Virgin Coconut Oil Associated with High-Fat Diet Induces Metabolic Dysfunctions, Adipose Inflammation, and Hepatic Lipid Accumulation

Abstract

Obesity reaches an epidemic level worldwide, and this condition is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and secondary comorbidities, largely driven by global changes in lifestyle and diet. Various dietary approaches are proposed for the obesity treatment and its associated metabolic disorders. Good taste, antioxidant functions, and vitamins have been attributed to virgin coconut oil (VCO). However, VCO contains a large amount of saturated fatty acids, and the consumption of this fat is associated with a number of secondary diseases. We evaluate the effects of VCO supplementation on biochemical, inflammatory, and oxidative stress parameters in rats fed with high-fat diet (HFD). After feeding with HFD for 12 weeks, the animals were supplemented with VCO for 30 days. HFD+VCO group increased in diet intake, weight gain, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. These findings were accompanied by increased in hepatic lipid profile and fat deposition in the liver. Adipocyte hypertrophy was observed in the HFD+VCO group, which was associated with elevated expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) in adipose tissue. These results revealed that VCO associated with HFD induced important metabolic alterations, adipose inflammation, and hepatic lipid accumulation in rats.

Effects of Dietary Fat Sources during Late Gestation on Colostrum Quality and Mammary Gland Inflammation in Lipopolysaccharide-Challenged Sows

“…On the contrary, saturated fatty acids trigger a TLR4-mediated inflammatory response [44,45]. A recent study demonstrated that virgin CO is associated with high-fat diet-induced metabolic alterations and adipose inflammation in rats [46]. Similarly, the present study showed the negative effect of CO supplementation to sows on LPS-induced mammary inflammation.…”

Lauric Acid versus Palmitic Acid: Effects on Adipose Tissue Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Obesity

“…For example, coconut oil increased adiposity and AT inflammation in C57BL/6J mice [ 35 ]. In addition, virgin coconut oil supplementation increased adipocyte hypertrophy and promoted AT inflammation in rats [ 36 ]. On the other hand, in another study, virgin coconut oil has been shown to reduce adiposity and AT inflammation in BALB/c mice fed a high-refined carbohydrate-containing diet [ 12 ].…”

Comprehensive Study of Scientific Evidence and Potential Risk of Herbal Medicine Use for Body Weight Reduction in North West Saudi Arabia

“…The weight reduction effects of other remedies, that are widely used, were not studied previously such as parsley, grape fruit, rose water, apple cider vinegar, bitter almond, nettle leaf, eleuthero root, dandelion leaf, marshmallow root, slippery elm bark, papaya leaf, balsamic vinegar, and bitter orange. In addition, some of the remedies were reported to have severe side effects as coconut [23], senna [24], and bitter orange [25]. Finally, it is important to highlight that herbal and home remedies differ widely from one place to another depending on society culture, endogenous weather, and available medicinal plants.…”