Benefits of Coconut Oil
The
health benefits of coconut oil are many and varied and in this article we will try to list most of them. Coconut oil is beneficial to skin care, aids in stress relief, helps the body maintain proper cholesterol levels, contributes to good hair care, assists in weight loss, boosts the immune system, speeds along digestion and increases the efficiency of the metabolism. It can also be used to grant relief from kidney problems, lower blood pressure, and strengthen bones. These health benefits gained from coconut oil are attributed to the presence of
lauric acid in coconuts, as well as
caprylic and capric acid. These acids have many beneficial properties from the antioxidant, to the antimicrobial.
How Does Lauric Acid Benefit The Body?
Your body converts the lauric acid present in coconut oil into the compound known as
monolaurin. This compound has been shown to be effective in treating the symptoms of infections like the flu and cyto-megaloviruses. Monolaurin can also combat other malicious bacteria in the body like listeria monocytogenes and giardia lamblia. Thanks to the infection-fighting properties of coconut oil, it is a staple of the traditional Indian healing system known as Ayurveda.
What Is The Composition Of Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil is comprised of both
saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The saturated fatty acids are primarily composed of medium chain triglycerides. These triglicerides are easily absorbed by the body. Lauric acid makes up the majority of medium chain triglycerides, along with myristic, palmitic, caprylic and capric acids. Coconut oil is also rich in poly-phenols like phenolic acid. What the poly-phenols contribute to are not just the soothing effects of the coconut but also the taste and scent of coconut oil.
Virgin coconut oil in particular is dense with these poly-phenols, leading to a smoother taste. Coconut oil also contains ethanolamide, polysorbates, and is a treasure trove of nutrients like vitamins K and E. It is also particularly rich in Iron.
Coconut Oil And Hair
Coconut oil is a wonderful
hair care product. In fact, it is one of the best nutritive products for hair, period. It can give your hair a full, rich luster. Regularly massaging your scalp with coconut oil will make sure that it is free of lice and dandruff even if your scalp is naturally dry. Coconut oil also works as an excellent conditioner and works to aid the repair of damaged hair follicles, in essence nourishing hair that has been damaged through bleaching or excessive drying.
Stress Relief
Coconut oil is also employed is a natural way to help relieve stress. The scent and texture is said to be soothing, and applying some coconut oil to the forehead after some gentle massage will help remove mental stress and reduce fatigue.
Coconut Oil As A Skin Care Product
Coconut oil is a great skin care product as well. It happens to be an excellent massage oil. The essential oils of the coconut act as a moisturizer that work on every type of skin. The benefits of applied coconut oil to the skin is even better than those of mineral oils. This is because when using coconut oil there is no chance of side effects occurring on the skin, unlike what can happen with mineral oil. Coconut oil also delays wrinkling and sagging of skin which normally becomes more prominent with age. It has been used in the treatment of
skin conditions like dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and other infections of the skin. It can also aid in preventing or reducing the cosmetic signs of premature aging because it is rich in antioxidants.
Coconut Oil Benefits For Your Heart
There is a widespread misconception that just because coconut oil is high in saturated fats, it is also unhealthy for the heart. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, it is a very heart-healthy oil. The lauric acid in coconut oil helps prevent heart problems like
high level of cholesterol and
reduces high blood pressure. The saturated fats that are present in coconut oil are not harmful because the saturated fats as present in coconut oil do not increase LDL cholesterol levels. Coconut oils will also reduce the incidence of arterial damage which in turn will help prevent atherosclerosis.
Using Coconut Oil In Weight Loss
Coconut oil is extremely useful in
weight loss
programs. The reason it is so effective is because coconut oil is high in medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids that can help you reduce your extra weight. Coconut oil is also easy on the digestive system. It further aids in weight loss by contributing to efficient functioning of the thyroid. Coconut oil also makes your body's metabolism work better by helping your whole body burn more energy. This helps everyone from obese to the slightly overweight people with weight loss. This is the reason that populations that live in tropical or coastal places and consume coconut oil every day or use it as the main cooking oil are rarely ever obese.
How To Use Coconut Oil?
Internal use of coconut oil occurs for the most part as oil for cooking. Coconut oil helps your body digest food better and aids in preventing digestion-related maladies like irritable bowel syndrome. This is because the many different types of saturated fats that are present in coconut oil contain antimicrobial properties that help fight bacteria that cause indigestion. Another compelling reason to cook with coconut oil is because it will make your food healthier by assisting the body with absorption of other nutrients and vitamins.
Benefits Of Coconut Oil For Your Immune System
Coconut oil is also a powerful booster of the immune system. It works to strengthen the body's entire immune system because it has antimicrobial lipids. In particular the presence of high concentrations of lauric acid, gives coconut oil its antibacterial properties. When topically applied to infections, coconut oil will form an extra layer that will protect the infection from threats like external dust, airborne dirt, fungi spores, and ambient harmful bacteria.
Coconut oil is most effectively used to treat bruises as it will significantly speed up your body's repair of damaged tissues. It has also been shown to effectively kill the bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections of the urinary tract, gonorrhea, and pneumonia. It has been demonstrated to be very effective in the treatment of athlete's foot, heat rash, and diaper rash.
Fatty Liver And Kidney Stones Problems
Coconut oil also helps prevent
fatty liver. The medium-chain and short-chain triglycerides and fatty acids present in the oil are converted into energy when they reach the liver. This, in turn, reduces the work load placed on the liver, and also prevents the mass accumulation of fat on the liver. Consuming coconut oil on a regular basis can also prevent the formation of
kidney stones. In fact, according to the National Coconut Council, coconut oil even helps dissolve existing kidney stones.
Is Coconut Oil Good For Diabetics?
Coconut oil is a great addition to any diabetic person's diet, as the compounds in the oil will help a diabetic control their blood sugar by improving the body's secretion and production of insulin. It also makes the body use blood glucose more efficiently.
Osteoporosis And Bone Structure
If you want to have healthy and well-developed bone structure, you should seriously consider added coconut oil to your diet. As mentioned earlier in this article, coconut oil improves the overall ability of your body to absorb minerals. These minerals include vital ones like calcium and magnesium, both of which are essential for the healthy development of bones. For this reason, coconut oil is also very useful for women who have a family history of osteoporosis occurring after middle age.
Dental Health
In fact, boosting the body's absorption of calcium is also one way that coconut oil consumption can contribute to proper dental health. This is because calcium is an important mineral that is present in your teeth. Since the composition of coconut oil increases the absorption of calcium into your body, it contributes to stronger teeth and helps halt tooth decay.
Benefits Of Coconut Oil For Athletes
Finally, coconut oil is often part of the daily diet of many active people such as athletes and body builders. Dieters also swear by the use of coconut oil, especially organic cooking oil. That's because coconut oil, ounce for ounce, contains fewer calories than other cooking oils. The fat content it does have is easily converted by the body into energy. On top of all the above listed benefits to your health, coconut oil will also help boost overall energy and physical endurance. This, in turn, enhances an athlete's performance.
18.08.2010. 01:27