New research debunks American Heart Association narrative against coconut oil

In my July 8, 2017 column, I took exception to the reiteration by the American Heart Association (AHA) of its advisory to Americans to reduce intake of saturated fats (SFAs) typically found in meat and dairy products, and instead replace them with polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) found in plant oils in order to reduce risks from cardiovascular disease.

Unfortunately, AHA included and specifically mentioned in its advisory coconut oil among the saturated fats to be avoided.

As background the AHA guideline is aligned with the saturated fatblood cholesterol-cardiovascular disease hypothesis first proposed by Ansel Keys in 1957.

Ansel Keys based his hypothesis mainly on the outcome of the Seven Countries Study (SCS), the widely recognized first major study to investigate the connection of diet and cardiovascular disease, across contrasting countries and cultures, and over an extended period of time.

The SCS study noted the large difference in the incidence of heart disease between populations in USA and Northern Europe (Netherlands and Finland) versus those in Southern Europe (Greece and Italy). This led to the recognition of the healthier diet in Greece and Italy which is rich in olive oil (now popularized as the Mediterranean diet).

Other subsequent large-scale population studies established the link between the typical American diet rich in saturated fats from animal products to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It was subsequently assumed that all saturated fats are unhealthy, and conversely that all unsaturated fats are healthy.

This was our objection to the AHA guideline which unfairly lumped coconut oil with animal fats. The AHA did not distinguish between the kinds of saturated fats. While coconut oil is rich in saturated fats like other animal fats, its fats are mainly medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which are easily digestible, do not accumulate as fat deposits and therefore not fattening.

It was likewise assumed, but without proof, that whatever is healthy for the heart is also healthy for the rest of the body. This proved to be wrong.

The AHA advisory prompted a dramatic shift in consumption away from animal fats to vegetable oils, principally soybean oil, for domestic as well as commercial cooking purposes. The dietary shift while perhaps beneficial to cardiac health aggravated other problems such as obesity, diabetes, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver.

Thus, four decades later the United States (US) faced an alarming rise in obesity and diabetes. Currently, it is estimated that 36 percent of the US population is obese. This is projected to balloon to about 50 percent by 2050. The rise in obesity and diabetes is in fact worldwide, including us in the Philippines.

Soybean oil induces more obesity and diabetes than coconut oil and fructose Lately I have come across three recent research reports confirming what we have been claiming all along. Coconut oil ought not be lumped together with other saturated fats from meat and dairy products. And that coconut oil with its medium-chain fatty acids is healthier than soy bean oil.

The new information came from the research of Prof. Frances Sladek and her colleagues at the University of California at Riverside. Since the alarming rise in obesity and diabetes in the US were associated with dramatic increase in soybean oil consumption, as well as fructose from high fructose corn syrup in processed foods and sodas, the two most obvious major dietary contributors to obesity and diabetes were polyunsaturated fats from soybean and fructose from corn syrup. Dr. Sladek and her team conducted a series of studies comparing the effects of soybean oil, coconut oil and fructose on obesity and diabetes. However, since diet studies in humans involve a large number of variables which are difficult to control (not to mention the costs involved) they conducted the studies with laboratory mice.

In order to artificially induce obesity, the mice were fed with diets moderately high in fat comparable to the current fat consumption by Americans. The saturated fat came from coconut, while the unsaturated fat were supplied by soybean oil. The coconut and the soybean diets were fortified with fructose. The high fat/ high fructose diets were compared with a standard low fat, high fiber diet (the control).

Space will not permit a detailed discussion of the results. But some of the major observations were:

•soybean oil induces more weight gain and adiposity than coconut oil and fructose.

•soybean oil induces diabetes, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, and fatty liver.

•high fructose did not cause as much obesity or diabetes as soybean oil; but caused rectal prolapse.

•Overall, soybean oil induced more obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance and liver injury than either fructose or saturated fat from coconut oil.

Among vegetable oils coconut oil produces the fewest

negative metabolic effects The results from the most recent experiment (October 2017) were more dramatic. They compared: 1) conventional soybean oil, 2) genetically modified soybean variety PLENISH recently released by Du Pont with 3) coconut oil. The GM soybean linolenic acid content was reduced to approximate that of olive oil, which is considered healthy.

The mice fed a diet with either the conventional soybean oil and the GM soybean had worse fatty liver, glucose intolerance, and obesity than the mice that got all their fat from coconut oil. The GM soybean was as unhealthy as the conventional soybean except that the former caused less obesity and insulin resistance.

On a personal note, the principal researcher Dr. Sladek, had this to say:

“I used to use exclusively olive oil in my home, but now I substitute some of it for coconut oil. Of all the oils we have tested so far, coconut oil produces the fewest negative metabolic effects, even though it consists entirely of saturated fats. Coconut oil does increase cholesterol levels but no more than conventional soybean oil or PLENISH.”

***** Dr. Emil Q. Javier is a Member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and also Chair of the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP). For any feedback, email eqjavier@yahoo.com.