Coconut Oil Promotes Weight Loss
It seems a bit counter-intuitive that fat could actually help encourage reduction in bodyfat. However, it is, in fact,, coconut oil encourages weight loss and I’d like to, if you’ll give me a moment, walk you through it. Let’s start by going over some of the basics that you very well may have learned in college biochemistry, if you took it, but may have otherwise forgotten. are composed of hydrophobic groups known as fatty acids. There are really two different ways to characterize fatty acids. The first method is based on saturation, and is probably the one, if any, you may be most familiar with. Most of you are acquainted with saturated or unsaturated fats and oils. The second way to define a lipid is based on relative size (length) of the fatty acid chain. There are short chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long chain fatty acids (LCFA). SCFA (short chain fatty acids) contain less than six carbon atoms, medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) have between 6 to 12, and long chain fatty acids (LCFA) have fourteen or more carbon groups. The reason fats are classified based length of their carbon backbone is because the size of the carbon chain affects the chemical and physical properties of the lipid.
Most of the fats and oils that you eat come from either animal or plant sources, all of which are composed of long chain fatty acids (LCFA). In fact, probably more than 98% of the dietary fat that humans ingest consists of LCFA. The oil taken from coconuts is really unique because it is mostly composed of MCFA (medium chain fatty acids), with lauric acid making up approximately 47 percent of coconut oil. Here is where it gets important: medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) are metabolized very differently from long chain fatty acids (LCFA). First, I’ll explain how most dietary fats consisting of long chain fatty acids are metabolized and digested. Then I’ll inform you how medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) existing in coconut oil are metabolized and digested, pointing out the differences and the major significances.
LCFA (long chain fatty acids) found in animal and plant fats are not easily absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract and need pancreatic enzymes and bile salts to break them down so that they can be taken up by the intestine. Next, the LCFA (long chain fatty acids) are packaged into chylomicrons, which are a type of protein known as lipoproteins that transport fats throughout your body. The lipoproteins are transported through the lymphatic system then circulate through the bloodstream, where they deliver fat components to a wide variety of tissues, including adipose, cardiac and skeletal tissue. After the chylomicrons have uploaded their triglyceride components to these tissues, the left over lipoproteins move to the liver, where they are imported into the mitochondria of liver cells, using the CPT (carnitinte palmitoyl transferase) machinery, and are finally oxidized for energy uses (Life Sciences 62 (14): 1203-1215). This is how all saturated fat, unsaturated fats, and cholesterol is made up of long chain fatty acids (almost all of your dietary fat) is transported throughout your body.
In contrast, medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil are absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract with ease, they do not require any pancreatic enzymes to break them down, which means less work for your pancreas. Next, medium chain fatty acids are transported to the portal blood stream, directly to the liver, where they go directly into mitochondria without the use of the carnitine palmitoyl transferase, and are immediately oxidized for energy. MCFA (medium chain fatty acids) from coconut oil do not get packaged into lipoproteins, and do not get transported to a variety of tissues and are not stored as body fat, they go directly to the liver and are metabolized for energy (Life Sciences 62 (14): 1203-1215). The bottom line is that medium chain fatty acids from coconut oil produces energy to the exclusion of all else, whereas, LCFA (long chain fatty acids) found in all other dietary fats produce some energy, but mostly body fat.
Because the medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) found in coconut oil are rapidly and indiscriminately transported into the mitochondria, unlike long chain fatty acids (LCFA), they’re immediately used for energy, resulting in a burst of energy and thermogenesis, which, subsequently, increases the rate of metabolism. Several clinical and animal studies have shown that ingestion of coconut oil increases metabolism and reduces body fat both in studies done on humans, and animals. Rats that were fed a diet consisting of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) had reduced subcutaneous fat, a visibly evident decrease in overall body fat, increased metabolism and increased thermogenesis (Lipids 22 (6): 442-444). The burst of energy that is produced by medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) is also important for athletic endurance. In one specific study, Researchers tested the physical endurance of mice that ingested medium chain fatty acids vs. those fed a diet consisting primarily in LCFA (long chain fatty acids) for six weeks. The animals were tested with a swimming endurance test, where they were forced to swim, every other day. The mice that were fed medium chain fatty acids consistently performed better than the others and showed an increased physical endurance (Journal of Nutrition 125 (3):531-9). These scientific studies in animals provide us with evidence that medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) increase metabolism and promote the reduction in body fat while providing a surge of energy that increases physical endurance, in a manner that doesn’t make you fat. Yes, this surge in energy means you feel less lethargic, and can help you feel less tired as you perform daily activities.
Innumerable studies have shown that coconut oil clearly has an effect in men and women very analogous to what has been shown in other studies involving animal models: it increases metabolism and decreases overall body fat. For example, healthy men and women were administered either medium chains fats or long chain fats in addition to a diet similar in protein, carbohydrate, and fat content for twelve weeks. Throughout the 12 weeks, individuals that took medium chain fatty acids had significantly less body weight and, specifically, body fat (The Journal of Nutrition 131 (11): 2853-2859). Scientific studies have also shown that ingestion of medium chain fatty acids also increase the oxidation of LCFA that are already in your body, tucked away in your lovehandles (International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders: Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 24 (9): 1158-1166). Similar to the scientific animal studies, medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) also boost production of energy by increasing thermogenesis, which increases the metabolic rate in humans as well (Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental 38 (7): 641-648). In another study, people with high blood triglyceride levels were given MCFA (medium chain fatty acids) for 8 weeks. In addition to decreasing overall body fat, their triglyceride levels were lowered by 14.5% (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 63 (7): 879-886).
So just a quick refresher for those of you that lost focus: Coconut oil, a source of medium chain fatty acids, is metabolized by a different process than long chain fatty acids altogether, this process speeds up its use as energy instead of storing it away as fat. Because the body has to preferentially burn the fat off, it ramps up the metabolism by increasing thermogenesis. This ramping up of the metabolism then proceeds to not only burn off coconut oil, but long chain fatty acids pre-existing the consumption of coconut oil as well. These effects have been demonstrated both in animal studies, and more importantly, human studies as well.
To reap the medium chain fatty acids benefits you simply need to change the type of oil you ordinarily cook with to coconut oil.
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