Coconut oil: God’s own gift or poison?

The recent contention by a Harvard professor named Karin Michels at the University of Freiburg, Germany, while presenting a paper titled ‘Coconut Oil and Other Nutritional Errors’, that Malayalis’ favourite oil is so unhealthy that it can be described as ‘pure poison’ has sparked a new debate among doctors and nutritionists in this part of the world. Karin argues that the existence of high amount of saturated fatty acids in coconut oil could result in a lot of health problems, including clogging the coronary arteries. She emphasised upon the fact that it contains 80% fat, 60% more than beef dripping and twice that of lard.The study has special significance for Kerala, which draws its very name from kera or coconut. The oil derived from it is available aplenty and is a natural choice when it comes to cooking medium. Therefore, the question is, have we all been jeopardising our health unwittingly over the decades or even centuries?Sreekumar Poduval, processing engineer at the Coconut Development Board, says this topic has already been debated in the Asia and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC). “Though coconut is regarded as saturated fat, it has a medium chain fatty acid (Fatty acids are the blocks on which fats are formed in the body), unlike other saturated fats, which has long chain fatty acids. As coconut oil has medium chain fatty acid, it is easily oxidised. It goes directly into the liver, and they are not being deposited in the blood vessels. This is precisely the reason why it does not lead to blood pressure or affect the health drastically,” he says in defence.He further adds that coconut oil predominantly contains HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein), which is considered ‘good cholesterol’, in contrast to LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein), which can do more harm. “If you take palm oil, it is fully saturated, and oils like these are regarded as long chain fatty acids, which causes an elevation in LDL cholesterol. When it comes to India, coconut oil is not refined, like other vegetable oils. I think people in the US have mistaken it to be refined, as when coconut is treated, it is put through stages such as bleaching and the like. Be it any oil, when heated, it causes peroxidation (A reaction, which leads to the formation of oxygen atoms, and subsequently peroxides). This can further lead to infections and toxins.”According to him, coconut oil is only either filtered or multi filtered in the country, and not refined. “The lauric acid in coconut is actually responsible for the good properties, and is the main reason why it is used in beauty products as well.”Sreekumar forcefully denies the latest argument that coconut oil is harmful, “If this was the case, why would around a billion people across the world consume coconut oil, a few examples being Asian Pacific countries such as Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Philippines? Omega 3 and Omega 6 are the essential fatty acids, which are deficient in coconut oil, but it can be compensated by the consumption of fish, which has these qualities.”Dr Jothydev Kesavadev, who heads diabetes clinics and research centres in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, however, disagrees. “If you stop using it for a month, there will be a robust and statistically significant drop in the bad cholesterol, across all populations. Whenever experts are asked about scientific topics like these, they always go by strong evidence called Level A Evidence, which comes out of well conducted randomised control trials. Whenever we are preparing recommendations regarding a diet or a therapy, we depend on the level of evidence, which is derived out of an array of studies conducted all over the world. Ever since we have been practising diabetology and have been advising patients on a healthy diet, we have telling them to avoid coconut oil. That said, there has been certain cultural and emotional challenges existing in the State. That is where the challenge comes from.”He goes on to say that humans witness an age-related occurrence of atherosclerosis (The situation when fats are built up, in addition to cholesterol, in and around artery walls). It starts building up from the age of 30. “This is seen more in Asians, when compared to Caucasians, because of which we are prone to heart-related risk factors and diabetes, two to three per cent more than the latter, which is in fact a paradoxical situation. The use of such oils will increase the chance of predisposing us to more diabetic and heart related problems.”Uma Kalyani, a dietician, says that one of the few advantages coconut oil has is that it has medium chain triglycerides, which act as a protective shield to our body. “Coconut has fibre too. That said, whatever we are using, has to be in moderate quantities. However, terming it as poison is an exaggeration.”She says in addition to using coconut oil, we have to ensure the intake of fruits, fibrous materials and whole grains. “For 25 to 30 grams of fibre, we recommend two to five servings of vegetables. If your diet is balanced, there is no harm in using coconut oil, but of course in limited quantities. Personally, I make a shift from one oil to another per month, so that we get all the essential nutrients.”“I keep saying that deep frying is a strict no, no matter which oil it is. Even if you avoid using the same, the bakery products you have from outside have a high amount of fat content, trans fat and uses more of hydrogenated oil, which is treated with hydrogen. For instance, if a family has two members, I would suggest that they use one litre of coconut oil for a month, so that the intake would be moderate.”Dr MV Sukumaran, who heads a nature cure centre in Kannur, says that not all heart-related problems are always triggered by the consumption of coconut oil. “This has been reinforced by the prominent American doctor, Linus Pauling, when he said it is the deficiency in Vitamin C, that leads to such a condition. When we steam and cook vegetables, we might not get all the nutrients.”He concludes, “While coconut oil is not so harmful as it is projected to be, it is the way and quantity in which it is used that takes a heavy toll on the health of people. In our centre, we use oil, which is untreated. It can help build resistance to germs in the body, and we have been suggesting it for a long time now.”