“Growing up in Fiji, we never cooked with coconut oil” mentioned Losena in an email to me.
After reading new evidence noting how we need to be cautious about all the marketing hype with coconut oil, I wanted to hear from her. After all, the marketing is based on the experience of Pacific Islanders using coconut oils for improved health.
“The only thing we used for cooking was the coconut meat and the oil was used in our hair. My mother taught us not to cook with it as it affects heart health.”
Like most things that appear on our supermarket shelves, coconut products are promoted as the panacea to all sorts of health issues and given a one-size-fits-all label. But for women going into menopause and beyond, it’s prudent to be cautious about coconut oils – especially if your client has higher blood markers of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
This is one of the main blood markers that women need to be aware of with a changing hormonal environment in menopause.
In a recently released article by Palgrave Communications, an exposure of 100 of the ‘best-selling’ diet books was reported.
“Many people turn to books for nutritional advice, making the contents of these books and the expertise of their authors relevant to public health” stated the article. The books were identified and assessed for both the claims they make in their summaries and the credentials of the authors. Weight loss was a common theme.
Yet in addition to weight loss, 31 of the books promised to cure or prevent a host of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia; however, the nutritional advice given to achieve these outcomes varied widely in terms of which types of foods should be consumed or avoided and this information was often contradictory between books. Only 3 of the authors of these books were qualified nutritionists.
- Compared with Palm Oil, coconut oil significantly increased LDL-C (the ‘bad’ cholesterol) by 10mg/dL and total cholesterol levels by 14mg/dL.
- Coconut oil did not significantly affect triglycerides (circulating fats in blood) nor inflammatory markers.
- Coconut oil should not be viewed as a healthy oil for cardiovascular disease risk reduction and limiting coconut oil consumption because of its high saturated fat content is warranted.
How interesting that over 25 years ago, I heard the exact same commentary from Professor Harvey White too.
Three large studies spanning 30 years convinces me that as women move through menopause, then educating them to be cautious about the marketing of foods, especially oils, is an important coaching role for us. There are so many oils on the market these days and like many food claims, the messages become confusing.
In light of this research, your midlife clients may also need to be careful of smoothies (especially commercially bought ones) that have as their base, coconut oil and coconut milk. It might taste great, but again, these are high in saturated fats, which impact cholesterol levels and gut and liver health as well.
If your clients do have a fatty liver, then it is beneficial to reduce the total daily consumption of saturated fats and replace coconut oil with olive oil instead. If your clients are thinner and leaner however, and engaging in daily moderate exercise and/ or weight training, then they can afford to have a bit more saturated fat in their diet for their energy levels.
References:
Abbasi, J. (2020). Coconut Oil’s health halo a Mirage, Clinical Trials Suggest. JAMA, April 28, Vol 323, Number 16.
Eyres, L. (2014). Coconut Oil and the Heart: Evidence Paper. New Zealand Heart Foundation Position Statement.
Marton, R.M., Wang, X., Barabási, A. et al. Science, advocacy, and quackery in nutritional books: an analysis of conflicting advice and purported claims of nutritional best-sellers. Palgrave Commun 6, 43 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0415-6
