The Science Behind Dietary Fat
Your body needs good fats to repair damaged cells, promote nutrient absorption, improve neural communication, and (particularly medium-chain fats like coconut oil) protect the brain from degenerative disease.
Coconut oil contains no cholesterol in itself and has numerous benefits in addition to nourishment:
A five-year study of the effect to the heart of replacing saturated fat with mono- and polyunsaturated fats in 9,423 people was “lost” by the medical establishment and resurrected in 2016.
The study found:
“The traditional diet-heart hypothesis predicts that the serum cholesterol lowering effects of replacing saturated fat with vegetable oil rich in linoleic acid will diminish deposition of cholesterol in the arterial wall, slow progression of atherosclerosis, reduce coronary heart disease events, and improve survival. This diet-heart paradigm is supported by evidence from randomized controlled trials showing that replacement of saturated fat with linoleic acid lowers serum total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein and by observational evidence linking serum cholesterol to coronary heart disease events and deaths…Available evidence from randomized controlled trials shows that replacement of saturated fat with linoleic acid effectively lowers serum cholesterol but does not support the hypothesis that this translates to a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease or all causes. MCE [Minnesota Coronary Experiment] findings add to growing evidence that incomplete publication has contributed to overestimation of benefits, and underestimation of potential risks, of replacing saturated fat with vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid.” (5)
The Studies Speak for Themselves
A Norwegian study found that saturated fats are not associated with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, or type 2 diabetes. (6) Another study found no correlation between eating animal fats and a higher incidence of heart disease or death; it did find a correlation between eating vegetable oils instead—for all causes of mortality. (7)
Using soy oil as an unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat resulted in lower cholesterol but no significant difference in any heart health indicators in another study. (8)
Lastly, a 2010 meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition unequivocally concluded:
“there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD [coronary heart disease] or CVD [cardiovascular disease]. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat.” (9)
AHA’s recent statements, therefore, contradict these significant findings.