Is Coconut Oil Truly Good For You?

People are waking up around the world to realize the many health benefits of coconut oil. It is an excellent moisturizing agent that can help skin dryness and premature graying of hair, and the Vedic tradition of "oil pulling" has proven its underlying merit today. Although many fear high saturated fat content, coconut oil may have some exceptions to this rule. Let's crack the shell on this coconut and find out if it's truly good for our health.

The Main Components In Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is considered unique, as this oil is not scientifically considered an oil at all, but a solid fat. For one, coconut oil is well known for its antibacterial properties. These properties reduce the bacterium that produces the acids associated with the softening of tooth enamel and decay, hence why "oil pulling" is incredibly popular today. Saturated fat is one of the main components in its diverse number of fats. Specifically, coconut oil is composed of ninety-two percent saturated fats and eight percent polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. More than half of the saturated fat content is lauric acid, a medium chain triglyceride, that directly converts into energy, and arguably, benefits the body with higher levels of good HDL cholesterol. Some of its other fatty acids like palmitic and myristic are more firmly associated with higher LDL cholesterol or the bad artery-clogging type. These same saturated fatty acids are why eggs, meat, poultry, butter, and cheese are associated with bad cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease.

Find out next if it's a good oil to cook with.