Coconut oil helps to reduce hunger, improve oral health, and reduce seizures. Coconut oil is known for its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, improved skin and oral health, and also possesses weight loss potential. Coconut oil is made by pressing dried coconut meat, called copra, or fresh coconut meat. There are two methods to prepare the oil namely wet and dry. The milk and oil from the coconut are pressed, and then the oil is removed. The oil has a firm texture at cool or room temperatures because the fats in the oil are mostly saturated fats and are made up of smaller molecules. Coconut oil gets absorbed easily into the skin because of its smaller fat molecules, hence making skin a viable skin and scalp moisturizer.
We have talked before about the benefits of coconut oil on skin and hair. Now, let's have a look at the benefits of coconut oil for health.
1. The brain creates its own insulin to process glucose and power brain cells for energy but the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient, loses the ability to create its own insulin, the ketones contained in coconut oil help create an alternate source of energy to help repair brain function. Consuming coconut oil can help treat Alzheimer’s disease as well.
2. Coconut oil is high in natural saturated fats. These saturated fats not only increase the healthy cholesterol in the body but also help convert the bad cholesterol into good cholesterol. Consumption of virgin coconut oil by young, healthy adults significantly increases HDL cholesterol. Increasing the HDL in the body helps promote heart health and lower the risk of heart disease.
3. Coconut oil is known to clear up and improve UTI symptoms and kidney infections. The medium-chain fatty acids present in the oil work as a natural antibiotic by disrupting the lipid coating on bacteria and killing them. Coconut oil is also believed to directly protect the liver from damage.
4. Coconut oil is high in antioxidants and hence proves to be beneficial in reducing inflammation and improving arthritis symptoms more effectively than leading medications. Coconut oil harvested with only medium heat is found to suppress inflammatory cells. It works as both an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory.
5. Coconut possesses two qualities that help it fight cancer. First, the ketones in the oil. Tumor cells are not able to access the energy in ketones and are glucose-dependent. The second quality is the medium-chained fatty acid content in coconut oil. Since the MCFAs are known to digest the lipid walls of bacteria, they also kill the helicobacter pylori bacteria which is known to increase the risk of stomach cancer.
6. Coconut oil contains lauric acid which reduces candida, fights bacteria, and creates a hostile environment for viruses. Many diseases are caused by the overgrowth of bad bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites in the body. Coconut oil has antimicrobial activity and it helps activate the anti-inflammatory nature of the immune response in the human body.
7. The medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in coconut oil help in improving memory in older subjects. Patients who have been consuming coconut oil have shown a marked improvement in their recall ability. The MCFAs are absorbed easily in the body and are accessed in the brain without the use of insulin. Thus, they are able to fuel brain cells more efficiently.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)