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Coconut Oil and Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Lukas Schwingshackl1, Sabrina Schlesinger2,3
1Institute for Evidence in Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Breisacher Straße 86, 79110, Freiburg, Germany. lukas.schwingshackl@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
Current Atherosclerosis Reports
|March 27, 2023
Summary
Coconut oil intake shows mixed effects on cholesterol levels, with less detrimental impacts than butter but not unsaturated oils. More research is needed to understand its cardiovascular disease associations.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Nutritional Science
- Dietary Fats
Background:
- Coconut oil is a popular dietary fat, primarily composed of lauric acid.
- Understanding its impact on cardiovascular health is crucial for public health recommendations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current literature on coconut oil's cardiovascular health effects.
- To examine the mechanisms and evidence regarding coconut oil consumption.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of peer-reviewed literature.
- Analysis of evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies.
Main Results:
- No RCTs or prospective cohort studies directly link coconut oil to cardiovascular disease.
- Coconut oil appears less detrimental to total and LDL-cholesterol than butter, but not cis-unsaturated vegetable oils.
- Replacing carbohydrates with lauric acid (in coconut oil) increased total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol.
Conclusions:
- Replacing coconut oil with cis-unsaturated oils lowers total and LDL-cholesterol.
- Limited evidence exists regarding coconut oil's direct association with cardiovascular disease development.
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