Doctors reveal coconut oil is VERY high in saturated fat
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Coconut oil doesn’t just smell and taste delicious – it has many different uses, from cooking to skincare and even dental hygiene. You don’t necessarily have to eat coconut oil to benefit from its unique qualities. What are the health benefits of coconut oil?
Coconut oil is a plant-based oil made from coconuts and is used both in cooking and skincare.
This oil has been praised for its health benefits, taste and giving you glowing skin.
While coconut oil has many health benefits, it’s important to remember it is high in saturated fat, so if you’re watching your weight or your cholesterol levels you should enjoy coconut oil in moderation.
But coconut oil has many unique properties, bestowing it with health benefits over other types of oils.
What are the health benefits of coconut oil?
1 – Has anti-inflammatory properties
One of the qualities setting coconut oil apart from other types of oils is its make-up.
Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) as opposed to long-chain fatty acids found in other types of oils.
About half of the MCFAs in coconut oil are a substance called lauric acid, which is thought to have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
2 – Can rescue dry skin
People have used coconut oil as both a moisturiser and as a cleanser.
Coconut oil contains vitamin E which is often used as an ingredient in skincare products.
Because of coconut oil’s moisturising properties, people with dry skin conditions including eczema have noticed an improvement after using coconut oil on their skin.
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3 – Protect hair from damage
Due to those MCFAs, coconut oil’s special structure can help strengthen hair proteins.
The structure of coconut oil helps it to penetrate the surface of the hair and prevent damage.
4 – A source of antioxidants
A lot of cell damage in your body is a result of oxidative stress, and foods high in antioxidants are often praised as ‘superfoods’ because they can help combat this damage.
Some of the antioxidants found in coconut oil are:
- tocopherols
- tocotrienols
- phytosterols
- flavonoids
- polyphenols
5 – May improve oral health
Some traditional medicines advocate for ‘oil pulling’ – basically using coconut oil as mouthwash – to improve oral health.
Because of coconut oil’s antimicrobial qualities, it could reduce the harmful bacteria in the mouth, preventing gum problems such as gingivitis.
More studies are needed to confirm the effect of coconut oil on dental hygiene, but anecdotally, some people believe it helps them.
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