Alternative Fat: Is Coconut Oil Healthy?

Is coconut oil really as healthy as advertised? Is it worth spending a lot of money on this “superfood” because coconut oil helps to lose weight during a diet? According to current studies, the answer is: unfortunately no.

The essentials in brief:

• There is no scientific evidence that coconut oil is particularly healthy.
• Coconut oil does not help with weight loss.
• Coconut oil is relatively expensive and causes long transport routes.

In moderation, coconut oil is a suitable ingredient for dishes because of its pleasant taste, but then it is best to use it fairly traded and in organic quality.

What is the difference between coconut oil and coconut fat

Native coconut oil is pressed from the fresh flesh of the coconut or extracted from coconut milk and is not processed further. Depending on the room temperature, coconut oil is liquid, creamy or solid. It only melts and becomes liquid from around 23 degrees Celsius. One could actually speak of coconut fat. However, solid plates or cubes have been on the market under this name for many years, which can be used for tasteless roasting and deep-frying. In contrast to native coconut oil, dried coconut pulp is pressed or extracted for coconut sheet fat and the oil obtained in this way is then heavily processed. The coconut smell and taste are lost.

Coconut oil is no healthier than other oils

Coconut oil is particularly popular with followers of the Paleo diet – which tries to eat like people from the Stone Age. It is said to have a positive effect on blood lipid levels and help with weight loss. However, there is no scientific evidence that coconut oil improves weight loss or has a positive effect on blood lipid levels. So-called “health claims”, i.e. health promises that suppliers of coconut oil wanted to print on their products, were not approved by the European Food Safety Authority.

Canola, walnut, and olive oils are better

Coconut oil contains only a few unsaturated fatty acids and about 90 percent saturated fatty acids. Basically, a healthy diet should contain as many unsaturated fatty acids as possible. However, coconut oil contains a relatively large number of medium-chain fatty acids, which are easily digestible and may not be stored by the body. But for this theory, which explains coconut oil as a miracle cure for losing weight, there are no long-term studies.

In moderation, coconut oil is a suitable ingredient for Asian dishes because of its taste – but then it is best to use fair trade and organic quality. At 11 to 25 euros per liter in organic quality, however, it is quite expensive. Canola, walnut and olive oil provide more healthy fats and are cheaper. Since coconut palms only grow in tropical regions, the transport routes are correspondingly long.