Coconut Oil and Heart Health

Article, see p 803 That coconut anoint contributes to cardiovascular disease would appear uncontroversial because its saturated fat content increases plasma low-density lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol concentration. 1 Cholesterol-rich LDL is a major causal agent of atherosclerosis because it delivers its cholesterol load to the arterial wall and causes obstruction and inflammation. Nonetheless, coconut petroleum has been accorded much attention in the popular media as a potentially beneficial food product. In fact, a survey in 2016 found that 72 % of Americans viewed coconut vegetable oil as a healthy food. 2 This represents a noteworthy success in marketing by the coconut vegetable oil and relate industries calling coconut oil a natural, sanitary product, despite its known action to increase LDL cholesterol, an established cause of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. A taxonomic follow-up, published in 2016, identified 7 trials that tested the effect of coconut oil on LDL cholesterol. In these trials, coconut oil was compared with oils that had a senior high school content of unsaturated fats. 3 significant damaging effects were found in 6 of them. The present study by Neelakantan, Seah, and van Dam4is an important advance over this taxonomic review in that it includes a full of 17 publish trials, takes a quantitative rather than a descriptive approach path, and includes a image of outcomes relevant to assessing cardiovascular and metabolic health. This meta-analysis found that coconut oil importantly increased plasma LDL cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein ( HDL ) cholesterol, and had no consequence on triglycerides, body weight, body fatty, and markers of glycemia and inflammation in comparison with nontropical vegetable oils. overall, this meta-analysis is rigorously conducted and reported, putting the results in the context of cardiovascular disease prevention. Coconut vegetable oil is composed chiefly of the saturated fatty acid, lauric acid ( 12 carbon atoms ), but besides of other long-chain saturated fatso acids, myristic ( 14 carbon paper atoms ) and palmitic acids ( 16 carbon atoms ). 5 Mensink performed a comprehensive systematic recapitulation with meta-regression of each of these fatso acids on plasma LDL cholesterol and other lipoproteins. 1 Mensink ’ s review considered all sources of lauric, myristic, and palmitic acids, not only from coconut anoint, but besides in other foods such as dairy fatness, palm kernel, and palm oil. All these saturated fatty acids increased LDL cholesterol. Lauric acidic, the most prevailing fatty acid in coconut vegetable oil, had a meaning linear effect on LDL cholesterol. Mensink used carbohydrate as the direct comparator food for the fatty acids. His approach found even more of an effect on LDL cholesterol of these saturated fatso acids in comparison with mono- and polyunsaturated fatso acids, combining the 2 estimates ( coconut oil minus carbohydrate ) + ( carbohydrate subtraction unsaturated fats ). This is a hardheaded manner to illustrate the dietary application of the confront meta-analysis, because unsaturated oils like soy, corn, olive, or peanut oils are practical replacements for coconut oil.

Lauric acerb is much classified as a medium-chain fatso acid, lumped with shorter chain fatty acids that have 6, 8, or 10 carbons. 6 however, lauric acidic, with its 12-carbon atoms, acts biologically like a long-chain fatso acerb absorbed by packaging into chylomicrons. This mechanism increases LDL cholesterol. on-key medium-chain fatty acids are absorbed directly into the portal vein circulation and do not affect LDL cholesterol. Coconut oil is not an oil that acts as if its independent components are medium-chain fatty acids. Coconut anoint has approximately 13 % true medium-chain fatty acids having 6, 8, or 10 carbon atoms. frankincense, classifying lauric acerb as a medium-chain fatso acid is a misnomer, going against its biological action as a long-chain fatty acid. Neelakantan and colleagues wrote a well-reasoned section in the insertion that rebuts this controversy, and stands by the well-established concentration of lauric acid to form chylomicrons, like other long-chain saturated fatty acids. The database includes minor numbers of trials that could be used in analyses of the effects on LDL cholesterol of specific dietary comparisons, such as coconut oil versus butter, or coconut anoint versus individual nontropical vegetable oils. Although not the elementary aim of the give study, these comparisons could be used to form a hierarchy of health effects of cook oils. however, the effect on LDL cholesterol of extra dietary comparisons may be estimated well by the meta-regression analysis on the component fatso acids. 1 Although coconut oil increases plasma HDL cholesterol, it is impossible to know if this is a beneficial mechanism in cardiovascular disease. 7 Although HDL cholesterol is a robust gamble marker for cardiovascular disease, familial studies and HDL-raising drugs have not so far supported a causal kinship between HDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. HDL, the lipoprotein, is composed of a huge range of subparticles that may have adverse or beneficial actions. 7, 8 It is unknown which, if any, foods or nutrients that raise HDL cholesterol do so in a way that reduces atherosclerosis and coronary thrombosis events. frankincense, effects on cardiovascular disease of foods or nutrients can not be judged from changes in HDL cholesterol. There is no randomized clinical test that determined the effect of coconut vegetable oil on cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarct, heart failure, or stroke. Such a trial is improbable to be attempted because of the high monetary value of hundreds of millions of dollars, large numbers of participants, and many years of treatment with coconut anoint and an appropriate control adipose tissue. The inevitable lift in LDL cholesterol sustained over years in those assigned to coconut oil will create an ethical business of damage, and may stop the trial before a authoritative consequence is obtained. This situation is relevant to a lot of nutrition research. This restriction can be countered with evidence from the effects of foods on established cardiovascular risk factors, such as LDL cholesterol, and on incident cardiovascular events in large prospective, experimental cohorts. Advertisements give the impression that purportedly beneficial constituents other than saturated adipose tissue compensate for its adverse effects on LDL cholesterol. Yet, controlled trials in humans are not available that support beneficial actions of the components of coconut vegetable oil on cardiovascular disease risk factors or mechanisms.

Coconut anoint may be viewed as one of the most deleterious cook oils that increases risk for cardiovascular disease. tied in comparison with decoration oil, another tropical petroleum with high saturated fat contented, coconut petroleum increased LDL cholesterol. Replacing coconut anoint with nontropical unsaturated vegetable oils, particularly those rich people in polyunsaturated adipose tissue, will have a health benefit. We believe that the results from the present meta-analysis can inform the growth of nutrition recommendations and US Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines. In culinary practice, coconut vegetable oil should not be used as a even cook petroleum, although it can be used meagerly for relish or texture .

Disclosures

none .

Footnotes

The opinions expressed in this article are not inevitably those of the editors or of the American Heart Association. hypertext transfer protocol : //nutritionline.net/journal/circ

Frank M. Sacks, MD, Nutrition Department, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115. Email

[email protected]

harvard.edu

source : https://nutritionline.net
Category : Healthy