Organic Coconut Oil

What Are the Benefits of Coconut Oil Capsules?

Saturated fats used to be grouped together and condemned as bad for your health. But there are different types of saturated fats, and they’re not all the same. Coconut oil consists almost entirely of saturated fats, but it contains a type called medium-chain triglycerides that do not raise your cholesterol like other saturated fats do. This oil may, in fact, promote cardiovascular health, provide antioxidant benefits and help you lose weight. You can find coconut oil in the grocery store and use it for cooking, but for supplements it comes in capsule form.

Benefits of Medium-Chain Triglycerides

Coconut oil is one of the few major sources of medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs. About 60 percent of coconut oil consists of MCTs, primarily one called lauric acid. Even though they’re saturated fats, MCTs are metabolized more like carbohydrates, so they’re easily digested and used for energy. They’re prescribed for patients who need calories and can’t absorb fats. A review of existing studies found that MCTs produced inconsistent results when they were used for weight loss. The researchers concluded that more studies were needed to determine their effectiveness, according to a report in the scientific journal “Nutricion Hospitalaria” in January 2012.

Promote Heart Health

Coconut oil may promote cardiovascular health, but since most studies to date have used laboratory rats, more research is needed using human subjects. In one lab study, coconut oil prevented an increase in blood pressure and improved the health of blood vessels, reported researchers in the June 2013 issue of “Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.” Another study found that when rats consumed virgin coconut oil, their antioxidant levels went up, which prevented fats from breaking down, according to a study in “Food and Function” in September 2013. This may influence cardiovascular health because fats that break down and release cholesterol contribute to hardening of the arteries.

Promising for Weight Loss

Even though coconut oil may support your weight-loss efforts, studies have produced mixed results. For example, when overweight men and women took virgin coconut oil supplements without modifying their normal diets, men lost weight around their waist, but women didn’t, according to a study published in “ISRN Pharmacology” in March 2011. On the other hand, when two groups of women followed a low-calorie diet, the group taking coconut oil lost some abdominal fat, while women taking soybean oil didn’t see a difference, noted a July 2009 report in “Lipids.”

Tips and Recommendations

One capsule of coconut oil typically contains 1,000 milligrams, but the label states the amount of coconut oil and saturated fat you’ll get from one dose, which is often more than one capsule. The amount of saturated fat varies depending on the brand. Expect to get about 18 percent to 25 percent of the daily value for saturated fat per dose, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. About 40 percent of the saturated fats are the type that increase cholesterol. When you buy supplements, look for virgin coconut oil, which is extracted from fresh coconuts without using heat or chemicals. Virgin coconut oil retains more beneficial antioxidants than processed coconut oil.

10 Benefits of Coconut Oil

There is a growing body of evidence that coconut oil offers some health benefits, both internally and externally.

1. A Boost in Good Cholesterol

Coconut oil is said to modestly hike one’s level of good cholesterol.

2. Good for Blood Sugar and Diabetes

Coconut oil can aid in lowering obesity levels in the body and also battles insulin resistance – issues that often lead to type two diabetes.

3. Helps Fight Back Against Alzheimer’s Disease

The MCFA component in coconut oil – especially its generation of ketones by the liver – aids in mending brain function in Alzheimer patients.

4. Helps Stop Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure

Since coconut oil is so high in saturated fats, that helps boost HDL (or “good”) cholesterol to ward off heart disease and lowering high triglycerides. Additionally, coconut oil also performs a rather remarkable and heart-healthy feat – it helps turn bad cholesterol into good cholesterol.

5. Aids in Liver Health

Coconut oil also guards against any damage to the liver, and also aids in curing urinary tract infections.

6. Boosts Energy

Unrefined coconut oil also hikes energy and endurance, primarily by its MCFA’s shooting directly into the liver, which enables to be converted into energy.

7. Aids with Digestion

Another benefit of coconut oil – it helps with food digestion by aid the body take in fat-soluble components like vitamins and magnesium. It also eliminates toxic bacteria and candida, which fights poor digestion and stomach inflammation. That helps prevent stomach ulcers.

8. Acts as a Salve for Wounds and Burns

Coconut is good for the skin, especially in the treatment of wounds, burns, and dermatitis. It also acts as sunblock, and as a moisturizer for the skin, thanks to the two primary fatty acids in unrefined coconut oil, caprylic and lauric, and to its antioxidant component, which team up to reduce inflammation under the skin and promote better healing.

9. Acts as an Anti-aging Component

Rich with antioxidants, coconut oil is known to slow the aging process, generally by curbing any undue stress on the liver.

10. Helps With Weight Loss

Coconut oil also can help with weight loss, as it acts as a fat burner and a calorie burner, especially with doses of unrefined coconut oil. It also acts as an appetite suppressant. One study shows that the capric acid in coconut oil helps boost thyroid performance, which in turn reduces a body’s resting heart rate and aids in burning fat for an increased energy boost.