Experts say coconut lubricates health

By MARY CHARLOTTE FRESCO
MediaCore, STII

Now that coconut is greasing public attention mainly for its purported health benefits, experts are shoving the spotlight away from widespread misconception heaped on the “tree of life”.

In a recent round table discussion organized and sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology's National Academy of Science and Technology, renowned authorities from academe and health sectors dispelled negative reputation linked to coconut oil.

Coconut oil and cholesterol

Many people mistake cholesterol as the culprit for coronary heart disease and that coconut oil increases the cholesterol level, says roundtable speaker Dr. Rody Sy of University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital's department of cardiology, and.

Coronary heart disease is the hardening of the inner lining of blood vessels due to accumulation of fat deposits that clog the flow of blood to the heart.

“While cholesterol has long been a household word, a common belief that it is bad and dangerous to human health continues to bring fright to people especially those belonging to older age group,” said Sy, who also practices at the Manila Doctors Hospital.

 Dr. Conrado Dayrit, former NAST president and professor emeritus of UP department of pharmacology stressed that there is no such thing as “bad cholesterol”, only the kind of lipoprotein transporting it.

Dayrit cited the paper of Sweden's Dr. Uffe Ravnskov who defines cholesterol as a peculiar molecule with numerous carbon and hydrogen atoms put together forming an intricate three-dimensional network that doesn't dissolve in water.

All living creatures use this “indissolvability” characteristic cleverly by incorporating cholesterol into their cell walls to make cells waterproof.  This means that cells are protected from disturbing changes in their outer surroundings.  When cells function normally, all the vital mechanisms in the body are also in order.

Because cholesterol is insoluble in water and thus also in blood, it is transported in the blood packed inside spheric particles composed of fats (lipids) and proteins, or the so-called lipoproteins.

Lipoproteins are easily dissolved in water because their exterior part is composed of mainly water-soluble proteins.  Lipoproteins carry cholesterol from one place to another in the body.

The two best known lipoproteins are high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL).   HDL carries cholesterol from peripheral tissues directly to the liver for the manufacture of important hormones.

In contrast, LDL transports cholesterol through a long complicated path from liver to the peripheral tissues and interior of the cells.  Health experts classify the cholesterol carried by LDL as “bad”, and cholesterol transported by HDL as “good”.

The reason is that a number of studies on cholesterol and its association with heart disease showed that below-normal HDL-cholesterol and above-normal LDL-cholesterol levels are both associated with increased risk of heart attack.

It was also found out that 60 to 80 percent of cholesterol in the blood is transported by LDL while HDL accounts for only 15 to 20 percent.

But even health experts cannot fully claim that the risk of heart attack is solely determined by unfavorable increase or decrease in HDL/LDL ratio.  Many factors are known to influence heart failure including lifestyle, eating habits, and the amount and kind of fats a person gobbles up.

Coconut oil and fats

In the past four decades, misinformation about coconut oil shoved in by some politically biased agricultural groups, confused health professionals, and even the media led people into believing that all saturated fats, which include coconut oil, are unhealthy.

Little attention is given on the fact that saturated fats are not a single family of fats.  It comprises three subgroups such as short- (C2-C6), medium- (C8-C12), and long- (C14-C24) chain fatty acids.  The numeric value attached to each C symbol indicates the amount of carbon atoms present in each structure. When these fatty acids are burned by the body to produce energy, two carbon atoms are removed at a time.

The medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are most preferred by food scientists and health experts because of its nutritional and medicinal benefits. MCTs are found abundantly in tropical oils such as coconut and palm kernel, traditionally used by doctors in hospital formulas to feed the very young, critically ill, and those with digestive problems.

What makes MCTs different from other fats is the unique manner in which the body digests and uses them.

Because MCTs molecules are shorter and smaller, it requires less energy and fewer enzymes to break them down for digestion, quick absorption and metabolization. 

Enzymes in saliva and gastric juices break MCTs down easily and immediately so the fat-digesting enzymes stored in pancreas are no longer used up.  Therefore, the process puts a little strain on the digestive system.  This has important health implications for patients suffering from digestive and metabolic problems such as cystic fibrosis and those who have difficulty digesting or absorbing fats and fat-soluble vitamins, a common problem among the aged.

Unlike other fatty acids, MCTs take a shorter and simpler pathway to be completely used by the body.  MCTs are absorbed directly from intestines into the portal vein where and sent straight to the liver and burned as carbohydrates.

In contrast, other fats require pancreatic enzymes to break them down into smaller units.  When absorbed into the intestinal walls, fats are then packaged into bundles of lipid and protein or lipoprotein. 

These lipoproteins are carried by the lymphatic system, bypassing the liver and then deposited into the bloodstream to circulate throughout the body.  In the blood circulation process, fatty components get smaller and smaller until there is little left of them.  At this time they are picked up by the liver to produce energy.

What coconut oil really does

The keyword is lauric acid.  Coconut oil, categorized as medium chain fatty acid, contains 40% lauric acid.

Lauric acid is widely used in pharmaceutical industry for its antimicrobial properties due to its derivative called monolaurin, which is known to have even more potent antimicrobial properties.

Monolaurin's main target are lipid coated viruses and bacteria that are known to be responsible for infections in HIV-positive individuals.

Dr. Mary Enig, a noted biochemist and nutritionist told a 1995 press conference in Konchi-in, Kyoto that “there was an instance in the US in which an infant tested HIV positive had become HIV negative after having fed with an infant formula with a high coconut oil content over period of time.”   Dr. Enig was also president of Maryland Nutritionists Association.

Enig also said that monolaurin helped in deactivating other viruses such as measles, herpes, vesicular stomatitis and cytomegalovirus, which belong to Herpestus family that causes chicken pox and fever blisters.

Monolaurin attacks the lipid coat of the virus by disrupting its lipid bi-layer, preventing the virus to attach to its host cells.

Meanwhile, Dr. Dayrit also embarked on a study focusing on the capability of virgin coconut oil to retard the development of AIDS among patients diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  He claimed that the viral counts in 15 HIV-patients considerably decreased after taking in virgin coconut oil over six months.

Coconut also apparently boosts energy production and improves endurance exercises especially among athletes and anyone engaged in strenuous physical activities.  

In a study, three sets of cyclists were given different beverages: a solution containing MCT, a sports drink, and a mix of sports drink and certain dosage of coconut oil, respectively. 

The cyclists pedaled at 70 percent of maximum for two hours.  The study found that cyclists who took the sports drink/coconut oil mix went the fastest and farthest during the time trial.  Authors of the study theorized that the amount of coconut oil given to the cyclists provided additional source of energy while sparing stored glycogen that could have been used up during the activity.

Although many studies have shown the ability of coconut oil to boost energy, there are other studies that showed little or no effect at all when coconut oil is taken in single oral dose.

From this evidence, coconut oil advocates conclude that coconut oil or oils rich in MCT should be incorporated in regular diet.

The truth about the other fats

Fats are classified according to chemical composition and solubility.  The three major classifications of dietary fats are saturated [which includes medium chain and long chain fatty acids], monosaturated, and polysaturated fats. Monosaturated fats are commonly found in olive and peanut oils while polyunsaturated fats come from vegetables and grain oils like corn, soybean, and sunflower.

Some fats become dangerous to human health only after these were processed, converted to another form, and incorporated as additives and flavors in foods.

One good example is the trans-fat, which raised alarm among health experts.  Many large food companies have long been using it but do not list it on nutrition labels.  This leaves consumers unaware of how much trans-fat is present in the food they eat.

 Trans-fats are formed when food manufacturers turn oils into solid fats in a process known as hydrogenation.  In a nutshell, hydrogenation is a process by which vegetable oils are converted to solid fats by adding hydrogen atoms.

Trans-fats are said to contribute to coronary heart disease by clogging the arteries when proportion of LDL is raised above healthy level.

Food manufacturers use hydrogenated oils to increase shelf life, flavor, and stability of foods.

Hydrogenated oils are often found in food products like vegetable shortening, margarine, crackers (even healthy-sounding ones), cereals, candies, chips, snack foods, salad dressings, and other fried foods.  These foods last longer without tasting rancid.

In 1993, the US Food and Drugs Administration required food manufacturers to stamp the amount of trans-fats on nutrition labels.  But no one really knows how much trans-fat is safe.  There isn't enough research yet to determine a safe consumption level of trans-fat.