partly due to the fact people associate all fats and saturated fats with each other.  Modern research is suggesting we need to look deeper and determine how these different types of fat actually function differently in the body.  With further study we will probably discover many health benefits of substances that were once thought to not have many, or any at all.