We need healthy fats for our brains to function properly, which coconut oil abundantly provides. (1) Lack of proper brain nutrition can lead to depression, mood swings, and neurological decline and disease.
Mood and feelings of well-being have both psychological and physiological factors. Basically, a healthy brain is necessary for emotional and mental health.
A study published in the journal of Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine explored the anti-stress and antioxidant effects of virgin coconut oil. Here’s what the researchers found:
“…mice treated with VCO [virgin coconut oil] were found to exhibit higher levels of brain antioxidants, lower levels of brain 5-hydroxytryptamine and reduced weight of the adrenal glands. Consequently, the serum cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose and corticosterone levels were also lower in VCO-treated mice. These results suggest the potential value of VCO as an antistress functional oil… the present study demonstrated the potential of VCO in preventing exercise- and chronic cold restraint stress-induced damage and restoring the antioxidant balance. This promising antistress activity may be attributed to the polyphenols and medium-chain fatty acids present in VCO.” (2)
The adrenal glands produce (among other things) the stress hormone cortisol. The study’s finding of reduced weight of these glands in stress-induced mice indicates they were producing less cortisol—the initiator of freeze, fight, or flight. Lowered blood cholesterol and sugar levels were another positive result.
Diazepam is the generic name of Valium; it’s used to treat anxiety by causing a tranquilizing effect. Diazepam acts by increasing the production of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutryric acid) in the brain, which inhibits cortisol. You therefore get a rush of relaxing hormones and stress hormones are blocked.
The list of harmful side effects of this drug is quite long but perhaps the most critical danger is that it’s highly addictive: (3)
- drowsiness
- fatigue
- ataxia (loss of balance)
- paradoxical reactions with excitability (but it’s supposed to TREAT this!)
- muscle spasm
- lack of sleep
- rage (and this!)
- confusion
- depression (AND this!)
- speech problems
- double vision
- many drug interactions
- fetal abnormalities when taken during pregnancy; it’s also passed through milk to breast-feeding infants
- hallucination
- rash
- difficulty breathing
- dizziness
- yellowing of eyes and skin
- vomiting
- and others—you get the idea
Discontinuing use of diazepam causes its own set of physical responses to withdrawal:
- confusion and cognitive difficulty
- digestive problems
- insomnia
- headaches
- irritability
- muscular pain
- nausea
- vomiting
- light-headedness
- hand tremors
- sweating
- anxiety
- paranoia
- fatigue
- heart palpitations
- seizures
- etc.
There are no known withdrawal symptoms of coconut oil, however, there are just as many side effects to taking one to two tablespoons of it every day:
- Improved digestion
- Increased testosterone levels in men
- Elevated metabolism, with implications for weight loss
- Supports cardiovascular health (4)
- Kills colon cancer
- Improved thyroid function
- Kills harmful bacteria and viruses
- Supports immune system
- Inhibits formation of ulcers
- Inhibits loss of bone density from osteoporosis (5)
- Inhibits development of prostate cancer (6)
- Reverses effects of Parkinson’s disease
- Kills yeast overgrowth (e.g., candida albicans)
- And more—you get the idea
There are two kinds of coconut oil: virgin and refined.
Click here for a guide to help you decide which you prefer. In either case, it should be virgin and cold-pressed (not hydrogenated, which turns it into a trans [bad] fat). Coconut oil is one of the foods that doesn’t have to be labelled organic to be safe to consume; there are currently no genetically-modified coconuts and, because they grow so high off the ground, they don’t need to be sprayed with insecticide or herbicide. (7)
Quick reference buying guide:
