Whether you hate it, love it, or haven’t tried it yet, by now you must have heard about coconut oil.
With several articles and posts released each week citing the oil’s benefits, and thousands of testimonies online backing up these claims, it can be hard to not be intrigued and excited to try it.
According to KetoVale.com, the benefits associated with the consumption and use of coconut oil are plenty to dispel any skepticism.
The goal of this article is to simply highlight some of the top-cited, research-proven benefits of coconut oil. Once again, I want to point out that all the benefits cited below have been backed up by scientific research.
So, without any further ado, here are the top benefits of coconut oil:
Energizing properties
Coconut oil’s energizing properties are derived from its ability to be instantly converted into energy. One of the top examples? Several pro athletes use coconut oil-based instead of sugar-based energy drinks in order to achieve a steady energy increase and avoid the well-known “sugar-spike”. The increase in energy is due to medium chain fatty acid’s ability to be instantly converted into energy instead of being stored, as happens with glucose.
Animal studies also found that mice who were fed medium chain fatty acids outperformed mice that were fed long chain fatty acids. On top of that, they also burned fat at a higher rate.
Weight Loss
Talking about burning fat, another one of the top benefits of this oil is connected to its weight loss properties.
Coconut oil is especially effective when it comes to reducing fat-mass in the abdominal region.
There are basically four primary ways that medium chain fatty acids help you lose weight:
they are lower in calories than long chain fatty acids;
they can help you boost your metabolism;
they are immediately used as energy by the liver;
only a very small percentage is stored in the body as fat.
Anti-aging properties
Coconut oil is great for anti-aging treatments since it improves antioxidant levels, reduces stress on the liver and other organs, and supports the natural detoxification process. Plus, the medium-chain fatty acids have the ability to cross over the blood-brain barrier, allowing them to fuel brain cells and protect your brain against DNA damage.
Many people use coconut oil topically as a skin cream or hair mask due to its healing properties. When ingested, it can also heal the gut lining and improve digestive impairments, which is caused by oxidative stress and thus leads to several age-related diseases.
Prevention of Heart Disease
This highly important benefit of coconut oil can be perfectly observed by taking a deeper look into Sri Lanka and the region’s typical diet. In 1978, the Demographic Yearbook of the United Nations, a yearly collection of data and statistics conducted and analyzed worldwide, reported that Sri Lanka was the country with the lowest incidence of death connected to ischemic heart disease. It was also noted that the main dietary fat consumed was coconut oil. Even more interesting is the fact that since 1978, the consumption of coconut oil in Sri Lanka has decreased as the consumption of other oils increased. The result? Heart disease rates increased in Sri Lanka.
Research also shows that medium chain fatty acids have anti-coagulation properties that prevent atherosclerosis, a condition leading to severe heart complications. Additionally, medium chain fatty acids reduce cholesterol levels in the liver and other organs.
Final Words
By now, the benefits of coconut oil have been speculated, tested, and proven to be true. For everyone looking for a good alternative to other cooking oils, or even for a natural way to keep your skin looking young and your hair looking shiny, coconut oil is the answer.
Thank you very much for taking the time to know more about coconut oil and, hopefully, this article will excite you to try out something new.
