see the doctor to treat wounds or because of sicknesses common in the tropics, such as malaria, diarrhea, or dengue (a tropical disease caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes).
This picture of life in rural tropical communities is typical of those who grew up in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s (and before) eating traditional foods with an abundance of saturated fat from coconut oil. Sadly, this way of life is no longer the norm. Since the mid-1970s, demand for coconut oil dropped so low that coconut farmers could no longer afford to support their families on the income of coconut harvests. Many people left their farms and moved to the cities to find better employment and there adopted Western-style diets.
Cheaper, mass-produced foods have replaced most of the local traditional fare people raised themselves. Snack foods and other fast foods made with hydrogenated coconut oil, which keeps them solid at sweltering tropical temperatures, made their way onto store shelves. Polished rice grown with chemical fertilizers is now a staple. Soft drinks loaded with refined sugars and chemicals are found on nearly every street corner. They’ve replaced the natural “buko juice”—water from the inside of the coconuts—that earlier generations grew up drinking. Even the coconut water drinks, once natural and healthy, are now loaded with refined sugars. The traditional high-fat, low refined carbohydrate diet has been replaced with many refined, high-carb substitutes.
Decades ago it was very rare to see anyone who was considered overweight, and almost never did people see someone who was considered obese. Since traditional diets have changed in these countries and coconut oil has been exchanged for refined oils, weight problems and diseases are on the rise.
What’s been discovered through researching cultures that make coconut oil part of their daily diet and from research on the health benefits of coconut oil, is that by making this oil part of your daily diet, you can also experience the weight management and health benefits long enjoyed by people of the tropics. In the pages that follow, you will find a preponderance of research and supporting evidence as to why coconut oil is such a weight loss wonder.
Since entering menopause, my body really changed and I developed fat on my belly, the underside of my arms, my chin—all kinds of places that I never had fat before. I dieted and dieted. I always ate low-fat and low-calorie foods and never really lost any weight until I tried low-carb dieting with coconut oil. There are many low-carb diets but this is the only one that has worked for me. I eat all the fat [virgin coconut oil] I want and I don’t worry about it. I now have only ten pounds to go to be where I was in college. The virgin coconut oil has also been very good for my skin. I know that exercise and virgin coconut oil will help me get rid of the last ten pounds.
Laurel
The Weight Loss Secret
The weight loss secret is in the chain—the chain of molecules that make up the fat of coconut oil. These shorter chain fatty acids that dominate coconut oil are known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). They burn up quickly in the body. They’re a lot like adding kindling to a fire, rather than a big damp log. That’s the secret to coconut oil’s weight loss success!
Following rapid breakdown and absorption in the intestinal tract, MCTs are transported directly to the liver. There they freely enter the mitochondria (the energy-producing elements of the cell) and are rapidly converted to ketones, which are almost immediately converted into energy. On the other hand, long chain triglycerides (LCTs), which compose most other oils, are transported from the intestines as chylomicrons (relatively large fat droplets). They are eventually dumped into the bloodstream near the heart through the thoracic duct.1-3 These fat droplets must then be transported through the entire body before they reach the liver.
This difference in metabolism means that the body treats MCTs in a completely different manner than the way it deals with other fats. LCTs are slow to be metabolized in the body, and as a result, are more easily stored as fat. MCTs, on the other hand, are rapidly burned for energy, and are less likely to contribute to fat storage. If you consider your body’s metabolism to be like an oil furnace, eating LCTs is like adding oil to the storage tank, whereas consuming MCTs is like pumping fuel from the delivery truck right into the furnace. Less is stored; more is burned.
Because the LCT molecule is so large, the body cannot process it very efficiently; it prefers to simply store it in adipose tissue (fat cells). But MCTs can be rapidly converted into energy. Here’s how it works: the body removes the carbon atoms two at a time and transforms them into ketones, which are high-energy molecules that pass easily back into the bloodstream and are carried quickly to the cells. Once in the cells, they can be rapidly turned into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy molecules of the body. Eating MCTs could be likened to putting premium fuel in the gas tank of your car—it burns more efficiently.
Thermogenesis is the rate at which the body burns fuel for energy. A very unique quality of MCTs is their ability to increase the rate at which the body burns fat for fuel. This could account for the trim, healthy constitution of Pacific Islanders who eat a diet high in traditional fats that are primarily composed of MCTs.
One of the most popular epidemiological (population) studies was conducted in the South Pacific islands of Pukapuka and Tokelau near New Zealand. The studies began in the 1960s before either island was exposed to Western refined foods. These populations ate only natural foods, and coconut foods were the most prevalent, being consumed at each meal in one form or another.
While most people in Western countries get 30–40 percent of their calories from fat, these islanders averaged between 50 and 60 percent of their calories from fat, most of that being saturated fat from coconuts. The overall health of both groups of islanders was extremely good compared to Western standards. There were no signs of kidney disease or hypothyroidism that might influence fat levels. There was no hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol) either. All inhabitants were lean and healthy despite a very high saturated-fat diet. In fact, the populations as a whole had ideal weight-to-height ratios as compared to the Body Mass Index figures used by doctors and nutritionists. Digestive problems were rare. Constipation was uncommon; they averaged two or more bowel movements a day. Atherosclerosis, heart disease, colitis, colon cancer, hemorrhoids, ulcers, diverticulosis, and appendicitis are conditions with which they were unfamiliar.4
I have been using coconut oil for about six weeks and following a healthy diet with plenty of organic fruits, vegetables, and meat, and few manufactured foods. I eat only a small amount of carbs—some pasta or rice, but only one time a week, if that. No bread, only rye crisps. The only fats I use are olive oil and coconut oil. I have lost three inches off my hips and two inches off my upper arms so far. Hurrah! I am delighted; [it’s been] so easy eating great food. Everybody can see an increase in my energy and mobility level, which have been low since I was injured in a car accident some years ago. I don’t know the actual pounds [lost], but I’m not really hung up on that. A tape measure and my clothes [let me know how I’m doing.] I’m feeling GREAT!
Liz
Health Secrets of the Tropics
Not only do MCTs raise the body’s metabolism leading to weight loss, they promote health as well. The health secret of the tropics is the same as the weight loss secret—the fatty acids of coconut oil lead to healing and disease prevention. The incredible health properties of MCTs were researched and documented by Dr. Jon Kabara as far back as 1966.
The most predominant MCT in coconut oil is lauric acid. Lipid researcher, Dr. Jon Kabara says, “Never before in the history of man is it so important to emphasize the value of Lauric Oils. The medium-chain fats in coconut oil are similar to fats in mother’s milk and have similar nutriceutical [medical food] effects. It is the fat content that offers the health benefits. The medium chain fatty acids and monoglycerides found primarily in coconut oil and mother’s milk have miraculous healing power.”5 Outside of human breast milk, coconut oil is nature’s most abundant source of lauric acid and medium chain fatty acids. MCTs have been part of infant formulas and hospital formulas for many years.
Much of the research completed on coconut oil and lauric acid has centered around the anti-microbial and anti-viral