The Link Between Coconut Oil and HDL Cholesterol

Saturated fatty acids have always been touted as being bad for you.  However, synthetically manufactured saturated fatty acids, such as the likes in margarine, are far different from those naturally occurring in coconut oil which are no longer seen as being detrimental for your health, but rather beneficial, especially for the brain.

A new study was undertaken at the Postgraduate Program in Cardiology at the School of Medicine in Rio de Janeiro to determine the affects of coconut oil on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, as well as a range of body measurements including weight, size and circumference.  The participants included 136 hypertensive people with an average age of 62, all of whom were taking cholesterol-lowering medication.  They were placed on a standardized diet for three months, after which a quarter continued on the diet whereas the remaining subjects continued on the diet with a tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil added daily.

After an additional three month trial, the group who had taken the coconut oil daily showed a decrease in all six bodily parameters, including weight with a reduction of around 0.6 kilograms, neck perimeter with a reduction of 4cm, body mass with a reduction of 0.2 kg, waist circumference with a reduction of 2.1 cm, systolic blood pressure with a reduction of 3.3 points and diastolic blood pressure showing a reduction of 3.5 points. It was also noted that there was an increase in HDL cholesterol levels of 3.1 to 7.4 mg.

The researchers concluded that nonpharmocological interventions are essential for risk factor control in secondary prevention among patients with coronary disease. The study showed that a diet rich in extra virgin coconut oil seemed to favor the increase of HDL cholesterol concentrations and decrease in bodily parameters.