Coconut oil has been marketed as a health food for years, but a recent study found that its consumption results in significantly higher levels of LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol.
Epidemiology Domain Leader Professor Rob van Dam, postdoctoral fellow Dr Nithya Neelakantan and NGS PhD student Mr Jowy Seah reviewed 16 studies to assess the effects of coconut oil consumption on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors.
They found that coconut oil significantly increased LDL cholesterol by 8.6 per cent, as compared with non-tropical vegetable oils such as safflower oil and canola oil. This could lead to a 6 per cent increase in major vascular events (such as heart attack) and a 5.4 per cent higher chance of dying from coronary heart disease.
“There is no evidence from medical studies that coconut oil is beneficial for health. In fact, high consumption of coconut oil increases LDL cholesterol levels, which is likely to increase risk of heart disease,” said Prof van Dam.
One tablespoon of coconut oil is about equal to the amount of saturated fat adults should eat in one day, according to recommendations by the American Heart Association (AHA). The World Health Organization also recommends limiting saturated fats.
AHA has advised avoiding coconut oil for years, saying in a 2017 advisory about cardiovascular disease that the oil “has no known offsetting favourable effects” and could increase risk of heart attack and stroke. It has held the same position on saturated fats for more than 30 years.
The study is published in the American Heart Association’s peer-reviewed journal Circulation and is publicly accessible here: The Effect of Coconut Oil Consumption on Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials
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