This blog post was prompted by a recent discussion (very polite argument) I had with someone recently in one of the Ray Peat groups. Is coconut oil weight loss true or just a myth?
The original poster (OP) had asked the question about coconut oil. She had read it was good for metabolism and wondered whether adding it to daily intake was a good idea for weight loss. Daily she was adding it to her coffee, using it for cooking and in the carrot salad. She wanted to know if you can have “too much” & what amount was recommended.
Most responses were sensible but one person piped up with — “no you can’t have ‘too much’ coconut oil.” Meaning — eat as much as you like, you won’t gain weight. She even threw in the old example of the study with the farmer and the pigs and the more coconut oil he gave them, the leaner they became.
In the next breath she then went on to say—”but you shouldn’t have too much & adding it into your coffee isn’t necessary.”
So I challenged her on her contradictory statements and asked why she was claiming you can eat as much as you like? What followed next was more contradiction and her describing how she doesn’t eat coconut oil herself and has low fat dairy etc. Then she moved on to more wrong advice about having to separate macros, and only eat low fat protein and sugars at one meal and fats at another meal to benefit weight loss—OMG that dissection will be in a separate blog post as that is wildly untrue as well.
Anyway, back to the real truth about coconut oil.
Is coconut oil weight loss a myth or not?
As usual, it’s more complicated than yes or no, so let me briefly try to explain.
Two types of compounds exist in fats—medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) and long-chain triglyceride (LCT) fats.
Both act differently.
MCTs are transported directly to the liver via the bloodstream to be processed, and can be quickly used as fuel. (Within minutes.)
Normal LCT fat processing takes a long time and occurs in the small intestine with the help of pancreatic enzymes and bile salts. (Approx 6+ hours)
So from that explanation, you think ok, the Lauric Acid in coconut oil is the MCT fat, so the weight loss story could potentially be true. However with everything I have found in pro metabolic health, it’s the little detail that’s important.
In virgin & refined coconut oil it’s the Lauric Acid that is the MCT, however this is only 42-65% of the oil—not 100% like specially processed MCT oil. (The percentage given kept varying, depending on the article I read.)
In addition – and this is the key clanger – Lauric Acid, despite being an MCT, is processed in the body the same way as an LCT – so like normal saturated fat & is digested the long way around anyway—so no weight loss benefit at all.
“While virgin coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), the primary MCT, lauric acid, is digested and absorbed more like a long-chain triglyceride (LCT), meaning it behaves more like a typical saturated fat rather than a rapidly metabolized MCT. Therefore, when considering the digestion and utilization of coconut oil, it’s important to recognize that a significant portion of its fat content is processed like LCTs.”
More in this article: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/mct-oil-vs-coconut-oil#differences
So what does this mean for weight loss?
1, Virgin & Refined coconut oil – has no benefit for weight loss.
2. Specifically made MCT oil has the potential to be quickly used up as energy & is LESS likely to be stored as fat, HOWEVER if eaten in a calorie excessive diet, CAN still be stored as fat.
So the advice given to ‘eat as much coconut oil as you like & you will still lose weight’ is incorrect from these two different perspectives.
My own experiment
I did an experiment myself years ago after reading about coconut oil weight loss. For 2 weeks added 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to my diet. Purely by chance it was the MCT type as I preferred the liquid oil to the solid for ease of use. All that happened was that I put on 2kg (4lbs.) During this experiment it was in addition to normal calories. Proving again the “eat as much as you like” advice was incorrect.
The only way that coconut oil may enhance weight loss is:
A) if you use the specially processed MCT oil
B) you use it to REPLACE existing fats in your diet, so that total fats still stay at 40g a day for example, as we have in the ZEN Beach Diet, AND your total calorie level is not excessive to your needs.
Then you may get a slight enhancement in weight loss. But notice the word ‘slight.’ In all articles, it said the studies were not conclusive, the actual amount of weight loss you could achieve was undetermined and required more investigation.
Dangers of MCT Oil
Furthermore too, it warned of the dangers of overdoing the MCT oil saying that amounts such as 4-7 tablespoons a day, can put undue stress on the liver and cause fatty liver. Other side effects include:
“While generally considered safe, MCT oil can cause side effects, especially when consumed in large quantities. Common side effects include gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Some individuals may experience increased hunger or an upset stomach. Long-term use could potentially lead to fat build up in the liver.”
And it has the same issues with any saturated fat in excess – issues with increased cholesterol, triglycerides, body fat increase and specific to MCT oil, it can cause heart palpitations.
Given that it’s not the weight loss miracle it’s cracked up to be, should we still be including coconut oil in our diet?
Benefits of coconut oil
Yes, coconut oil still has some unique benefits that are worth consideration and inclusion in your diet:
- Bacteria – it’s anti bacterial
- Fungus – it’s anti fungal
- Parasites – it’s anti parasitic
- Anti microbial—meaning kills or inhibit a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.
- Inflammation – it’s anti inflammatory
So definitely worthwhile but as a replacement of your other fats, not in addition. (Note: all articles advised that both virgin/refined coconut oil and MCT oil had these benefits but in differing amounts due to their different composition. They didn’t say whether one was a more superior source over the other for these benefits in particular.)
Implications for Carrot Salad
Given all the above knowledge, this had me thinking:
I am using MCT oil on my carrot salad – is this a mistake?
And the answer is YES.
The whole idea of the coconut oil in the carrot salad is to sweep through the gut. It utilises the anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti everything else properties to remove any bad bacteria and fungus that may exist. Thereby helping to cleanse the intestine. It won’t be doing this as MCT oil which heads straight to the liver via the blood stream. All the properties will still assist the bloodstream but not specifically the gut.
So if we want the Carrot Salad to specifically have the anti everything powers in the gut, then we must use either Refined or Unrefined (Virgin) coconut oil and not MCT oil.
Ray Peat recommended Refined Coconut oil which is deodorised and smells and tastes less “coco-nutty.” It also has any irritating fibres removed for those who may be sensitive. It’s good to be aware of this but for those who are not sensitive, virgin coconut oil is perfectly fine.
Looks like I need to change my own habits. I was using the MCT oil for my carrot salad because I didn’t know any better. Now that I know, I will switch and maybe use the MCT oil in my Chocolate “Nutella” spread!
Coconut oil weight loss summary
Even using the right type of MCT oil, the actual coconut oil weight loss effect is small. Use it as your fats for the other benefits, but long term weight loss comes from all the many health effects of a pro metabolic diet & lifestyle. Read more about that here.
Always learning.
Kristy x
