Harvard expert: Trendy coconut oil is pure poison

IT has been touted as a miracle ingredient that can help you lose weight, with Angelina Jolie reportedly having a spoonful at breakfast.

But coconut oil has now been denounced as ‘pure poison’ by a senior academic.

Dr Karin Michels of the Harvard TH Chan School of public Health said the fashionable oil is ‘one of the worst foods you can eat’.

She made her comments in a lecture in Germany – where she is head of the University of Freiburg’s tumour research centre – entitled ‘Coconut oil and other nutritional errors’.

Dr Michels was critical of the fad for ‘superfoods’, saying we can get the nutrients we need from commonplace fruit and veg, but was particular scathing of coconut oil. She said it was ‘worse than lard’ due to its high level of saturated fat and added: ‘There isn’t one human study that has found a positive outcome from coconut oil.’

The initial enthusiasm for the product came from observational studies of polynesian islanders in the pacific who consume large amounts but do not suffer increased heart problems.

In the early 2000s, studies by Columbia University showed that those who ate a diet featuring medium- chain fatty acids, a type of fat present in coconuts, burned fat quicker than people on standard diets.

It led to sales rocketing – from around £1million in the UK in 2012 to £ 16million in 2016, according to market researchers Kantar. Many saw coconut oil as a way to enjoy fat and burn it off at the same time, despite it typically having more saturated fat – at 82 per cent – than butter, which is 63 per cent.

Many enthusiasts said it helped curb their hunger after being blended into their morning cup of coffee. Jolie was said to have started the day with little more than a scattering of cereal and a spoonful of coconut oil, while model Miranda Kerr consumed four tablespoons per day – using it in cooking, salads and green tea. Jennifer Aniston would spread it on toast.

But subsequent studies have warned against using the oil. The British Nutrition Foundation published a review in 2016 saying coconut oil is likely to increase the chances of heart disease by raising fat levels in the blood.

A second review last year suggested that when it comes to lowering cardiovascular disease risk, it might be best to stick with polyunsaturated oils and fats, such as sunflower oil.

‘Worse than eating lard’