Many people have reported that consuming Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) helps them to lose weight. They often see increased energy levels and fewer cravings for carbohydrates and sweets. It’s easier for many people to eat less when consuming 2 - 4 Tablespoons of coconut oil per day, because the fats provide a feeling of satiety or fullness after eating that is not generally experienced when eating a low-fat meal.
Virgin coconut oil is rich in the medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), like lauric acid, that have been shown to boost the metabolism. In fact, around 50% of the fatty acids in this coconut oil are lauric acid. It turns out that the amount of energy used to metabolize these MCFAs is greater than the energy they provide, and lauric acid is the most rapidly metabolized fatty acid, scientist have found. Coconut oil has a “thermogenic” effect, meaning it raises your body temperature. This in turn boosts energy levels and metabolism.
Another good thing about coconut oil, especially for the many of us who have spent years consuming harmful fats like the trans-fats in vegetable oils, is that coconut oil is easier to digest than other fats. It doesn’t need bile in order to be broken down and used by the body. This can be useful since many of us now have a hard time digesting fats because we produce less bile. Even if you don’t have a problem with fat digestion, coconut oil is still great for losing weight because of the way the body is able to turn it directly into energy.
According to a 2000 report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, you burn off coconut oil three times faster than many other common fats. In a 1986 study by T.B. Seaton et al in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who ate meals containing MCFAs increased their metabolic rate an average of 12%, compared to a 4% increase for those eating meals with long-chain fatty acids (LCTs). The authors concluded that eating MCFAs could “over long periods of time produce weight loss even in the absence of reduced (caloric) intake”.
Once again, coconut oil is nature’s richest source of these medium-chain fatty acids, which in addition to increasing metabolism have many other health-enhancing properties.
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Coconut Oil and Your Thyroid
Coconut oil, because of its metabolism-stimulating properties, seems to be an excellent thyroid system builder. If you have problems with your thyroid, you want to be sure to include coconut oil and coconut products like coconut cream, milk or flakes in your diet.
Anti-Microbial Properties of Coconut Oil
Besides boosting your metabolism, the lauric acid in coconut oil is proven to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal, so it helps to boost your immune system and to keep you from getting sick. Some studies have shown that the lauric acid can help your body to fight bacterial infections, including strep, viral infections, including HIV and herpes, parasites like giardia and candida fungal infections.
Dr. Conrado S. Dayrit, M.D., after a 1999-2000 study of HIV patients, concluded that coconut oil does have an anti-viral effect and that it “can beneficially reduce the viral load of HIV patients.”
