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Nutrition trend coconut: An oil for all cases

The coconut palm is known in their homeland as the "tree of the sky". While we associate their image with white beaches, the sea and a holiday feeling, the coconut palm has been providing tropical coastal communities with an excellent source of food and raw materials for millennia. In Europe, especially the oil contained in the palm fruit is becoming increasingly popular.
Coconut oil is extracted either from copra, coconut kernel or shredded coconut stew. For industrial production, the coconuts are peeled after harvest, split and dried the pulp. Prior to mechanical pressing, hardening, bleaching and deodorising agents are often used. Virgin coconut oil is oil from the first pressing without the addition of chemicals.

Saturated, but medium-chain

The fatty acid pattern of coconut oil has a high content of saturated fatty acids (90 percent). Here lauric acid with 45 up to 55 percent takes the main part. These medium-chain fatty acids (MCT - medium chain triglycerides) are split and absorbed faster in the intestine compared to long-chain fatty acids. The digestion of MCTs requires only minimal amounts of pancreatic enzymes and no bile acids. In the dietary treatment of various intestinal diseases, these properties may be beneficial.

Coconut oil against bacteria

The lauric acid contained in coconut oil is converted to monolaurin in the body. Monolaurin repels specially coated bacteria and viruses (eg herpes, cytomegalovirus and influenza viruses) in the human and animal organism. About six to ten percent of the fatty acids in coconut oil consist of capric acid, which in turn should help with fungal infections. However, a lot of research in the medical and pharmacological field will be needed in order to be able to make significant statements about the effects, dosage and application.

Coconut cares for skin and hair

In the tropics, coconut oil is a traditional beauty product. The application possibilities are manifold: Due to its antifungal properties, for example, athlete's foot can be prevented. In addition, the "coconut cream" is anti-inflammatory and cool when applied. As a shampoo, it not only cares for the hair, but also helps against dandruff.

Lose weight with coconut oil?

The investigations carried out in recent years to clarify this question are discussed controversially. Several clinical studies have shown that the lower energy content of medium-chain fatty acids increased diet-induced thermogenesis (ie digestive heat production) after consuming them than after consuming long-chain fatty acids.
Nutritionist Julia Papst: "From a nutritional point of view, the total energy intake, nutrient distribution, meal composition and here, among other things, the total amount of fat must always be taken into account for weight loss. The calorie savings that can be achieved by eating medium chain fatty acids are equivalent to about 100 kilocalories daily. That's the equivalent of about a rib of chocolate or a tablespoon of oil. "

Help with heart disease?

Coconut oil should also help to minimize the risk factors for heart disease. Here, however, the ghosts are different: Food science still relies on studies that make a high proportion of saturated fatty acids in the diet as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases blamed. Since the fatty acids in coconut oil are predominantly saturated, one might think that they are bad in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Conversely, there are studies showing that lauric acid, which is abundant in coconut oil, can increase "good" cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) and promote a balance between LDL and HDL cholesterol. Julia Pope: "For heart disease, there are always many factors to consider. So when answering this question it is interesting how the other eating habits look like, whether exercise is integrated into the lifestyle, whether smoking or excessive stress play a role. In my experience, people who consciously choose to use coconut oil in their diet are also health-conscious in other areas of life. "

Conclusion: pay attention to quality

Coconut oil contains many healthy substances that have a positive effect on your health. However, not everything is gold, where coconut is on it. You have to be careful, especially with industrially processed finished products. For example, coconut fat is often chemically hardened for use in puff pastry and pastry and then has a high content of unhealthy trans fatty acids. So it is important to pay attention to the quality. Because, between cheap coconut fat, which is extracted with extractives and often deodorized and virgin pressed coconut oil is a big difference. Only careful production will preserve all valuable ingredients.

Tips and information from nutritionist Julia Pope

Coconut oil is now offered not only in health food shops but also in the supermarket. A distinction is made between the RBD oils (refined, bleached, deodorized oils) and the VCO (Virgin Coconut Oil). The term "virgin" is already known from olive oil production - it stands for a gentle processing in which the oil was not refined, bleached and deodorized.

Roast with coconut oil
Coconut oil retains its natural properties when heated and can also be used for baking and frying. In addition, it is tasteless and scores with long shelf life.

Coconut milk
Coconut milk is the pulp of the coconut that has been mashed with water. This means that coconut oil also contains coconut oil with its high content of saturated fatty acids (lauric acid) and MCT fats. To be considered is the high fat content of coconut milk (about 24g fat and thus 230 kcal / 100 g).

Photo / Video: Shutterstock.

Written by Ursula Wastl

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