Coconut Butter
Dallas
Clouatre, Ph.D.
Remember when “experts” on
obesity and heart disease were telling us to not eat salmon,
tuna and certain other fish because they contain “too much fat”?
Now, of course, it has been proven beyond doubt that the omega-3
fatty acids found in “fatty” fish protect against cardiovascular
disease, reduce inflammation, and may even help with weight loss.
Well, consumers who value their health should prepare themselves ––
the same authorities who got it all wrong when it came to omega-3
oils have missed the boat again when it comes to coconut butter.
Coconut butter (or oil) is at last beginning to be recognized as the
health food that it is.
Western research currently
is validating the high regard that the coconut oil enjoys in the
Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions of healing. Coconut oil does not
elevate your “bad” cholesterol level (LDL). It actually raises your
“good” cholesterol level (HDL) and is slightly lower in calories
than are most vegetable oils. Many studies have shown that coconut
oil and its components support immune function and reduce the risks
of heart disease and many other degenerative conditions associated
with aging. It is an excellent choice for dieters because it is not
readily stored as fat in the body and it mildly promotes
thermogenesis.
Although coconut oil is
saturated (it is solid up to 76° F), this does not mean that it is a
“bad” oil. Coconut oil consists mostly of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA),
with 50 percent being lauric acid. Medium-chain fatty acids have
been used for many years for special health purposes. One derivative
of coconut MCFA is medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, which is 75
percent caprylic and 25 percent capric acids, fatty acids very
similar to lauric acid and present in virgin coconut oil in smaller
amounts. MCT oil often is found in the hospital nutrient mixtures
for bedridden patients who are dependent upon intravenous nutrition.
These fats were developed in part because they do not require the
action of bile for digestion, but rather are absorbed directly
through the walls of the small intestine and transported to the
liver to be used immediately as fuel.
The special characteristics
of coconut MCFA mean that the body prefers to burn it for fuel
rather than to store it. You might say that the body treats coconut
fatty acids more like it does carbohydrates, but without getting
involved with insulin. We know this because of our experience with
the MCT oil. In my book Anti-Fat Nutrients (revised 4th
edition, Basic Media, December 2003), I discuss MCT oil at length.
In seriously catabolic patients, MCT oil was found to help prevent
the body from depleting its lean and muscle tissues. Again, MCT fats
are not readily stored as body fat, but rather they are
preferentially burned in the mitochondria of the cells to provide
energy. [1] For some athletes and bodybuilders, this quality has
proved useful since excess training depletes the glycogen stores of
the muscles, and continued training after that point can only take
place partially through the break down of muscle protein for fuel.
Coconut butter medium-chain fatty acids have properties similar to
those of MCT oil, but not as pronounced.
Does this mean that coconut
butter can help dieters? Yes, as long as there are not too many
expectations. Indeed, the noted nutrition author Ray Peat has
remarked that in the l940s, farmers attempted to use coconut oil for
fattening their animals, but they found that it made them lean,
active and hungry instead! The fatty acids found in coconut seem to
promote the burning of fat for fuel and they appear to have a
pronounced thermogenic effect. However, the thermogenic
and fat-burning qualities of medium-chain fatty acids seem to be
more significant for healthy subjects of normal weight and for those
moderately overweight than for those who are clinically obese
(fortunately, a category that excludes most of us). Moreover,
medium-chain fatty acids serve to protect the body’s protein in the
lean tissues during the use of low calorie and low carbohydrate
diets. [2]
Coconut butter has many
other benefits. Two names are closely associated with the research
in this area. These are Jon Kabara, one of the primary researchers
into the benefits of lauric acid, and Mary Enig, the great
researcher in the area of fats and one of the first (literally
decades before the mainstream medical researchers) to point out the
health dangers of trans-fatty acids.
Dr. Enig was the keynote
speaker in 2001 at the 36th Annual Conference of the
Asian Pacific Coconut Community. There she gave her talk on the
benefits of the coconut as a functional food. She noted that
approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid,
which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into
monolaurin in the human body. Monolaurin is the antiviral,
antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human
metabolism to destroy lipid-coated (that is, fat-coated) viruses
such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus and influenza, various
pathogenic bacteria, including listeria monocytogenes and
helicobacter pylori, as well as parsitic protozoa such as
giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial
effects of the free lauric acid. Other studies have extended the
activity of lauric acid to include many yeasts and fungi.
Approximately 6-7% of the
fatty acids in coconut fat are capric acid. Dr. Enig points out that
capric acid is another medium-chain fatty acid that has a similar
beneficial function when it is formed into monocaprin in the human
or animal body. Monocaprin has been shown to have antiviral effects
against HIV and is being tested for antiviral effects against
herpes simplex and antibacterial effects against chlamydia
and other sexually transmitted bacteria.
The work of Jon Kabara and
others shows that coconut oil components exert their health benefits
against pathogens (viruses, bacteria, yeasts, fungi and parasites)
in a way that is very safe to humans. In general, it is reported
that the fatty acids and monoglycerides produce their
killing/inactivating effects by destabilizing the membrane that
surrounds pathogens, for instance, by causing the disintegration of
the virus envelope. Despite such sometimes quite potent actions
against unwanted microbes, there is no evidence of any negative
effect on probiotic organisms in the gastrointestinal tract.
In his accessible, yet
thoroughly researched book, The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil
(HealthWise, 2003), author Bruce Fife ranges across a number of
health topics for which coconut oils has proven to be effective. He
notes that coconut oil is so stable that it helps to preserve other
oils, thereby reducing antioxidant requirements. Populations that
eat large amounts of coconut and coconut products, such as the oil,
are characterized by low rates of heart disease. Lauric acid and
other medium-chain fatty acids are found in mother’s milk, where
among other things, they improve the uptake by the baby of nutrients
such as amino acids, calcium and magnesium. Similar effects upon
nutrient assimilation have been found in the very ill and in the
elderly. Moreover, these health benefits do not even take into
account the long accepted uses of coconut oil to nourish the skin
and the hair.
In his book, Bruce Fife
asks the rhetorical questions, “If there was [sic] an oil you could
use for your daily cooking needs that helped protect you from heart
disease...other degenerative conditions, improved your digestion,
strengthened your immune system, protected you from infectious
diseases, and helped you lose excess weight, would you be
interested?” Surely this is a good question. Aside from the record
of traditional use, more than 20 research papers and a number of
United States Patents argue for the health-promoting benefits of
coconut oil. Now that organic coconut butter is readily available in
health food stores, perhaps it is time for health-conscious shoppers
to give it a try.
Dallas Clouatre, Ph.D.,
is a Jarrow Formulas consultant based in Santa Monica, California.
He is a prominent industry consultant in the US, Europe, and Asia,
and is a sought-after speaker and spokesperson. He earned his A.B.
from Stanford and his Ph.D. in European Intellectual History from
the University of California at Berkeley. A member of the American
College of Nutrition, he is a regular contributor to various
industry publications. He is the author of numerous books, including
FAQ: All About Grapeseed Extract, SAM-e: The Ultimate Methyl Donor,
Anti-Fat Nutrients (3rd edition), and The
Prostrate Cancer Miracle.
Other References
[1] Babayan VK. Medium
chain triglycerides and structured lipids. Lipids 1987
Jun;22(6):417-20.
[2] Dias VC, et al. Effects
of medium-chain triglyceride feeding on energy balance in adult
humans. Metabolism 1990;39:887-891.
