Coconut Oil – Weight Loss Oil
Coconut Oil – The Best Oil for Weight Loss and Cooking
Fats do have a mild appetite suppressing effect, (shown in several studies).
However, it would appear that the appetite reducing benefits are not increased with increasing amounts of fat, therefore; only a small amount of additional fat is recommended for appetite suppressing effects.
For most fats; increasing their content in the diet is not beneficial for weight loss as the negative effects of their high calorie density is not outweighed by the weight loss benefits of appetite reduction and satiety.
However; there is one type of fat which behaves differently.
Researchers at McGill University, in Quebec, Canada are now advocating the use of a special type of dietary fat to treat and prevent obesity.
They recommend a fat rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).
The vast majority of fats in our diet are composed of molecules known as long-chain triglycerides (LCT).
As the name implies, LCT are larger in size than MCT.
Most of the vegetable oils used in cooking and food preparation are composed entirely of LCT. This includes corn, safflower, soybean, canola, and other typical cooking and salad oils.
The only significant natural source of MCT are found in coconut and palm kernel oils.
In a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers reviewed all the published studies to date on MCT and weight management. These studies demonstrated that diets containing MCT result in an increase in energy, a rise in metabolism, increase burning of calories, decrease in food consumption, lower body fat mass, and reduced body weight.
One of the reasons why coconut oil is effective in reducing body fat and lowering weight is that it contains fewer calories than any other fat. However, it’s main advantage in weight management is due primarily to its affect on metabolism.
Medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil are smaller than other fats and, therefore, digest very quickly, so quickly in fact, that the body uses them as an immediate source of fuel rather than pack them away in storage inside our fat cells.
One study evaluated the body weight and fat storage for three different diets- a low-fat diet, a high-fat diet containing LCT and a high-fat diet containing MCT.
Calorie content in the diets were elevated to induce weight gain.
At the end of the study; the MCT group had a 60% reduction in the amount of body fat stored as compared to the other diets!
The increase in metabolism also leads to a rise in body temperature. People with low thyroid function report that after using coconut oil, their body temperature rises to normal levels and remains elevated for many hours. Coconut oil also appears to be more satisfying than other fats.
For example; in one study women were given a drink which contained either MCT (from coconut oil) or LCT oil.
Thirty minutes later they were offered lunch in which they could choose and eat as much as they wanted.
The women who had the MCT oil before the meal ate less food, and as the authors of the study stated, “significantly decreased caloric intake in the lunch.”
Studies have shown that when oils containing MCT are used in place of other fats in the diet people can lose as much as 36 pounds a year even when total calorie consumption remains the same!
Fat in the diet is important for absorbing certain vitamins and phytonutrients; it has a small effect in appetite reduction and increases the versatility of cooking.
It is therefore recommended that the diet does contain a small amount of fat and if you are concerned about your weight; it would seem that the best choice for added fats in the diet would be coconut oil, due to its increased effects on metabolism, appetite reduction and its lower calorie content.
It also adds a nice subtle flavour to meals.
The Very Worst Type of Fat (Avoid like the Plague)
Trans-fat from processed foods; like biscuits, crackers, and chips may make you fatter than other types of fat like animal fat and fat from olive oil, canola oil.
Trans-fat is found in food made with hydrogenated oil (check nutrition labels at the back of food products).
Monkeys who were fed diets that had 8% trans-fat gained three times more weight than those who were fed a diet without trans-fat but with the same amount of calories!
The same could be true for humans since monkeys and humans metabolize fat the same way.
