|
Archives
February 1-28, 2003
Cracking the coconut oil
myth
by Junelyn S. de
la Rosa
 The
talk that coconut oil is bad for the health is pure
myth.
Scientists from Michigan State University
found that coconut oil has many unique nutritional and
health benefits. It enhances our immune systems making
us more resistant to diseases such as coronary heart
disease and cancer.
Nearly half of the fatty acid in natural
coconut oil is lauric acid, which converts to fatty
acid monolaurin in the body. Monolaurin destroys lipid-coated
viruses such as herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza,
and various pathogenic bacteria and protozoa. It is
a main component of human breast milk and helps protect
children from illness during infancy.
The misconception that coconut oil increases
one's cholesterol levels and results to heart disease
was based on an overblown hypothesis that all saturated
fats are bad for the body. Coconut oil has a high level
of saturated fat. However, scientists soon discovered
that not all saturated fats are alike.
The fatty acids in coconut oil are medium
chain triglycerides that do not raise serum cholesterol
or contribute to heart disease like the long chain triglycerides
found in seed oils. Also, most research done on coconut
oil was not done on natural coconut oil but on hydrogenated
coconut oil, which has been altered from its original
form.
Hydrogenated coconut oil contains trans
fatty acids (TFAs). TFAs are bad for the body. They
lower the "good" HDL cholesterol and raise
the "bad" LDL cholesterol, raise total serum
cholesterol levels; increase blood insulin levels, increase
risk for diabetes; affect immune response by lowering
efficiency of B cell response and increasing proliferation
of T cells; interfere with utilization of essential
omega-3 fatty acids; and escalate adverse effects of
essential fatty acid deficiency.
Processed foods such as margarine, potato
chips and baked goods usually contain hydrogenated or
partially hydrogenated oil.
In a related study, scientists from the
Institute of Biological Sciences, Institute of Plant
Breeding and Institute of Chemistry of the University
of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB) recently
cloned and characterized the gene in coconut responsible
for producing the lauric acids in coconut oil.
The gene is called the acyl-ACP thioesterase
gene in coconut. Scientists are determined that identifying
the gene will set the groundwork for identifying other
coconut genes and is a step nearer to their ultimate
goal of creating a transgenic coconut which will have
more lauric acids.
Source: Cloning and Partial Characterization
of the ACYL-ACP Thioesterase Gene in Coconut (Coco nucifera
L) by Marni Cueno, Rita Laude, Antonio Laurena, Ma.Jamela
Revilleza and Evelyn Mae Mendoza of the Institute of
Biological Sciences (IBS), Institute of Plant Breeding
and Institute of Chemistry of the University of the
Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB); Health and Nutritional
Benefits from Coconut Oil: An Important Functional Food
for the 21st Century by Dr. Mary Enig of Michigan State
University 
February 1-28 2003 Articles: ::
BAR director sets down 7-point agenda
::
BAR strategically charts plan for 2003
::
BAR directorship is now Medrano's responsibility
::
State of the Art: Agricultural Commodity Research
::
Luzon Zonal Research Center readies for action
::
Medrano chairs CABI’s executive council
::
Seeds of change: lessons learned
::
Coping with El Niño the Isabela way
::
Cracking the coconut oil myth
::: More February 2003 articles :::
|
