Coconut fats

Abstract

In many areas of Sri Lanka the coconut tree and its products have for centuries been an integral part of life, and it has come to be called the "Tree of life". However, in the last few decades, the relationship between coconut fats and health has been the subject of much debate and misinformation.Coconut fats account for 80% of the fat intake among Sri Lankans. Around 92% of these fats are saturated fats. This has lead to the belief that coconut fats are 'bad for health', particularly in relation to ischaemic heart disease. Yet most of the saturated fats in coconut are medium chain fatty acids whose properties and metabolism are different to those of animal origin. Medium chain fatty acids do not undergo degradation and re-esterification processes and are directly used in the body to produce energy. They are not as 'bad for health' as saturated fats.There is the need to clarify issues relating to intake of coconut fats and health, more particularly for populations that still depend on coconut fats for much of their fat intake. This paper describes the metabolism of coconut fats and its potential benefits, and attempts to highlight its benefits to remove certain misconceptions regarding its use.

Development of a food frequency questionnaire for Sri Lankan adults

“…Coconut oil is the main cooking oil in Sri Lanka [32], however, other types of cooking oils are used in different communities. Our FFQ does not enable us to differentiate the types of cooking oil consumed which may have important health implications for NCDs.…”

Energy and nutrient intakes among Sri Lankan adults

“…In addition to the amount of fat, the type of fat is crucial for development of diet-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Although, sub types of fat are not reported in this analysis, the main lipid source in Sri Lankan diet is coconut milk/oil which is high in saturated fatty acids [27]. Therefore, it is important to conduct further studies to explore the coconut consumption and associated cardiovascular disease risk in this population.…”

Effect of dietary vegetable oil consumption on blood glucose levels, lipid profile and weight in diabetic mice: an experimental case—control study

“…Several cross-sectional studies have shown an association between dietary saturated fat content and hyperinsulinaemia [13] impaired glucose tolerance [14,15] and overt diabetes [16]. Groundnut oil contains 46 and 32% of mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), respectively Palm oil contains approximately 50 % of saturated and 50 % unsaturated fatty acids [17], whilst coconut oil is, a saturated fat which contains predominantly medium-chain saturated fatty acids with high antioxidant properties [18][19][20].…”