July 25, 2016
Furthermore, it also turns out that CERTAIN saturated fats are no longer begin considered “the Great Satan.”
Last year, the myth that saturated fat is a heart risk was finally DEMOLISHED by a study at Toronto's McMaster University. Their analysis of 50 prior studies detected no links between certain saturated fats and increased risk of death from heart disease, stroke, or Type 2 diabetes.
The real star of the study was a family of saturated fats called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. The fast-growing body of evidence that MCTs are relatively healthful helps to explain the equally fast-rising popularity of coconut oil, a rising nutritional star and a favorite among fans of the Paleo and "Bulletproof” diets.
Coconut oil actually lowers LDL ("bad”) cholesterol levels slightly, and raises HDL ("good") cholesterol levels slightly. And although coconut oil appears to raise blood triglyceride levels slightly, it DOESN’T promote inflammation (like many cheap vegetable oil blends high in omega-6 fats.) And remember that inflammation is a major risk factor for almost all forms of disease (ESPECIALLY cardiovascular disease!)
Coconut oil is also one of the fats the body can be trained to burn as fuel, rather than store as fat so it also appears to help with weight management. This helps explains why coconut oil appears to regulate blood sugar, and possibly help prevent or even ameliorate Type 2 diabetes.
So what does this all mean?
Bearing in mind that most of us only know what we know about healthy food because it’s what we’ve been TOLD to know, GO AHEAD AND EAT SOME COCONUT OIL EVERY DAY…we now know for sure that SOME saturated fats are downright GOOD for you!!!
And remember that in general (just like with all good-for-you food) it’s always a good idea to choose fats you can find in nature…in other words, always choose fats from nutrient-dense WHOLE foods. Healthy animal-based fats can be found in cold water fish, cage-free eggs, and grass-fed meats while healthy plant-based fats can be found in coconut, raw nuts & seeds, and olives.
For more info on these and other cool fat-facts, click here.
