coconut oil

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Replies

  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    lithezebra wrote: »
    @Terrapin
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    Dragonwolf wrote: »

    Finally, here's another thing to consider -- regardless of diet (even if the diet is completely devoid of fat), the body will turn excess calories into fat at proportions of about 5-10% polyunsaturated, 40-50% monounsaturated, and 40-50% saturated. In other words, even if you don't eat any fat, whatsoever, any time the body burns body fat, nearly half of what it's burning is saturated fat.

    If saturated fats are so terrible, why does the body rely so much on them?
    We have saturated fats in our body so that our fats will be more solid at 98.6 degrees F, not for our heart health. The presence of PUFAs and MUFAs keeps our fats softer at body temperature. We can make the fats we need, aside from the essential fatty acids. Saturated fats, generally the longer chain variety, are not a good thing in your arteries.

    The evidence for coconut oil for heart health and weight loss is intriguing, but not as good as the evidence for olive oil for heart health. I have high cholesterol, and I'm thin. I prefer to use olive oil, which is mostly monounsaturated fat, as much as possible, not because fats in the body are about half monounsaturated fat, but because of the studies showing that olive oil is good for cardiovascular health. If the evidence for coconut oil becomes equally strong, I'll be happy to eat more coconut oil - the stuff is delicious.

    (2) quick questions: How high is high for cholesterol? And, do you use light olive oil or does the amount of or type processing not matter to you? Footnote: My neighbor has high cholesterol: north of 240. She has high HDL(above 100 I think), low try number, but then a high LDL number. Her next visit and bloodworm will reveal particulate size. She has discontinued her statin, is off her blood pressure med also. So, more curiosity for me. She is also 64 YO and healthy albeit for the smoking.

    @Terrapin - unfortunately I don't remember the numbers, only that my ratio is great but LDL is high. I wish I knew, because the tryglyceride number makes a difference too. There's more to be concerned about, even if HDL is high, if try is high. My doctor suggested I cut back on sugar, which I wasn't eating, so I decided to go all the way and cut carbs.

    Is your neighbor off her meds because she's improved her numbers? How did she do it?

    I exercise, don't smoke, and don't need to lose weight, so the only things left to try are diet and drugs. I do not want to take statins, and I'd rather not go on a low fat diet, after seeing the studies on statins and Alzheimers. Yikes. Death by heart attack seems preferable.

    My neighbor's numbers are high relative to standard numbers. Her ratios are pretty good though and her tri's number is low, below 100 I think she said. So, the ratios are more important then the individual numbers and the overall cholesterol number is important to start the conversation with a GP about what they look for and if they'd suggest statins. I haven't read studies on statins and Alzheimers and low fat diets but know a few folks on statins for 20+ yeas and have no side effects so I'm not sure where the studies are but I can always check. And I've learned when someone or a group says low it is relative and context is important. Was there a Spanish study where they had 3 groups where one group was given olive oil and they were a control group and another group provided nuts as a control group. A 3rd group was given no dietary restrictions and they ate what they wanted. 5 years later the higher fat groups had fewer heart attacks or death via CVD. The funny part was the MACROS difference in fat was 4% between all the groups. So, when reading studies I try my best to discern fact over someone's opinion or interpertation of data. This study illustrates why it is important to read as much as you can.

    When you visited your doctor how much sugar were you consuming? And, they ought to have your records so you can review them or compare them with future bloodwork. As far as death by heart attack I'm not sure a doctor will assist with this ;) good luck.



  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    lithezebra wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    Dragonwolf wrote: »

    Finally, here's another thing to consider -- regardless of diet (even if the diet is completely devoid of fat), the body will turn excess calories into fat at proportions of about 5-10% polyunsaturated, 40-50% monounsaturated, and 40-50% saturated. In other words, even if you don't eat any fat, whatsoever, any time the body burns body fat, nearly half of what it's burning is saturated fat.

    If saturated fats are so terrible, why does the body rely so much on them?
    We have saturated fats in our body so that our fats will be more solid at 98.6 degrees F, not for our heart health. The presence of PUFAs and MUFAs keeps our fats softer at body temperature. We can make the fats we need, aside from the essential fatty acids. Saturated fats, generally the longer chain variety, are not a good thing in your arteries.

    The evidence for coconut oil for heart health and weight loss is intriguing, but not as good as the evidence for olive oil for heart health. I have high cholesterol, and I'm thin. I prefer to use olive oil, which is mostly monounsaturated fat, as much as possible, not because fats in the body are about half monounsaturated fat, but because of the studies showing that olive oil is good for cardiovascular health. If the evidence for coconut oil becomes equally strong, I'll be happy to eat more coconut oil - the stuff is delicious.
    As I now understand it, and I could be wrong, these fats aren't in our arteries causing damage. It appears that inflammation and the arterial pressure can cause an injury which is then repaired. The repairs will cause the plaques, and those plaques only become a problem when they break off and cause a clog... I believe.

    Oxidized fats aren't helpful in avoiding CAD either.

    I remember telling my husband, back in the mid 90s, how saturated fat is bad because it is more solid at room or body temperature, so we don't want that in our bodies.... I can feel myself blushing at the memory. They taught us wrong. So wrong.

    It appears that inflammation makes the arteries sticky, but treatment still involves lowering blood lipids so there's less to stick ... mind you, I don't think the science on fats or high cholesterol is settled. I'll be evaluating how a HFLC diet works for my body, the next time I have a blood test.

    I avoid having a lot of polyunsaturated fats too, by avoiding most vegetable oils other than olive oil or coconut oil. I should be having more olive oil though.

    I know this quote above was for ketomom but I went all the way back to Time magazine's 1961 article where Dr Keys was interviewed. It is really interesting to read the terms used and how we have developed a cholesterol level off his numbers. I still recall when the high number dropped from 240 to 220 thinking the drugs on the market did this more then any one dietary change. Better since it is lower? Maybe. The best you can do individually is continue to monitor the 3 numbers and periodically check the particulate size of the LDL's. Last, most of these numbers aren't 'the' answer to the number one thing to monitor. Blood pressure, genetics, and other factors play a role. Somewhere is a thread in LCD referencing a 'chances of heart attack in 10 years' piece. You plug in your numbers and get an idea.

  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    Dragonwolf wrote: »

    Finally, here's another thing to consider -- regardless of diet (even if the diet is completely devoid of fat), the body will turn excess calories into fat at proportions of about 5-10% polyunsaturated, 40-50% monounsaturated, and 40-50% saturated. In other words, even if you don't eat any fat, whatsoever, any time the body burns body fat, nearly half of what it's burning is saturated fat.

    If saturated fats are so terrible, why does the body rely so much on them?
    We have saturated fats in our body so that our fats will be more solid at 98.6 degrees F, not for our heart health. The presence of PUFAs and MUFAs keeps our fats softer at body temperature. We can make the fats we need, aside from the essential fatty acids. Saturated fats, generally the longer chain variety, are not a good thing in your arteries.

    The evidence for coconut oil for heart health and weight loss is intriguing, but not as good as the evidence for olive oil for heart health. I have high cholesterol, and I'm thin. I prefer to use olive oil, which is mostly monounsaturated fat, as much as possible, not because fats in the body are about half monounsaturated fat, but because of the studies showing that olive oil is good for cardiovascular health. If the evidence for coconut oil becomes equally strong, I'll be happy to eat more coconut oil - the stuff is delicious.

    (2) quick questions: How high is high for cholesterol? And, do you use light olive oil or does the amount of or type processing not matter to you? Footnote: My neighbor has high cholesterol: north of 240. She has high HDL(above 100 I think), low try number, but then a high LDL number. Her next visit and bloodworm will reveal particulate size. She has discontinued her statin, is off her blood pressure med also. So, more curiosity for me. She is also 64 YO and healthy albeit for the smoking.

    There are a few threads in the recent past of people sharing their changed / improved cholesterol panels after months or years on a LCD that you might find interesting. I'll see if I can find some...

    ETA I hope people don't mind my linking to their success stories.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10089227/over-50s-ladies-our-special-needs#latest @jumanajane had a large improvement. :)

    @wabmester has had some very good results. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257118/sodium-blood-pressure-and-the-russian-nephrologist/p1

    Thanks, but I was really just asking the person I quoted what their levels were. If this was a public group search functionality would probably be improved. It is fairly common to improve cholesterol across the board, especially tryglericide levels, since most people lose body fat with weight loss regardless of the methodology or diet. Also, wabmester has improved their markers and I believe they are trying to find how to improve the rise in LDL's. Thanks though for the links since the absence of searching makes it difficult to find conversations in this group.

    I thought I'd post those links because I know it is definitely harder to search for topics in a private group. I don't see you here too often so I thought you probably hadn't seen the most recent discussions on cholesterol.
    wab had something about Russian something or other; and we had a thread months ago but missed it. I still haven't hit the links yet. Thanks again, I'll read them before too long.

  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    Just as the link above mentioned, it isn't bad for the heart in any way. People aren't typically using it because of evidence that it's specifically good for the heart. It's widely used because it's a healthy fat and provides lauric, capric, caprylic and other unique fatty acids that are quickly metabolized for brain energy and aren't stored as body fat.


    @Sunny_Bunny_ If I understand you correctly you are stating coconut oil has some unique fatty acids relative to other foods. A quick search of common names of fatty acids in coconut oil reveals the following: butyric, caproic, caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic. Of these, which ones are unique to coconut oil? I liked up another food group or food item I discussed last week with a lifter and he said the food we discussed has the following fatty acids: caprice, merits, palmitic, margarin, and stearic. As you can see there is quite a bit of crossover of the fatty acids. I'm curious about 2 things (1) What is unique about the list for coconut oil fatty acids AND (2) Where did you research your information?

    BTW: I search nutrition data for information about foods types and micronutrient and MACRO nutrient breakdown. If you have a chance it would help people in this thread and lurkers to understand the benefits we perceive from foods like coconut oil.

    I've researched the subject all over the place from the websites of the well known low carb promoters like Dave Asprey, Jimmy Moore, etc... (Though, Asprey's site doesn't go into the detail that his book does.) To reading the studies on Alzheimer's utilizing MCT's to provide brain energy in areas of the brain that are not able to metabolize glucose.
    Some or all of the fatty acids may exist somewhere else in nature, but not in the same combination and concentration found in coconut oil. I know Palm oil has many of the same, but it may not be well sourced and is probably more difficult to find organic, non GMO. And, without looking it up, I still don't think it compares to CO.
    All I know is, in my searching for the best way to treat ADHD without meds, I'm not even finding a lot of info on CO being discussed, but in its application to Alzheimer's and the obvious energy boost I feel from it, it just makes sense to me that it is a good addition for anyone wanting to get the best out of their brain power.
    I took my daughter off of Adderall and Straterra (yes, she took them together at high doses) after several years of only slight improvement in her ability to stay focused and with minimal evidence that it was a benefit showing in her grades at school. So far, I have her taking Krill Oil, high dose Vit C, magnesium citrate and MCT oil. There are other supplements I'm still looking into, but we are adding them as I learn. Her grades have improved quite suddenly since this change for the first time ever, she doesn't have almost all D's with a couple F's on a progress report. She mostly has a C average now, with an A in one class and lowest grade in another is a D. She says she feels like paying attention isn't as much of a problem, but she does still have to use the strategies she always has to help stay on track and organized. In the past, she wasnt consistent with her efforts. I've actually gotten emails from teachers not to talk about all the work she's missing and lost, but just to say that they've noticed that she's more present and making much more effort in class. She's still highly distracted and a bit hyper, but the ability to focus when she chooses to is where we've seen the biggest improvement.
    There's no scientific proof that these changes I've made are responsible for the results of course, but there's certainly no harm in supplementing and if things seem to be responding as I was hoping, I'm sticking to it.
    I have a chance to speak with teachers who work with and around kiddos who take the big 3, the 2 you listed and Concerta. To a person, they know when a kiddo isn't on the meds. I volunteer in 3rd grade classrooms from time to time and watch teachers who have a kid for more of a day then a parent sees there own kid and they'd be a fairly good resource for behavior issues and if your daughter's teachers are seeing improvement then continue on. I think it is great your daughter has improved. What has her doctor said about being off the meds? I know they ask questions to check dosage and level or type of drug.

    As far as coconut oil is the information from one of the Moore books? Just curious. Thanks for the response.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    thubten1 wrote: »
    I cannot find any scientific evidence that all that saturated fat in coconut oil is good for your heart.I have been trying 2 tsp melted before going to the gym and I do think it adds a little energy on my very low carb macros,and the taste is OK,but I dont like the looks of it in a fry pan any more than beef or lamb fat

    @thubten1 you may like The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife. I am about half way through the 5th edition and he covers your question. By the way he states based on how much MCT's is in breast milk humans should be OK eating 1 tablespoon of coconut oil per 30 pounds of body weight. Your experience with coconut oil and then going to the gym is what you should expect per the book. I also eat coconut flakes to boost my coconut oil intake.

    It seems coconut oil can help us with weight loss and general health like no other fat can do.

    Welcome to MFP forums.


    @ GaleHawkins: Is there where your belief of 5 to 8 TBSP's per day of coconut oil is healthy? I think you said before you weigh 200 pounds so does 900+ calories of your day consist of consuming coconut oil?
    @_Terrapin_ 5 tablespoons of coconut oil is 600 calories and 6 tablespoons of coconut flakes is 315 calories so I agree with your math. 80% of my 2500-3000 daily calories are from fats. I do not know at what level coconut fats would become harmful. I do know all of my health markers are improved.


    At your age consuming 3,000 calories is great and being able to maintain your weight (200 pounds?) is something pretty rare. I'm not sure of how much of any fat like coconut oil you can consume before issues arise. You said many times of your improved health markers so best of luck.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    Just as the link above mentioned, it isn't bad for the heart in any way. People aren't typically using it because of evidence that it's specifically good for the heart. It's widely used because it's a healthy fat and provides lauric, capric, caprylic and other unique fatty acids that are quickly metabolized for brain energy and aren't stored as body fat.


    @Sunny_Bunny_ If I understand you correctly you are stating coconut oil has some unique fatty acids relative to other foods. A quick search of common names of fatty acids in coconut oil reveals the following: butyric, caproic, caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic. Of these, which ones are unique to coconut oil? I liked up another food group or food item I discussed last week with a lifter and he said the food we discussed has the following fatty acids: caprice, merits, palmitic, margarin, and stearic. As you can see there is quite a bit of crossover of the fatty acids. I'm curious about 2 things (1) What is unique about the list for coconut oil fatty acids AND (2) Where did you research your information?

    BTW: I search nutrition data for information about foods types and micronutrient and MACRO nutrient breakdown. If you have a chance it would help people in this thread and lurkers to understand the benefits we perceive from foods like coconut oil.

    Oh the food I was referencing above was bacon. It seems coconut oil and bacon(which was the first food I looked up to compare fatty acids) have pretty much the same types of fatty acids. Obviously there amounts are different for each of the fatty acids. It is interesting how close they are in fatty acid profile and there are certain benefits to coconut oil but not bacon. IDK. I wonder if most fatty foods like butter, lard, nuts, etc. have similar fatty acids in their profiles.

  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    @_Terrapin_ You got me curious about CAD risk so I googled. I found this one: http://www.cvriskcalculator.com/

    It is a bit contradictory for me. My chance of CAD in the next 19 years is 0.7% but it suggests an intermediate intensity statin because of my insulin resistance (I called it diabetes which is not quite where I was at). A statin? Yikes!
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    Dragonwolf wrote: »

    Finally, here's another thing to consider -- regardless of diet (even if the diet is completely devoid of fat), the body will turn excess calories into fat at proportions of about 5-10% polyunsaturated, 40-50% monounsaturated, and 40-50% saturated. In other words, even if you don't eat any fat, whatsoever, any time the body burns body fat, nearly half of what it's burning is saturated fat.

    If saturated fats are so terrible, why does the body rely so much on them?
    We have saturated fats in our body so that our fats will be more solid at 98.6 degrees F, not for our heart health. The presence of PUFAs and MUFAs keeps our fats softer at body temperature. We can make the fats we need, aside from the essential fatty acids. Saturated fats, generally the longer chain variety, are not a good thing in your arteries.

    The evidence for coconut oil for heart health and weight loss is intriguing, but not as good as the evidence for olive oil for heart health. I have high cholesterol, and I'm thin. I prefer to use olive oil, which is mostly monounsaturated fat, as much as possible, not because fats in the body are about half monounsaturated fat, but because of the studies showing that olive oil is good for cardiovascular health. If the evidence for coconut oil becomes equally strong, I'll be happy to eat more coconut oil - the stuff is delicious.

    (2) quick questions: How high is high for cholesterol? And, do you use light olive oil or does the amount of or type processing not matter to you? Footnote: My neighbor has high cholesterol: north of 240. She has high HDL(above 100 I think), low try number, but then a high LDL number. Her next visit and bloodworm will reveal particulate size. She has discontinued her statin, is off her blood pressure med also. So, more curiosity for me. She is also 64 YO and healthy albeit for the smoking.

    There are a few threads in the recent past of people sharing their changed / improved cholesterol panels after months or years on a LCD that you might find interesting. I'll see if I can find some...

    ETA I hope people don't mind my linking to their success stories.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10089227/over-50s-ladies-our-special-needs#latest @jumanajane had a large improvement. :)

    @wabmester has had some very good results. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257118/sodium-blood-pressure-and-the-russian-nephrologist/p1

    Fist link has only 53 pages. I'll get back to you in June. I'll have to read a few pages at a clip. And wabmester's is about the Russian. I vaguely recall someone discussing the issue with doctors from Eastern Europe and their views versus other countries. Interesting stuff.

  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited January 2016
    @_Terrapin_ the articles below touches on some of the points in the book I mentioned above. If coconut oil actually increases our rate of metabolism that may be one reason it permits eating more calories without weight gain. I wish I had the money to sponsor some real well controlled clinical trials because the drug companies have no reason to do so. My gut fat is the last place where I need another 20+ pounds. It has already melted off over the rest of the body.

    authoritynutrition.com/coconut-oil-and-weight-loss/

    eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/can_coconut_oil_help_you_lose_weight%20

    bodybuilding.com/fun/the-fat-burning-fat-the-coconut-is-natures-premiere-thermogenic.html
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    Dragonwolf wrote: »

    Finally, here's another thing to consider -- regardless of diet (even if the diet is completely devoid of fat), the body will turn excess calories into fat at proportions of about 5-10% polyunsaturated, 40-50% monounsaturated, and 40-50% saturated. In other words, even if you don't eat any fat, whatsoever, any time the body burns body fat, nearly half of what it's burning is saturated fat.

    If saturated fats are so terrible, why does the body rely so much on them?
    We have saturated fats in our body so that our fats will be more solid at 98.6 degrees F, not for our heart health. The presence of PUFAs and MUFAs keeps our fats softer at body temperature. We can make the fats we need, aside from the essential fatty acids. Saturated fats, generally the longer chain variety, are not a good thing in your arteries.

    The evidence for coconut oil for heart health and weight loss is intriguing, but not as good as the evidence for olive oil for heart health. I have high cholesterol, and I'm thin. I prefer to use olive oil, which is mostly monounsaturated fat, as much as possible, not because fats in the body are about half monounsaturated fat, but because of the studies showing that olive oil is good for cardiovascular health. If the evidence for coconut oil becomes equally strong, I'll be happy to eat more coconut oil - the stuff is delicious.

    (2) quick questions: How high is high for cholesterol? And, do you use light olive oil or does the amount of or type processing not matter to you? Footnote: My neighbor has high cholesterol: north of 240. She has high HDL(above 100 I think), low try number, but then a high LDL number. Her next visit and bloodworm will reveal particulate size. She has discontinued her statin, is off her blood pressure med also. So, more curiosity for me. She is also 64 YO and healthy albeit for the smoking.

    There are a few threads in the recent past of people sharing their changed / improved cholesterol panels after months or years on a LCD that you might find interesting. I'll see if I can find some...

    ETA I hope people don't mind my linking to their success stories.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10089227/over-50s-ladies-our-special-needs#latest @jumanajane had a large improvement. :)

    @wabmester has had some very good results. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257118/sodium-blood-pressure-and-the-russian-nephrologist/p1

    Fist link has only 53 pages. I'll get back to you in June. I'll have to read a few pages at a clip. And wabmester's is about the Russian. I vaguely recall someone discussing the issue with doctors from Eastern Europe and their views versus other countries. Interesting stuff.

    Sorry. Sorry. Page 52. Lovely labs shared.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    Just as the link above mentioned, it isn't bad for the heart in any way. People aren't typically using it because of evidence that it's specifically good for the heart. It's widely used because it's a healthy fat and provides lauric, capric, caprylic and other unique fatty acids that are quickly metabolized for brain energy and aren't stored as body fat.


    @Sunny_Bunny_ If I understand you correctly you are stating coconut oil has some unique fatty acids relative to other foods. A quick search of common names of fatty acids in coconut oil reveals the following: butyric, caproic, caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic. Of these, which ones are unique to coconut oil? I liked up another food group or food item I discussed last week with a lifter and he said the food we discussed has the following fatty acids: caprice, merits, palmitic, margarin, and stearic. As you can see there is quite a bit of crossover of the fatty acids. I'm curious about 2 things (1) What is unique about the list for coconut oil fatty acids AND (2) Where did you research your information?

    BTW: I search nutrition data for information about foods types and micronutrient and MACRO nutrient breakdown. If you have a chance it would help people in this thread and lurkers to understand the benefits we perceive from foods like coconut oil.

    Your list for bacon does not include caprylic, capric, caproic, butyric or lauric which are specific fatty acids that are referenced as the beneficial ones. More specifically, as I mentioned, is caprylic acid for quick brain energy that the liver does not have to break down further before its utilized. So the bacon fatty acids that are in common with coconut oil, are not special in this way.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    Just as the link above mentioned, it isn't bad for the heart in any way. People aren't typically using it because of evidence that it's specifically good for the heart. It's widely used because it's a healthy fat and provides lauric, capric, caprylic and other unique fatty acids that are quickly metabolized for brain energy and aren't stored as body fat.


    @Sunny_Bunny_ If I understand you correctly you are stating coconut oil has some unique fatty acids relative to other foods. A quick search of common names of fatty acids in coconut oil reveals the following: butyric, caproic, caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic. Of these, which ones are unique to coconut oil? I liked up another food group or food item I discussed last week with a lifter and he said the food we discussed has the following fatty acids: caprice, merits, palmitic, margarin, and stearic. As you can see there is quite a bit of crossover of the fatty acids. I'm curious about 2 things (1) What is unique about the list for coconut oil fatty acids AND (2) Where did you research your information?

    BTW: I search nutrition data for information about foods types and micronutrient and MACRO nutrient breakdown. If you have a chance it would help people in this thread and lurkers to understand the benefits we perceive from foods like coconut oil.

    Your list for bacon does not include caprylic, capric, caproic, butyric or lauric which are specific fatty acids that are referenced as the beneficial ones. More specifically, as I mentioned, is caprylic acid for quick brain energy that the liver does not have to break down further before its utilized. So the bacon fatty acids that are in common with coconut oil, are not special in this way.

    You failed to mention the unique ones in your post above. The reason I looked them up was to find which were 'unique'. Are there other foods that have MCT's in them which provide similar benefit to the coconut oil? Does a MCT act like a carb more then a fat?

  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    Dragonwolf wrote: »

    Finally, here's another thing to consider -- regardless of diet (even if the diet is completely devoid of fat), the body will turn excess calories into fat at proportions of about 5-10% polyunsaturated, 40-50% monounsaturated, and 40-50% saturated. In other words, even if you don't eat any fat, whatsoever, any time the body burns body fat, nearly half of what it's burning is saturated fat.

    If saturated fats are so terrible, why does the body rely so much on them?
    We have saturated fats in our body so that our fats will be more solid at 98.6 degrees F, not for our heart health. The presence of PUFAs and MUFAs keeps our fats softer at body temperature. We can make the fats we need, aside from the essential fatty acids. Saturated fats, generally the longer chain variety, are not a good thing in your arteries.

    The evidence for coconut oil for heart health and weight loss is intriguing, but not as good as the evidence for olive oil for heart health. I have high cholesterol, and I'm thin. I prefer to use olive oil, which is mostly monounsaturated fat, as much as possible, not because fats in the body are about half monounsaturated fat, but because of the studies showing that olive oil is good for cardiovascular health. If the evidence for coconut oil becomes equally strong, I'll be happy to eat more coconut oil - the stuff is delicious.

    (2) quick questions: How high is high for cholesterol? And, do you use light olive oil or does the amount of or type processing not matter to you? Footnote: My neighbor has high cholesterol: north of 240. She has high HDL(above 100 I think), low try number, but then a high LDL number. Her next visit and bloodworm will reveal particulate size. She has discontinued her statin, is off her blood pressure med also. So, more curiosity for me. She is also 64 YO and healthy albeit for the smoking.

    There are a few threads in the recent past of people sharing their changed / improved cholesterol panels after months or years on a LCD that you might find interesting. I'll see if I can find some...

    ETA I hope people don't mind my linking to their success stories.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10089227/over-50s-ladies-our-special-needs#latest @jumanajane had a large improvement. :)

    @wabmester has had some very good results. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257118/sodium-blood-pressure-and-the-russian-nephrologist/p1

    Fist link has only 53 pages. I'll get back to you in June. I'll have to read a few pages at a clip. And wabmester's is about the Russian. I vaguely recall someone discussing the issue with doctors from Eastern Europe and their views versus other countries. Interesting stuff.

    Sorry. Sorry. Page 52. Lovely labs shared.
    Phew, thanks. First 6 pages were mostly about someone who at day 47 had more symptoms then most people have ever experienced. I hope things worked out for her.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    Ah, page 52 and 53, good stuff. The complexity of the various parts of the LDL's is fascinating. Complex and tricky but fascinating nonetheless. Somewhere on page 52 the woman had a cardiac event. Her blood panels look good so this sort of takes us back to 'it is one part of the picture' with heart disease.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    @_Terrapin_ the articles below touches on some of the points in the book I mentioned above. If coconut oil actually increases our rate of metabolism that may be one reason it permits eating more calories without weight gain. I wish I had the money to sponsor some real well controlled clinical trials because the drug companies have no reason to do so. My gut fat is the last place where I need another 20+ pounds. It has already melted off over the rest of the body.

    authoritynutrition.com/coconut-oil-and-weight-loss/

    eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/can_coconut_oil_help_you_lose_weight%20

    bodybuilding.com/fun/the-fat-burning-fat-the-coconut-is-natures-premiere-thermogenic.html

    Well, if we can agree on TDEE and the 4 parts of it, BMR, NEAT, EAT, and TEF. Every place I've read TEF is the least impactful for the equation. BMR is #1, NEAT is #2, EAT is #3, and TEF is #4. So TEF--Thermic Effect of Food is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-7% of total TDEE. Is coconut oil burning as an MCT creating a 10% increase of TEF? So, 5.5% to &.7% of TDEE increases someone consuming 3,000 calories daily at maintenance an opportunity to have 15 to 21 more calories. Seriously? Could you imagine someone being so precious in their intake that they'd see a change in caloric rate of CI at 15 to 21 calories? Are there foods which provide a more efficient TEF...sure. Do they make much difference in the equation? Nope. And this is just one variable.

    NOTE: NEAT- - Non Exercise Activity Thermogenisis.

  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    Just as the link above mentioned, it isn't bad for the heart in any way. People aren't typically using it because of evidence that it's specifically good for the heart. It's widely used because it's a healthy fat and provides lauric, capric, caprylic and other unique fatty acids that are quickly metabolized for brain energy and aren't stored as body fat.

    Perhaps it appeared that I meant it was the unnamed fatty acids that were unique specifically??? But I meant the ones that I named as well as some unmentioned ones...
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    Just as the link above mentioned, it isn't bad for the heart in any way. People aren't typically using it because of evidence that it's specifically good for the heart. It's widely used because it's a healthy fat and provides lauric, capric, caprylic and other unique fatty acids that are quickly metabolized for brain energy and aren't stored as body fat.

    Perhaps it appeared that I meant it was the unnamed fatty acids that were unique specifically??? But I meant the ones that I named as well as some unmentioned ones...

    Well, of the four you listed as unique to coconut oil caprioc provides 101 mg in fatty acid which is relatively low and does not exist in bacon. Lauric acid (of the others you listed) is the highest fatty acid in coconut oil. I'm not sure the health claims from the fatty acid can be adequately or scientifcally proven but lauric can also be found in palm kernel oil, cinnamon oil, and goat's milk. To what degree I'm not sure but I've heard palm kernel oil has about the same amount as coconut oil. So since, 2010 coconut production for the secretion has grown considerably and since demand is outstripping supply(age of coconut trees and ability or inability to grow trees quick enough) you may see a climb in cost so alternatives may useful. Best of luck.

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