Coconut oil is considered as “bad fat,” because it contains saturated fatty acids. But recent studies and research have proven otherwise.
A new clinical study have proven that a single tablespoon daily of coconut oil could improve cardiovascular health and promote weight loss. The study is titled “A coconut extra virgin oil-rich diet increases HDL cholesterol and decreases waist circumference and body mass in coronary artery disease patients”.
The study is said to hold great promise in people who are suffering from obesity, overweight, and heightened cardiovascular disease risk, in which pharmaceutical approaches often fail. Let’s find out more about it.
About the Study
In the new study, the health effects of a nutritional treatment with extra virgin coconut oil, which focuses primarily on how it affects HDL cholesterol and a range of anthropmetric measurements, that includes size, body weight and circumference, were evaluated.
The average age of the participants was 62.4 ± 7.7 years, with 70% of elderly individuals, while the 63.2% are males. All of them were hypertensive, while the 94.5% had blood lipid profiles indicating “dyslipidemia” and taking standard, cholesterol lowering drug treatment.
In the first phase, a 3-month period, with 136 enrollees were put on a standardized diet. From the third month onward, the 116 who completed the 1st phase were place into two intervention groups: 22 remained on the diet, and 92 were put on the diet + 13 ml (.43 ounces) daily of extra virgin coconut oil, which is equivalent to about 14 grams, or about 1 Tablespoon (15 grams).
Conclusion
The results of the the three-month coconut oil intervention showed that relative to the standard diet, the coconut group saw a decrease in all six of the bodily parameters measured. This includes the following:
Body Mass Index: – .2 kg/m2
Diastolic Blood Pressure: -3.5 points
Neck Perimeter: -4 cm
Waist Circumference: -2.1 cm
Weight: -.6 kilograms (1.322 pounds)
Systolic Blood Pressure: -3.3 points
Additionally, the coconut oil intervention group reported a 3.1±7.4 mg/dL increase in HDL or good cholesterol.