Is coconut oil healthy? According to the American Heart Association’s June 2017 report on saturated fats, the answer is no. But we happen to think they got it wrong.
The American Heart Association recommends that the average man limits daily saturated fat intake to 30 grams per day to reduce heart disease risk. The recommendation for the average woman is 20 grams per day. That equals out to about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil for men and 1.33 tablespoons for women.
The AHA reports that coconut oil increases LDL (bad) cholesterol and “has no known offsetting favorable effects.” For that reason, they advise against the use of coconut oil. While coconut oil can indeed raise LDL cholesterol levels, it can also raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels – a point they failed to mention.
Here’s Why They Got It Wrong
Studies have shown that adding extra-virgin coconut oil into your diet provides a healthy bump in HDL cholesterol levels. Coconut oil has even been shown to help heart disease patients lose excess body mass and shrink their waistlines, which are two major factors that can help protect your heart. So according to research, coconut oil actually has a positive role in preventing heart disease.
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