#31 Coconut Oil

Guts and Girl Bits

Are you a little confused about whether coconut oil is actually good for you or not? I don’t blame you, there’s so much conflicting information about there, some information says it’s bad for you and some says that it’s the magic cure for weight loss and brain issues, among other things. Well you don’t have to be confused anymore. I have done the hard work for you and sifted through papers and papers of research on coconut oil to bring you a balanced perspective. I get my nerd on discuss the available research in relation to every claim that’s been made about coconut oil that I can think of. I also get even deeper into my nerd form and talk about the composition of coconut oil, the different types of fatty acids it contains and what these do. Podcast Breakdown 0:00 Intro 2:12 How research on coconut oil can be confusing as the type of coconut oil makes a big difference, and how research on nutrition has a few issues we need to take into consideration when applying the information to our lives. 3:50 Traditional Use of Coconut Oil 6:22 About Virgin Coconut Oil 7:00 Copra (copha) vs. virgin coconut oil 7:31 Saturated Fat, medium chain triglycerides, short chain triglycerides and the breakdown of coconut oil 9:00 Can coconut oil help you to lose weight? 10:00 Can we extrapolate the benefits of MCT (medium chain triglycerides) onto coconut oil? 10:50 How does our body use MCT different to LCT? Plus more on MCT and body composition. 14:50 Coconut oil makes you feel fuller 15:30 Antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties of coconut oil 16:54 Coconut oil protects again antibiotic damage to the liver 17:20 Coconut oil for head lice treatment 17:47 Coconut oil for hair health 18:17 Coconut oil can help heal wounds 18:35 Oil pulling - how coconut oil can help your teeth and gums 19:47 Coconut oil for brain health, what research is available for its use in Alzheimer's disease 22:32 Can coconut oil help underactive thyroid (hypothyroid). 23:35 Can coconut oil endanger your heart 24:21 Is coconut oil a cure-all for thyroid function 25:02 Coconut oil and heart health: danger or not? How does it affect cholesterol? 26:00 Cholesterol is evil vs. Cholesterol isn't the enemy 28:37 Let's go back in time to when coconut oil actually was bad for you. 29:28 Virgin coconut oil but not copra is good for the heart 30:30 How to get the best out of coconut oil for weight and heart health 31:30 The dark side of coconut oil, and how to reduce the negative impact of coconut oil 32:20 Allergies and coconut oil 33:00 The environment impact of coconut oil, food miles and sustainability 34:00 Summing up, do I recommend using coconut oil as a supplement, as a cooking oil, topically or for oil pulling?