Coconut Oil Benefits, Side Effects and Reviews

A quick search on the net turned up some info about this product (Source Natural's Coconut Oil Softgels). The Titanium Dioxide (TD) is added to the product as well as gelative (presumably the capsule). TD is added to products for its optic whitening qualities. As that has to do with appearance, it makes no sense to use TD in a product meant for ingestion!

Pure coconut oil does not contain TD, and therefore does not carry the carcinogenic risk with it.

Check out swanson. They have bottles of organic coconut oil soft gels, (without the td), for 2.99 and its buy 1 get 1 free now. So for 2.99 you get 120 capsules then 4.99 s&h.I got 6 bottles and 2 bottles of ginger root and only pd 15 with s&h! I have been taking them for a month and my blood pressure has leveled out big time. it was 165/94 I am now at 136/76 as of 2 weeks ago.

I bought 3 containters of the Louana Coconut Oil and what a disappointment! I bought it at Publix and was so excited that it was on 6 dollars for each. I will promptly take it back tomorrow. I know Publix will take it back because that is the way they work. They had a different brand that was much smaller and I will look at it to see if it is organic and unrefined. I was so disappointed that this coconut oil did not even smell like coconuts and it is yellow, not white!!

I think you may have gotton a bad batch. I use LouAnna from walmart, it is white as it should be, it should not be yellow. I buy mine a little over $6 a jar. Smells faintly of coconut, I use it in baking and cooking and also use a big jar of organic coconut I keep on the counter.

Use less coconut oil.

All of us LOVE coconut oil and its benefits, my man, my cat, and my entire body!

My man noticed I changed my recipe for brownies by using coconut oil in place of the usual bottled, vegetable oil. He said they were moist, chewy, and delicious! He's the kinda guy that rarely says anything about a great meal, but I know after 15 years together, if he eats "it", he loves "it"! So, any form of a compliment means "it" gets a "5 star" rating.

My cat began enjoying coconut oil about 2 months ago when he began licking my hands after I applied the oil to moisturize my face and hands. I knew cats had been given coconut oil to remedy ailments but I knew my cat was not going to allow me to introduce anything to him. He's Top Cat and he decides! Now, gets his tablespoons full of coconut oil whenever he tells me. His coat is definitely sleeker and he seems more relaxed. I look forward to seeing more health benefits of his consumption of coconut oil "candy"!

My entire 55 year young, entire body, is showing signs of coconut oil benefits, too. I use to moisturize my face and hands after I use hydrogen peroxide as an astringent. I try to eat a tablespoonful of oil daily, and it is so satisfiying as it melts in my mouth. Yum!

Wow. This sounds SO good. I will be writing it down and trying it. Thanks! Carly (drooling) ;)

It is great for pancakes. Coconut oil will cook to a higher temperature without browning.

But isn't coconut oil bad for your health? I have a book about healthy oils and they say that conconut oil is highly saturated and that it is not sure yet whether it may harm your health.

Hi Francisca...Coconut oil is probably the best oil to use raw or for cooking -- even better than olive oil in my opinion. I took 1 X tbspn of coconut oil three times a day in my regimen that cured my Candida -- also helped me to loose over 20 lbs and I never even changed my diet much. I cook everything in extra virgin coconut oil now. I also use real butter, and absolutely no margarines or other chemically processed vegetable oils or sugar or sweetners are allowed in my diet at all.

Read the research about why coconut oil is so good for us here(no adverts) :

http://www.coconutoil.com/research.htm

Extracts from "Coconut Oil: Why It Is Good for You"

"In 1987 Lim-Sylianco published a 50-year literature review showing the anti-cancer effects of coconut oil. In chemically induced cancers of the colon and breast, coconut oil was by far more protective than unsaturated oils [or vegetable oils]. For example 32% of corn oil eaters got colon cancer whereas only 3% of coconut oil eaters got the cancer. Animals fed unsaturated oils[veg oils] had more tumors. This shows the thyroid-suppressive and hence, immuno-suppressive effect of unsaturated oils[read vegetable oils]. (Cohen et al. 1986)."

From "Thailand: Land of the Coconut"

"We hear a great deal these days about the presumed health benefits of Asian diets. China and Japan are presented as exemplars of "low-fat, high fiber, largely vegetarian" Oriental regimes. The foods of Thailand are often ignored in such discussions. The delicious, spicy cuisine of Siam is rich in saturated fat from coconut oil and lard, relatively low in fiber and features many and varied animal foods. Yet a comparison of autopsy reports on a group from Bangkok with a group from the US found that coronary occlusion or myocardial infarction was eight times more frequent in the US, diabetes was ten times more frequent and high blood pressure about four times more frequent.(4) Even more intriguing is the fact that Thailand has the lowest rates of cancer, for both men and women, of all the 50 countries studied by the World Health Organization.(3) Here is yet another paradox - Le Paradoxe Thailandais - that the "experts" would rather ignore than explain."

My own reasons for adopting my diet are simply historic. Before 1900, the only fats used within the Western diet were saturated fats like lard, tallow and butter, with a very small amount of monounsaturates like olive oil. This 1900 western diet was also enhanced by a much greater intake of salt(natural) by eating large quantities of salted fish and/or meat(or "jerky") because there were no refrigerators or freezers around to preserve these meats in 1900.

And even with this diet -- which by present day standards would be dismissed or defined as a "horrible and unhealthy" saturated fat and salty diet -- there was no Heart Disease, Cancer, Obesity, Altzheimers, Parkinson's, Diabetes, Arthritis etc. that exists in such epidemic proportions in the West today. Makes you wonder exactly how all that marvellous(sic) pro-vegetable oil research could have got it so wrong, doesn't it ?

In the Philippines, where I now live, I have observed that in the beautiful semi-provinces where I reside, most poor Filipino families make their own coconut oil for cooking by boiling or fermenting the coconut milk and living on a purely sticky rice diet that includes much caught fish as well as a considerable amount of dried, salted fish. And strangely, these poor people on this diet suffer no plague of 'western modern ailments' such as those I've defined above.

But also I've noticed in my treks into the larger and more modern Filipino towns and cities such as Manila or Cebu, I see and hear about the heart disease, the obeisity, diabetes, arthritis, Altzheimer's etc. The reason for this must be linked to the influx of MacDonald's, KFC, Burger King's and other fast food chains that always seem to spring up first in all the major towns and cities of poor developing countries. All that chemically processed food and fats from the fast food chains makes quite a difference in your diet or health and seems to have an entirely detrimental effect on the human body.

My diet hasn't got a fancy name. Just stay away from all processed food, avoid all veg oils, avoid canned goods, avoid sugar and sweeteners and you should become much healthier. And its not really a diet for me -- because a diet always implies that you will "come off the diet eventually". This has simply become a habit for life for me now.

Many thanks Bill but I am even more confused because just before I got to your answer I saw a post where someone says they had bad side effects from eating coconut oil so I went to the page where this post was posted and I found a lot of similar comments. I don't know what to believe now.... I do use it for my skin but I am afraid to use it internally. I am going to my homeopathic doctor tomorrow and I am going to ask his opinion. By the way, how did you take the oil? Mine is not liquid.... do you just spoon a bit out of the jar and take it? Thanks!

By the way, I have started to try the watch this feedback option but I thought that I would get further feedback on the post in my inbox. It didn't happen so far though... not even with this one!

Hi Francisca...I certainly understand your confusion regarding the internal use of coconut oil. If you have used VCO on your skin without problems then it's very likely you will have no allergy to coconut oil.

But if you have intestinal candida, then the likelihood is that when you start taking VCO you will feel worse before you feel better because of the fungal die-off or Herxheimer effect. I've been through this same Herx effect when I was getting rid of my candida, the symptoms are flu-like and you feel liverish because of the initial strain of the liver removing all the fungal toxins from your body. I simply persisted with the VCO, because I wanted the candida gone. Sure enough the Herx effect went after a while, but it still took about a full year to get rid of my candida(I was also using Ted's alkalizing protocols plus taking Blackstrap Molasses and liver/kidney support herbs as well).

I also suspect that some new users of VCO who perhaps may have had candida and didn't know it, have mistaken the Herx or fungal die-off effect for an allergic reaction, since both sets of symptoms seem very similar.

Coconut oil has also been used for years in baby foods, it contains lauric acid in similar amounts to human breast milk fats, which is a major ingredient that protects the baby and builds up the baby's immune system. Coconut oil is also regularly used in foods now given to hospital patients with intestinal trauma or after major intestinal operations -- such are its gentle and protective effects and qualities.

I also live in the Philippines now, all the locals use coconut oil for cooking here. Extra virgin coconut oil for me is way the best of all the veg oils, for all the reasons that I have given already. I only cook with VCO now, and sometimes take a raw tablespoon in my coffee when I'm ill or constipated now and then and I also use it on my own skin. I've been using VCO now for over 4 years.

I hope this helps to allay some of your fears about VCO.

Hi Francisca...Forgot to add that I took VCO either raw or in my coffee. When I had candida, I took 3 tbspns a day. Now I just take it a few times a week. VCO is nice in coffee, makes it taste sort of creamy...

Bill, how do you use coconut oil in raw food? Mine is solid... do you warm it up or do you use some liquid kind? I only find the solid form where I live..... I am still a bit afraid after reading about people who had so many problems.... haven't tried it yet!

Hi Francisca...I guess your having a bit of a battle with yourself using coconut oil at the moment!! I confess, with my candida problems, I really didn't hesitate to use VCO raw to begin with. I had bad constipation for about 7 years with my candida, VCO helped to cure this aspect of my ailment very quickly indeed.

Perhaps the best way to use coconut oil to begin with is to use it for cooking, as this seems to cause the least problems. Many here on EC use it for oil pulling because it tastes so much better than olive oil but appears to achieve the same thing. Perhaps you could try oil-pulling with VCO first?

Using coconut oil for cooking seems to be the quickest way to get used to coconut oil. Since I'm living in the Philippines, my bottles of VCO are always as a liquid oil(The temperature here is always above 76 degrees). But if you're using VCO for cooking where you are(colder), then I would just treat it like butter for cooking, no difference really. Coconut oil is very safe for cooking -- safer than most other vegetable oils -- because it doesn't oxidize so quickly.

In my own mind, if you take the plunge and actually start using coconut oil, the worst that can possibly happen is the die-off or Herx effect. In my case, it wasn't that terrible, and always uppermost in my mind was the fact that I knew all about the problems that I had, so I also knew that my flu-like symptoms -- or die-off effect -- were confirmation that the coconut oil was actually helping and doing good. Many people on this site report that taking coconut oil has caused problems -- so they immediately blame the VCO or assume that they must have an allergic reaction to it.

Although an allergic reaction is possible, my argument is that VCO is very safe. However, all those people arguing against VCO have given their opinions and reasons as to why these adverse reactions have occurred in their bodies, without realizing or addressing or including the possibility of them having candida causing a Herx reaction -- Simply because there are many similarities between the symptoms of a Herx reaction and an allergic reaction and this causes confusion I think. And behind all of this is this seemingly ingrained and unmovable belief that saturated fats like VCO are bad for you, despite all the evidence I've provided to the contrary on EC.

In regard to its safety, why else would they have used coconut oil both in baby foods and with food for people in hospital with intestinal trauma since the 1960s? Isn't this a testament to VCO's safety? These facts alone, perhaps, represent the greatest proof that allergic reactions with VCO must be rare indeed.

Coconut oil is indeed the business. It is the very essence of the 'tree of life'. It is just fabulous. Anyone who thinks otherwise should open their mind and try it for a while - and also search out info in the libraries etc., etc., and of course the WWW. If the world ate virgin coconut oil it who be a far, far happier and healthier place. That we all eat (... or have eaten) crappy grain oils is a crying criminal shame. Organic lard (pork fat) is also very, very good. Variously some sort of mix of lard and coconut oil should should suit just about everyone's palate.

Thanks once more Bill, you have been a great help so far. Today I ordered a book on coconut oil on Amazon in order to get more information. I am starting to think that my allergies (never tested positive for anything), warts, tiredness, white spots on my skin which are not Viltiligo, bad digestion and maybe even the little red spots on my skin might be Candida so maybe the VCO might help. Worth a try..... My worry is that my husband who has daily medicines for high blood pressure might not react well to it. He is going to ask his doctor. Otherwise I will try sometimes to cook separately for me and for him. After seein the bad effects those pills have on him I am trying my best to stay clear of them. And yes, so far VCO here is always solid, maybe in the summer it will change........ Anyway, if this oil was so bad why wouldn't all people in Asia be dying? One more thing, do you ever use olive oil or none at all?

Coconut oil - questions for Bill

Hi again, I don't think that you saw my last post:

Thanks once more Bill, you have been a great help so far. I have just received a book on Coconut oil in the post and I have started using it. I am starting to think that my allergies (never tested positive for anything), warts, tiredness, white spots on my skin which are not Viltiligo, bad digestion, coated tongue and maybe even the little red pearls on my skin might be Candida so maybe the VCO might help (I also had constipation for many years but I corrected it by eating fruit first thing in the morning). Worth a try..... My worry is that my husband who has daily medicines for high blood pressure might not react well to it. He is going to ask his doctor. Otherwise I will try sometimes to cook separately for myself. After seeing the bad effects those pills have on him I am trying my best to stay clear of them. And yes, so far VCO here is always solid, maybe in the summer it will change........ Anyway, if this oil was so bad why wouldn't all people in Asia be dying? One more thing, do you ever use olive oil or none at all? And as far as Ted's alkalizing drink, doesn't the bicarbonate neutralize the effect of the lemon juice?

Hi Francisca...Apologies for not seeing your post, I've been dashing about the last few days, and it's coming into the hot, humid season here in the tropics, so I've been resting a bit...lol.

In answer to your questions:

"One more thing, do you ever use olive oil or none at all?"

When I was living in UK, yes I used it a little for salads and Italian dishes, but never for English cooking, it's taste was just not right for this. And since moving to the Philippines, I've stopped using olive oil altogether, since much of my cooking is now Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai or Indian and olive oil also just does not suit these styles of cooking as far as I'm concerned. And of course, every third tree in the Philippines is a coconut tree, which makes VCO much cheaper than imported olive oil...lol.

As well, and as I've said already, olive oil is a mono-unsaturated oil -- so it will break down and oxidize much faster in sunlight or high heat than coconut oil which is a fully saturated and more stable oil. I've done some heavy heavy research between olive oil and VCO over the years, and have simply reached the conclusion that VCO is the better oil in terms of health. I would never argue about the health properties of olive oil, but the fact is that VCO seems to have even more health benefits.

"And as far as Ted's alkalizing drink, doesn't the bicarbonate neutralize the effect of the lemon juice?"

Yes, the sodium bicarbonate does neutralize the citric acid in the lime or lemon juice -- but that is a great advantage anyway because this creates sodium and potassium citrate salts which are then directly and easily absorbed in the duodenum with no need for further digestion processing. If you don't first neutralize the citric acid (from the lemon and lime) or acetic acid and malic acid (from ACV) or even ascorbic acid(Vit C) with BS, then your pancreas will have to use all its own stored bicarbonates to neutralize all these acids into citrates, acetates, malates and ascorbates etc. so that they can be absorbed into the body. More work for your body.

And also remember that the bicarbonates in the pancreas are also used for another important job -- if the bicarbonates from the pancreas aren't used in digestion, then they are simply released into the blood -- thus alkalizing it -- and they also play a vital role in helping to swap out carbon dioxide for oxygen in cells during respiration.

So if you create these these citrates, acetates, ascorbates etc before digestion, then you are actually helping to strengthen both your immune system as well as making your cell respiration more efficient. In other words your helping your body do its job.

Hi Bill, I was away for a while so I hadn't see your response to my questions. I did the spit test yesterday and it came out a bit like in the drawing but less clear. This weekend I am going to ask my husband to try as I don't think that he has Candida, at least not in his mouth as his tongue is always pink. Then I can compare, maybe we both do it. Since I use a salt based toothpaste without flouoride and more natural my tongue looks a lot cleaner. One question, I am trying to cook with coconut milk as it seems to be healthier than normal milk but my husband doesn't want to use it in his tea because he finds that the fat content is too high. Do you know anything about that? I never drink milk, never done for most of my life, I can't stand it but I do make dishes using milk so maybe coconut milk might be a good substitute. In a book I have the author says that it is actually very healthy.

Hi Francisca...Yes, fresh coconut milk will contain a significant amount of fat, but this is a saturated fat with a big difference. Most vegetable oils(Long Chain Triglycerides) are transported in the blood and stored around the body as fat. But coconut milk contains saturated fat that consists mainly of Medium Chain Triglycerides -- this goes straight liver and is extracted and converted to glycogen as required for energy and the unneeded oil is then excreted directly and not stored. The glycogen can also be used for energy directly -- which is why its so useful for diabetics. And when I started taking VCO, I actually lost weight.

My stance with saturated fats -- as you know -- is quite friendly. I also distrust most polyunsaturated vegetable oils. My reasons are simply historic. Before 1900(and for centuries before this time) the fats we used in the West were mainly lard, tallow and butter - with a very small amount of monounsaturated oils like olive oil. During this time there was no heart disease, arteriosclerosis, Alzheimer's, high blood pressure, Parkinson's Disease, Arthritis, Obeisity, Diabetes, Cancer etc., that we now have today. So we can therefore say that, as proof from history, these saturated fats do not cause these auto-immune problems.

Since most vegetable oils today are manufactured and are heavily processed chemically -- as well as being unstable and suffering from relatively quick oxidation -- I therefore regard veg oils as unnatural to the human body -- in the large amounts we take them today, and simply not good as food. The main enemy, of course, is too much chemical processing and too many additives.

There are many ways you can take coconut milk or oil. You can mix the milk with ordinary milk and use it on cereal or simply use it in cooking as I do, or you can mix the VCO, perhaps, with natural honey and use it as a spread for bread or toast. I also often use coconut milk when cooking Malaysian Rendangs, makes it taste very creamy and delicious. I use a teaspoon of VCO in my coffee on most days, and I think coconut milk would make a wonderful additive to coffee as well.

Unfortunately, we have all been brainwashed into thinking that ALL saturated fats are bad for us. If you research coconut oil, you will find that this oil is remarkably stable and good for you in it's natural form. It was really only because of the big vegetable oil cartels in America that used what I call "spoiler research" to denigrate coconut oil's health benefits in order to sell more veg oil via inaccurate saturated fat propaganda (because coconut oil was capturing more and more of the world market in the 50s and 60s) -- and, sadly, this poor reputation continues to stick to all forms of saturated fat, animal or vegetable, even today.

I grew up in New Zealand and am familiar with ancient and modern polynesian dietary habits. Polynesians have a)wonderful skin b)few problems related to articulations but tend to be obese and suffer from diabetes. Coconut milk and fat (a fat is solid and an oil is liquid at room temperature)are very rich. I don't have a problem with applying these internally but eating coconut fat to lose weight seems crazy (Ted says that it is mostly not absorbed and prevents absorption of other foods?).

NZ children are all familiar with a confection based on rice bubble cereal, coconut fat(kremelta) powdered sugar and cocoa. Always regarded as not very good for you and a rare treat. Tinned corned beef, icecream and KFC have upset pacific diets but I think polynesians were fairly well rounded before. I find it hard to believe that coconut fat is better than olive oil. Mediterranean people are SLIM and suffer little from cholesterol or insulin problems.

Coconut sugar is something else. I am very sensitive to excess regular, cane sugar. It raises my inflammation skyward, and presumably that is my insulin spiking. So I know that coconut sugar does not do that; I can eat it by the tablespoonful and have no problem.

One lab in the Philippines did a study on the glycemic index and the glycemic load. They reported GI = 35 and GL = 1. 4. This causes me to doubt them. The GL = GI times total carbs divided by 100. How could something that was almost 100% carb do that?

I found that this is the only lab that has done this study. The lab is in a country that is heavily dependent upon coconut exports. And all my Filipino in-laws lie like it was some kind of hobby; I never know if I am getting the truth from them or not.

The only sense that I can make out of my experience and this doubtful lab's results is that coconut sugar has a lot of long chain saccharides. But I find not this or a whole lot more on the Internet regarding coconut sugar. It seems that there is not a lot of study on coconut sugar; it seems that sometimes you really do get to the end of the Internet.

In my opinion, coconut sugar is one of the best kept secrets in health, and I am sorry that it is. I hope that some enterprising grad students will do some serious scientific studies on coconut sugar.

How much do you take a day?