coconut oil info - from Dr D
Kathy,
I also read what D. Adamo said about coconut oil. While I thoroughly respect him
in every way, I’m truly suspect of the sources of information on coconut oil.
You see, in the 1940s etc., when research was done on this, the coconut oil
researched was “copra”, not “virgin” coconut oil. Copra is the form of coconut
oil that’s used for soaps, cosmetics and various other industrial uses. It is
extracted from the fruit at very high pressure and temperatures, which changes
the chemical composition of the oil. The chemical composition of copra is very
different from that of virgin coconut oil, and unfortunately, with the resultant
prejudice against saturated fats, very little analysis has been made in the
mainstream area of the composition of virgin coconut oil. It is interesting to
note, that the earliest research on coconut oil was done because the indigenous
communities that used this oil exhibited very little heart disease. As you can
imagine, it is not a stretch to figure out that someone who only had a wood fire
as a tool to extract the oil by boiling would most likely produce a totally
different product from one that is heated to very high temperatures in a
pressurized container. I can imagine that if we analyzed the corn oil made by
the early American Indians (boiling), and corn oil on the market today they
would most likely have very different compositions. The early research on
coconut oil, studied communities in the Philippines, in the Caribbean, as well
as in Asia. In all these indigenous communities, cholesterol levels and heart
disease were much lower than in the United States and England at that time. It
is ironic, that coconut oil was not selected as an oil of choice to be utilized
by American industry precisely because it appeared to be of no use in fattening
cattle! Various attempts to create quick weight gain in cattle tested coconut,
olive and corn oils. These oils were combined with grain diets, and fed to the
cattle. Coconut oil/grain feeds produced lean cattle, no matter how much was
fed. The olive oil/grain combination feeds produced slightly fatter cattle; and
the largest fat gain occurred in the cattle fed corn/grain combination feeds. It
was at this point that the decision was made to relegate coconut oil and Palm
oil to cosmetic and industrial uses only.
On a very personal note, dh (blood type B.) has been on BTD for one year (since
August 2001) . In February, his cholesterol was 410. Note, he had been on Baycol
for six to eight months at that time. We then started using coconut oil, and his
cholesterol tested at 315 on July 1st 2002. I know it’s still pretty high, but
it’s been a 96- point drop, and he really feels great! My cholesterol has also
fallen, and just needs a little tweaking. The only difference in our diets has
been the use of coconut oil for cooking instead of olive oil. In conclusion,
while I do not doubt the veracity of Dr. D. Adamo’s analysis, I do doubt if the
oil analyzed was virgin coconut oil as opposed to copra. I must reiterate,
coconut oil is the one Avoid that we’ll continue to eat!
Jannette