Intro

This week we are going to focus on the weight loss characteristics of coconut oil to start off the New Year. Our first blog entry this week deals with the science behind this weight loss aspect of coconut oil, which is the length of the fatty acid chains in coconut oil. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Weight Loss and Medium Chain Fatty Acids in Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is unique in nature because they contain medium chain fatty acids (or triglycerides – MCTs for short) that are also found in human breast milk, with volumes of research showing that it leads to greater metabolism and weight loss. Researchers now know that weight loss associated with coconut oil is related to the length of these fatty acid chains contained in coconut oil. These medium chain fatty acids are different from the common longer chain fatty acids found in other plant-based oils. Most vegetable oils (soybean oil, corn oil, etc.) are composed of longer chain fatty acids, or triglycerides (LCTs). LCTs are typically stored in the body as fat, while MCTs are burned for energy. MCTs burn up quickly in the body.

Coconut oil is nature’s richest source of MCTs that increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCTs promote what is called thermogenesis. Thermogenesis increases the body’s metabolism, producing energy. Researchers in Japan have found that when you consume a food rich in MCTs such as coconut oil, the MCTs are absorbed and transported directly into the liver via the portal vein. They are metabolized rapidly by beta-oxidation, and they increase diet-induced thermogenesis.¹ People in the animal feed business have known this truth for quite some time. If you feed animals vegetable oils, they put on weight and produce more fatty meat. If you feed them coconut oil, they will be very lean.

Another benefit of coconut consumption is it helps me control my blood sugar levels. Have you ever eaten any carb intensive food and had a sugar crash? Try eating some coconut oil along with the carb and it may prevent the sugar crash or at least mitigate them. I try to keep my blood sugar level steady all day and so have a nice level energy all day, and not ups and downs all day long. I use to always be a little chubby. (wonder why?) Eating coconut does help control the chubbiness. So the direct health benefits that I have experienced from coconut oil consumption is: increased thyroid function and the blessings that brings; eliminate yeast infections; and, it also helps me control blood sugar levels. I am sure the increased thyroid function and controlling the blood sugar accounts for not being chubby anymore and the stuff tastes good in food. – Phyllis (Coconut Diet Forums)

Scientific Studies on the Weight-Loss Effects of Coconut Oil’s MCTs

There are many studies proving this concept of thermogenesis and MCTs in the scientific literature. In 1989 a study was done in the Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University, at Nashville TN. Ten male volunteers (ages 22 to 44) were overfed (150% of estimated energy requirement) liquid formula diets containing 40% of fat as either MCT or LCT. Each patient was studied for one week on each diet in a double-blind, crossover design. The results: “Our results demonstrate that excess dietary energy as MCT stimulates thermogenesis to a greater degree than does excess energy as LCT. This increased energy expenditure, most likely due to lipogenesis in the liver, provides evidence that excess energy derived from MCT is stored with a lesser efficiency than is excess energy derived from dietary LCT.”²

In another study conducted at the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada, the effects of diets rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) or long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) on body composition, energy expenditure, substrate oxidation, subjective appetite, and ad libitum energy intake in overweight men was studied. Twenty-four healthy, overweight men with body mass indexes between 25 and 31 kg/m(2) consumed diets rich in MCT or LCT for 28 days each in a crossover randomized controlled trial. Their conclusion: “Consumption of a diet rich in MCTs results in greater loss of AT compared with LCTs, perhaps due to increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation observed with MCT intake. Thus, MCTs may be considered as agents that aid in the prevention of obesity or potentially stimulate weight loss.”³

Scientific studies have reported that the fatty acids from MCTs in coconut oil are not easily converted into stored triglycerides, and that MCTs cannot be readily used by the body to make larger fat molecules. One animal feeding study evaluated body weight and fat storage for three different diets–low-fat diet, high-fat diet containing long-chain triglycerides (LCTs), and a high-fat diet containing MCTs. All animals were fed the selected diets for a period of 44 days. At the end of that time, the low-fat diet group had stored an average of 0.47 grams of fat per day; the LCT group stored 0.48 grams/day, while the MCT group deposited only 0.19 grams of fat per day, a 60% reduction in the amount of fat stored. The authors conclude that “the change from a low-fat diet to a MCT-diet is attended by a decrease in the body weight gain.”⁴

This study points out two important facts: First, when MCTs are substituted for LCTs in the diet, the body is much less inclined to store fat. Second, when we eat sensibly, a diet containing MCTs is more effective than a low-fat diet at decreasing stored fat.

In a human study, researchers compared the metabolic effects of 400-calorie meals of MCTs and LCTs by measuring metabolic rates prior to and six hours following the test meals. The results showed that the MCT-containing meals caused an average 12 percent increase in basal metabolic rate as compared with a 4 percent increase with the LCT-containing meal. The authors concluded that replacing dietary fats with MCTs could “over long periods of time produce weight loss even in the absence of reduced [caloric] intake.”⁵

Coconut oil is nature’s richest source of MCTs. Not only do MCTs raise the body’s metabolism leading to weight loss, but they have special health-giving properties as well. The most predominant MCT in coconut oil, for example, is lauric acid. Lipid researcher Dr. Jon Kabara states “Never before in the history of man is it so important to emphasize the value of Lauric Oils. The medium-chain fats in coconut oil are similar to fats in mother’s milk and have similar nutriceutical effects. These health effects were recognized centuries ago in Ayurvedic medicine. Modern research has now found a common link between these two natural health products—-their fat or lipid content. The medium chain fatty acids and monoglycerides found primarily in coconut oil and mother’s milk have miraculous healing power.”⁶ Outside of a human mother’s breast milk, coconut oil is nature’s most abundant source of lauric acid and medium chain fatty acids.

I’ve been over 100lbs overweight for 5 years. I struggled with ear and sinus infections, headaches, fatigue, high blood pressure (never been diagnosed). Everything in life seemed like work. I was miserable emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Well I’ve been consuming about 3-5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day and I feel amazing! I get a slight cold, but never get the secondary infection and beat the fever in 24 hours! I sleep better and wake up with a smile on my face. I’m more flexible. And I feel more at peace with my body. My spiritual life has improved and I am ready to pursue my dream of being a Christian Counselor. This has marked a pivotal change in my entire life including my marriage. This may sound silly. But I gained weight subconsciously because I didn’t want to be noticed by men. And by eating better I have allowed myself to be freed from this bondage. I don’t know how much I’ve lost, and choose not to watch the scales. But my clothes fit better, my muscles are stronger and people have noticed the loss. And now, with coconut oil, I actually have hunger pains. Our society is so focused on lowering the appetite, but a healthy appetite is good! I’m now satisfied with less food and not bound by sugar imbalance hunger. Bridgette (Coconut Diet Forums)

Over the past 18 months I’ve lost 107 pounds, going from 316 to 209 and from 52 to 36 pants (19 pounds to go). I lost the weight following a low carb, no sugar or grain, high saturated fat and high protein diet and eliminating ALL soy products and ALL polyunsatured vegetable oils. I used about 2 or 3T of Virgin Coconut Oil daily. Chuck (Coconut Diet Forums)

Advice

Look at weight loss as a life-style and diet change, not as a one-time or part-time strategy. One of the easiest things you can do is replace polyunsaturated oils (primarily soy and corn) in your diet that contain LCTs with Coconut Oil which contains the better MCTs. Beware of labels that simply say “vegetable oil.” Here in the US that will almost always mean soybean or corn oil.

References

1. Aoyama T, Nosaka N, Kasai M., “Research on the nutritional characteristics of medium-chain fatty acids.” J Med Invest. 2007 Aug;54(3-4):385-8.

2. Hill JO, Peters JC, Yang D, Sharp T, Kaler M, Abumrad NN, Greene HL “Thermogenesis in humans during overfeeding with medium-chain triglycerides.” Metabolism. July.1989;38(7):641-8.

3. St-Onge MP, Ross R, Parsons WD, Jones PJ “Medium-chain triglycerides increase energy expenditure and decrease adiposity in overweight men.” Obes Res. 2003 Mar;11(3):395-402.

4. G. Crozier, B. Bois-Joyeux, M Chanex, et. al. “Overfeeding with medium-chain triglycerides in the rat.” Metabolism 1987;36:807-814.

5. T. B. Seaton, S. L. Welles, M. K. Warenko, et al. “Thermic effects of medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides in man.” Am J Clin Nutr, 1986;44:630-634.

6. J. J. Kabara “Health Oils From the Tree of Life” (Nutritional and Health Aspects of Coconut Oil). Indian Coconut Journal 2000;31(8):2-8.