Are Coconuts The Secret To Losing Weight?

coconut with half and piece isolated on white

Coconut oil has been gaining popularity in the health food world in recent years. As a naturally occurring oil, there are many benefits that it offers over other oils. To start, it contains 2.6% less calories than other popular cooking oils. It also helps increase your good cholesterol, gives you healthier skin and hair, and can better control your blood sugars. On top of these benefits, coconut oil naturally contains MCT oil, or medium chain triglyceride oil, which has been linked to weight loss.

MCT Oil and Ketosis

Many people have heard about the ketogenic diet for weight loss. This diet puts your body into a state of ketosis, which makes your body burn fat instead of glucose for energy. This fatty acid is turned into ketones, which are a different type of energy source your body can use. But, your body does not necessarily need to be in this metabolic state to get the benefits of ketones and see weight loss. MCT oil has been shown to have both energy enhancing and weight loss properties because it is a natural source of ketones.

Dr. Laurie Cullen, from the Women’s Institute, found that unlike their long-chain triglyceride counterparts, MCTs can go through the digestion process quicker which provides a faster energy source and keeps this fat from being stored as fat cells in the body. This faster digestion allows the oil to go straight to the liver where it creates much more ketones than if it was digested for longer. With these extra ketones in your body, you will have more energy and your body will not need as much energy from carbohydrates and glucose.

Is MCT Oil 100% Safe?

Like with many topics in the health world, there is debate over the effectiveness of MCT oil. Its use has been vastly studied in animals where it showed less weight gain and higher metabolism. Unfortunately, there has not yet been adequate studies in humans.

There have also been some side effects noted when people us MCT oil. People have reported many gastrointestinal problems, like diarrhea, gas, and bloating. Some have said that taking this oil with food can help decrease the chance of these symptoms. Also, people with diabetes should be careful taking MCT oils, as it is harder for their body to handle ketones as well. Lastly, there has not been adequate studies on MCT oil use for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Therefore, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should avoid the use of this oil.

Conclusion

Coconut oil has been shown to have vast health benefits, including a higher level of natural ketones because of its medium chain triglycerides. These additional ketones can provide natural energy for your body so it does not need extra carbohydrates and glucose, therefore allowing you to lose weight. But, like with many things, there are debates among doctors as well as some possible side effects associated with adding MCT oil to your diet. Overall, if taken in moderation, coconut oil could be the missing link to your weight loss plan!

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Cory Mason, Ph.D

Cory Mason received his Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Michigan where he focused on studying the endocrine system’s response to low carbohydrate diets. Never content just being a lab rat, Coey enjoys consulting for a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. After undergoing a recent health scare, Cory set out to revamp his diet and fitness regimen by adopted a ketogenic lifestyle in order to best take care of his health. Since then, he feels strongly about bridging the gap between scientists and consumers via his writing. He is a prolific writer who has been published in many newspapers, magazines and websites. It is important to him that consumers read and understand about current advances in science and learn how they can apply clinical studies to benefit their own health. Cory can usually be found with his nose in a book or cycling, in any weather, on his trusted mountain bike.

Different Types of Keto Diets

What all of these types of the keto diet have in common is their goal to get your body into the natural metabolic state of ketosis so you can burn fat, instead of carbs, for energy.

Standard ketogenic diet (SKD)

Consuming a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carb diet. The percentages of your daily diet should be about 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs.

High-protein ketogenic diet

Similar to the SKD, but with added protein. The ratio is about 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD)

Involves 5-6 days of the SKD followed by 1-2 days of refeeding days where the majority of calories come from carbohydrates.

Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD)

Eating carbohydrates around the times that you exercise. Meant for people who are regularly working out at a very high-intensity or for an extended period of time.