How ‘bout them coconuts? The apparent health benefits of coconut oil

Many households across the Middle East, and indeed the world, use cooking oils based on the canola, corn and soybean plants. We are told they are the healthy option, but is that really the case?

There is one oil that seems to have slipped through the clutches of health craze fads unnoticed: Coconut oil.

Despite it being a rich source of saturated fat, it can be good for you. However, it is advised that intake should be limited due to its saturated fat content.

Although research is ongoing, read on for the apparent benefits of adding this oil to your diet.

Weight loss

Coconut oil increases your metabolic rate by supporting your thyroid gland. It does that by increasing the rate at which the cells in your body work. Therefore, healthier thyroid hormones increase the rate at which calories are burned in your body.

Illness prevention

Coconut oil has many antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial factors that work to keep infection under control.

Antioxidant

Coconut oil can act as an antioxidant, protecting the cells in your body from free radical damage. Free radicals can be formed through over-use of oils such as soy oil and corn oil.

Diabetes and Dementia Relief

Coconut oil contains special fats called ketones that can be burned in the place of sugar in the cell. Diabetics and elderly have troubling utilizing sugar in the cell, so the use of ketones from coconut oil could improve their cell function, according to scientific research.