Interesting Facts about Coconut
- Coconut oil that has been kept at room temperature for a year has been tested, and showed no evidence of rancidity.
- In animal studies, feeding unprocessed coconut and coconut oils prevented tumor development, both malignant or benign.
- It lowers cholesterol if it is high and raises it if it is too low.
- Coconut oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal in the originating plant, in our gut and in our blood. Reducing seed oil consumption and using coconut milk or coconut oil as the dietary staple is reversing viral loads in HIV, eliminating all types of herpes virus and reducing or preventing other viral diseases including the yearly ‘flus’ and measles. The antiviral effect seems to be against lipid-enveloped viruses and is due to the presence of lauric acid in coconut oil.
- It has been reported that coconut oil helps prevent weight-gain by stimulating the metabolism, but further evidence needs to be presented to support this claim. It is quickly metabolized, and functions in some ways as an antioxidant.
- Every study using natural, unprocessed coconut oil found a normalizing of cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. This is also true of extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil and avocado oil.
- Within a week, abnormal cortisol levels show improvement indicating adrenal restoration using vitamin B1, B complex and coconut milk. Patients seem more awake, their mood, energy and memory improves, and sleep becomes more normal.
All current research data declaring the harmfulness of coconut oil has been compiled from studies using hydrogenated oils. The conclusions drawn in these studies cannot factually be applied to the use of unprocessed tropical oils. All hydrogenated fats and oils, including margarine, shortening and all other hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils found in cookies, candies, baked goods, boxed to bake items, canned foods and most restaurant foods contribute to degenerative diseases including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke, depression, hypoglycemia, thyroid disorders and cancer.
Coconut milk is not the juice from the inside of a young coconut. That thin liquid is called coconut water. Coconut milk is made by steeping the coconut and scraping out the meat, adding just enough water to simmer and mashing the end product into a thick, milky substance called coconut milk.
The coconut oil or coconut milk should be un-preserved. Equivalents are:
- 3.5 tablespoons of the unprocessed coconut oil daily
- 1/3 can of the coconut milk twice a day (5 ounces twice a day)
- 7 ounces coconut steeped, mashed and eaten daily
Based on her calculations on the amount of lauric acid found in human mother’s milk, Dr. Enig suggests a rich lauric acid diet would contain about 24 grams of lauric acid daily for the average adult. This amount could be found in about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil or 10 ounces of “Pure Coconut Milk.” About 7 ounces of raw coconut daily would contain 24 grams of lauric acid.
When choosing a brand of canned coconut milk, select the one with the highest fat content for the price. Coconut Milk is made in Sri Lanka and imported into the United States. It can be found in health food stores and in local grocery stores in the International Foods section or in specialty grocery stores that sell products imported from Thailand, the Philippines or East India.
Coconut flour
Coconut flour lacks the “glue” most flours have called gluten. A standard American recipe can have up to 25% of the flour made with coconut flour. However, if you would like to make something very high in fiber with an incredibly low glycemic index you will want to use 100% coconut flour. To do this we recommend you purchase the book “Cooking With Coconut Flour” by Dr. Bruce Fife. The entire book contains delicious recipes that use solely coconut fiber for the flour. These recipes use eggs for the binder or “glue” and they are very low in sugar or sweeteners. These recipes are great for diabetics, people with gluten allergies, and people with Candida and “leaky gut” issues. Coconut fiber/flour is an excellent product to use to promote healthy intestinal tract.
Coconut can help with the following
Alzheimer's Disease
New benefits of coconut oil continue to be discovered. One potential benefit is that it may ease Alzheimer’s. Dr. Mary Newport may have made an important observation about this connection. Dr. Newport’s husband had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s and was watching her husband quickly deteriorate.
After using drugs that slowed down the effects of Alzheimer’s, she looked into clinical drug trials and found one based on MCTs (medium chain triglycerides, such as found in coconut oil) that not only slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s, but offered improvement. Not being able to get her husband into one of these trials, she began to give him Virgin Coconut Oil, and saw incredible improvement in his condition.
The coconut oil he’d ingested seemed to “lift the fog.” He began taking coconut oil every day, and by the fifth day, there was a tremendous improvement. “He would face the day bubbly, more like his old self,” his wife said. More than five months later, his tremors subsided, the visual disturbances that prevented him from reading disappeared, and he became more social and interested in those around him. [Doctor says an oil lessened Alzheimer’s effects on her husband, St. Petersburg Times, October 29, 2008 ]
You can also watch an interview with Dr. Newport done by CBN here.
Gluten Sensitivity / Celiac Disease
Please see the link to coconut regarding the potential use of coconut flour as one of several gluten-free substutes.
Hypothyroidism
Lauric acid (as from coconut oil) has been shown to boost thyroid hormone activity along with the body’s metabolic rate (BMR). This is a great advantage to those needing weight loss or who suffer from an underactive thyroid.
AIDS / Risk
Lauric acid from coconut oil, coconut milk and fresh or cooked coconut meat, at 24gm daily for adults, may be an effective aid in the destruction of lipid-enveloped viruses such as HIV, HHV-6 (strains A and B), EBV, CMV and herpes. This treatment may be used continuously as viral resistance or immune system adaption is not expected to develop.
CMV Infection
CMV is one of the lipid-enveloped viruses reported by Dr. Enig to be inactivated by monolaurin from coconut oil. See also Monolaurin.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
May be an effective aid in the destruction of lipid-enveloped viruses, such as HIV, HHV-6 (strains A and B), EBV, CMV, and herpes. See also Monolaurin.
Problem Caused By Being Underweight
Coconut oil consumption may encourage weight gain if you are underweight, but it can also encourage weight loss in obesity, possibly due to an increase in metabolic rate.
Problem Caused By Being Overweight
Studies in coconut eating countries have shown a higher metabolic rate in both men and women than in the general US population.
Gallbladder Disease
Coconut has been reported to help normalize gall bladder function over time.
Increased Risk of Alzheimer's / Dementia
New benefits of coconut oil continue to be discovered. One potential benefit is that it may ease Alzheimer’s. Dr. Mary Newport may have made an important observation about this connection. Dr. Newport’s husband had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s and was watching her husband quickly deteriorate.
After using drugs that slowed down the effects of Alzheimer’s, she looked into clinical drug trials and found one based on MCTs (medium chain triglycerides, such as found in coconut oil) that not only slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s, but offered improvement. Not being able to get her husband into one of these trials, she began to give him Virgin Coconut Oil, and saw incredible improvement in his condition.
The coconut oil he’d ingested seemed to “lift the fog.” He began taking coconut oil every day, and by the fifth day, there was a tremendous improvement. “He would face the day bubbly, more like his old self,” his wife said. More than five months later, his tremors subsided, the visual disturbances that prevented him from reading disappeared, and he became more social and interested in those around him. [Doctor says an oil lessened Alzheimer’s effects on her husband, St. Petersburg Times, October 29, 2008 ]
You can also watch an interview with Dr. Newport done by CBN here.
Key
| May do some good |
| Likely to help |
| Highly recommended |
| May have adverse consequences |
| Reasonably likely to cause problems |
Glossary
Malignant
Dangerous. mainly used to describe a cancerous growth -- when used this way, it means the growth is cancerous and predisposed to spreading.
Benign
Literally: innocent; not malignant. Often used to refer to cells that are not cancerous.
Cholesterol
A waxy, fat-like substance manufactured in the liver and found in all tissues, it facilitates the transport and absorption of fatty acids. In foods, only animal products contain cholesterol. An excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
HIV
Abbreviation for human immunodeficiency virus, a retrovirus associated with onset of advanced immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Virus
Any of a vast group of minute structures composed of a protein coat and a core of DNA and/or RNA that reproduces in the cells of the infected host. Capable of infecting all animals and plants, causing devastating disease in immunocompromised individuals. Viruses are not affected by antibiotics, and are completely dependent upon the cells of the infected host for the ability to reproduce.
Metabolism
The chemical processes of living cells in which energy is produced in order to replace and repair tissues and maintain a healthy body. Responsible for the production of energy, biosynthesis of important substances, and degradation of various compounds.
Antioxidant
A chemical compound that slows or prevents oxygen from reacting with other compounds. Some antioxidants have been shown to have cancer-protecting potential because they neutralize free radicals. Examples include vitamins C and E, alpha lipoic acid, beta carotene, the minerals selenium, zinc, and germanium, superoxide dismutase (SOD), coenzyme Q10, catalase, and some amino acids, like cystiene. Other nutrient sources include grape seed extract, curcumin, gingko, green tea, olive leaf, policosanol and pycnogenol.
Thiamine
(Vitamin B-1): A B-complex vitamin that acts as a coenzyme necessary for the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose, which is burned in the body for energy. It is essential for the functioning of the nervous system.
Hydrogenated Fat
Usually containing trans-fatty acids (or simply "trans" fats), hydrogenated fats show up mostly in margarine, shortening and many prepared and processed foods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, potato chips and other deep-fried foods. The best way to spot hydrogenated fats is to read the ingredient lists on foods and identify those listing hydrogenated or "partially" hydrogenated fats.
Diabetes Mellitus
A disease with increased blood glucose levels due to lack or ineffectiveness of insulin. Diabetes is found in two forms; insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset) and non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset). Symptoms include increased thirst; increased urination; weight loss in spite of increased appetite; fatigue; nausea; vomiting; frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin; blurred vision; impotence in men; bad breath; cessation of menses; diminished skin fullness. Other symptoms include bleeding gums; ear noise/buzzing; diarrhea; depression; confusion.
Hypertension
High blood pressure. Hypertension increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure because it adds to the workload of the heart, causing it to enlarge and, over time, to weaken; in addition, it may damage the walls of the arteries.
Stroke
A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel that supplies the brain, characterized by loss of muscular control, complete or partial loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of the damage to the brain. The most common manifestation is some degree of paralysis, but small strokes may occur without symptoms. Usually caused by arteriosclerosis, it often results in brain damage.
Hypoglycemia
A condition characterized by an abnormally low blood glucose level. Severe hypoglycemia is rare and dangerous. It can be caused by medications such as insulin (diabetics are prone to hypoglycemia), severe physical exhaustion, and some illnesses.
Thyroid
Thyroid Gland: An organ with many veins. It is at the front of the neck. It is essential to normal body growth in infancy and childhood. It releases thyroid hormones - iodine-containing compounds that increase the rate of metabolism, affect body temperature, regulate protein, fat, and carbohydrate catabolism in all cells. They keep up growth hormone release, skeletal maturation, and heart rate, force, and output. They promote central nervous system growth, stimulate the making of many enzymes, and are necessary for muscle tone and vigor.
Cancer
Refers to the various types of malignant neoplasms that contain cells growing out of control and invading adjacent tissues, which may metastasize to distant tissues.
Tablespoon
(Tbsp) Equivalent to 15cc (15ml).
Gram
(gm): A metric unit of weight, there being approximately 28 grams in one ounce.
SRI
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. The result of this inhibition action is to maintain higher levels of serotonin.
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index (GI) is a classification of foods based on their blood glucose-raising potential. Consuming foods high on the glycemic index promote a rapid rise in blood glucose. This contributes to the development of several chronic degenerative diseases.
Allergy
Hypersensitivity caused by exposure to a particular antigen (allergen), resulting in an increased reactivity to that antigen on subsequent exposure, sometimes with harmful immunologic consequences.
Candidiasis
Infection of the skin or mucous membrane with any species of candida, usually Candida albicans. The infection is usually localized to the skin, nails, mouth, vagina, bronchi, or lungs, but may invade the bloodstream. It is a common inhabitant of the GI tract, only becoming a problem when it multiplies excessively and invades local tissues. Growth is encouraged by a weakened immune system, as in AIDS, or with the prolonged administration of antibiotics. Vaginal symptoms include itching in the genital area, pain when urinating, and a thick odorless vaginal discharge.