OT - Coconut oil and cholesterol

[cristinalatina]

I am becoming interested in coconut oil for some of my cooking, but I wouldn't want to consume something that would raise my, or especially my husband's, cholesterol levels. I have read many conflicting views online, but I'd rather hear from impartial sources like my friends Do you consume coconut oil and regularly check cholesterol levels, and were they affected by this change?

Thank you in advance!

[lovely4deb]

I am very fond of Atkins Bars that contain coconut.
About two years ago, I had a blood test that showed high cholesterol.
My Doctor wanted me to take medicine for HC.
I refused, pointing out my healthy diet & lifestyle.
When I mentioned the coconut bars she stopped me right there.
She wanted me to stay off coconut for 1 week and re-take the blood test.

I did so.
The results were normal.
I eat those bars very sparingly and I don't take HC medicine

[KarenH]

I was taking one tablespoon daily and when my cholesterol was checked, it had increased by 50 points!! From a normal 194 to 244. I knew it could increase my numbers but never imagined it would increase that much. My LDL number also increased.

[bubbles76]

This is fascinating stuff to me. I didn't know that coconut oil could increase ones cholesterol. It's a good thing I don't care for the stuff, but it lets me know I should carefully check the other foods I eat. I eat pretty healthy, but some seemingly healthy stuff could affect one in not so great ways.

[Pat58]

This is so confusing. All the health gurus are advocating coconut oil.

Query: was it extra virgin coconut oil, the expensive kind from a health food store, that caused the raised cholesterol levels?

[cristinalatina]

Oh wow I'm impressed by the responses so far, and appreciate them very much! There is so much enthusiasm over coconut oil lately, and I have read other anecdotal stories from people getting very high cholesterol readings from consuming it. However, Tosca Reno and other fitness professionals say they eat it by the tablespoon!!!Thanks so much for the great replies!

[Joni O]

From everything I've read and nutrition classes I've taken lately, cholesterol has nothing to do eating fat - it's sugar and carbs that cause diabetes and high cholesterol. I think this is really a controversial topic. It's almost like discussing diet. Eek!

[Clare*]

Yes, I would say this is something to be discussed with your family doctor.

[Terry]

I had the opposite effect on a 4-month experiment. I improved my cholesterol profile and my thyroid by taking 2 tbls Virgin CO per day. My doc took the cholesterol med suggestion off the table (I wasn't going to take them anyway, but that's another story.)

I read a study where Virgin CO with no processing was compared to CO processed to remove the flavor. The study also looked at thyroid problems and the effects of CO.

The flavor-removed CO was advertised as being done cold-press or something as if that made it a good thing, but the results showed:

• a significant improvement in Virgin CO consumers who were having thyroid issues
• no effect in Virgin CO consumers who did not have thyroid issues
• a slight negative effect in consumers who were taking the flavor-removed CO

Like everything, your cholesterol profile and how it reacts to what you eat, how you exercise, rest, stress, etc. has a genetic background. If you do a 4-month trial like I did, you might get significantly good results, significantly bad results, or no significant results.

[Debbie S.]

Originally Posted by Pat58

This is so confusing. All the health gurus are advocating coconut oil.

Query: was it extra virgin coconut oil, the expensive kind from a health food store, that caused the raised cholesterol levels?

I'd like to know also.

Extra Virgin Coconut oil is supposed to have a lot of health benefits, including reducing cholesterol. It is considered good fats also known as “essential fatty acids” (EFAs).

I have been using extra virgin coconut oil for years and I have never had any problems with my numbers, which is great, because I do have a family history of high cholesterol.

I did some research on my ancestors on my mother's side (Hawaiian), and it was really interesting to read that coconut oil played an important role in their diets.