A paper published recently in Nutrients makes the case that even though coconut oil contains predominantly saturated fat, the general effects of this oil on lipid panels suggest that “the recommendation to avoid consuming coconut oil due to the risk of heart disease is not justified.”
The authors analyzed 984 lipid profile data sets from 26 studies on coconut oil conducted over a 40-year span. They found that coconut oil consumption induces variable changes to total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), with more consistent effects on HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides – increasing and decreasing these, respectively.
Considering that the triglyceride-to-HDL-C ratio has been shown to be a stronger predictor of cardiovascular risk compared to total cholesterol or LDL-C, this suggests that coconut oil consumption does not increase risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Additionally, the paper makes the case that the effect of coconut oil on serum lipids is often lumped together with other sources of saturated fat, such as lard, palm oil, and fats and oils rich in palmitic acid and other long-chain saturated fatty acids, but this is misleading because the saturated fat in coconut oil is predominantly medium-chain fats, particularly lauric acid. Medium-chain fatty acids are metabolized differently from long-chain fatty acids, and while long-chain saturated fatty acids may increase cardiovascular risk, medium- and short-chain fats appear to be neutral or possibly even beneficial.
(It’s worth noting that even when consumption of long-chain saturated fats increases total cholesterol or LDL-C, this may not automatically indicate increased CVD risk. A growing body of evidence suggests that elevated cholesterol may not always be an independent risk factor.)
The review paper concluded, “There is no evidence from interventional studies that consuming CNO [coconut oil] increases the incidence of adverse fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular events. Likewise, studies of populations consuming CNO and the coconut diet as a staple have found no evidence of an increase in the incidence of CVD.”