It is packed with saturated fat which can raise “bad” cholesterol, says the American Heart Association (AHA) in updated advice.
According to the report, coconut oil consumption is worse than having butter and other sources of saturated fats.
Saturated fat consumption has long been tied to the rising incident of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
Coconut oil consists of close to 80% of saturated fat, quite high when compared to other ingredients such as lard and butter.
Eating a diet high in saturated fat can raise the level of “bad” (LDL) cholesterol in the blood, which, in turn, may clog the arteries and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
According to the AHA, 82% of the fat in coconut oil is saturated. That’s more than in butter (63%), beef fat (50%) and pork lard (39%). And, like other saturated fats, studies show it can increase “bad” cholesterol.
Frank Sacks, the lead author of the report, said he has no idea why people think coconut oil is healthy. It’s almost 100% fat. Past weight loss studies might be responsible.
“Because coconut oil increases LDL cholesterol, a cause of CVD and has no known offsetting favorable effects, we advise against the use of coconut oil,” the American Heart Association said in the Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease Advisory.
The AHA recommends eating no more than 6% of saturated fat as part of total daily calories for those who need lower cholesterol.
The AHA says that replacing saturated fats found in coconut oil or butter with vegetable oils like corn or peanut can lower cardiovascular disease by about 30 percent. That’s almost the same amount as a cholesterol-lowering statin drug.
It would probably be very difficult to get your LDL into the healthy ranges if you are eating a lot of coconut oil.
For the health of your heart, lowering your LDL cholesterol is the single most important thing to do.