COCONUT OIL TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE

COCONUT OIL TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE 

Across the world heart disease is a major concern. It is responsible for more than 13 million deaths every year and in America more than 70 million people suffer from some sort of heart or circulatory problem. Out of all of the forms of cardiovascular disease the most common is coronary artery disease. This is caused by the build up of fatty plaque material in the small coronary artery which supplies oxygen and food to the heart muscles themselves. 

The onset of coronary heart disease is mainly influenced by lifestyle choices and also
by inherited characteristics. The main factors which can lead to coronary heart disease are high blood cholesterol, heredity, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. 

The process of fatty plaque build up in the coronary and other arteries is called atherosclerosis. This in turn causes the arteries to become hardened. The hardening of the arteries makes it more difficult for blood to flow through them and this can in turn increase the rate of atherosclerosis. It is not known what actually starts the atherosclerosis process but it may initially be due to damage to the artery wall caused by such things as free radicals, toxins, bacteria and or viruses.

Once the damage has occurred platelets in the blood react by sticking to the damaged area in an attempt to heal it. It is at this point that other materials such as cholesterol, triglycerides and calcium become deposited in the damaged area. This leads to the build up of scar tissue. All of these materials become a part of the fatty plaque attached to the artery wall. The build up restricts the flow of blood in the artery because it narrows the hole down which the blood flows. This is doubly problematic in the small coronary arteries supplying the heart itself. The narrowing of the coronary artery also causes red blood cells to drag against the rough scar tissue. This can result in the increased risk of blood clots forming. This then, is coronary heart disease and a real killer in our modern world. 

Saturated fats and trans saturated fats are responsible for the majority of the fats deposited in the atherosclerosis. This is because they lead to the build up of the bad LDL variety of cholesterol in the blood. This is the fatty stuff that gets deposited on the artery walls. It would therefore seem strange to recommend a type of saturated fat as a solution for the atherosclerosis problem, but this is just the case when considering coconut oil. Ninety percent of the oil is in a saturated form. 

This is one reason that coconut oil hasn’t been taken seriously over the years. 

In order to understand the importance of coconut oil you have to appreciate that the saturated fats in coconut are made up differently. Once again the Medium Chain Triglycerides come into play. As we have found out, these behave differently. 

These are broken down efficiently and then taken to the liver where they are burnt to provide energy. The usual long chain triglycerides from meat and dairy products aren’t broken down like this and end up being repackaged in the liver as fatty proteins. These then have a bad effect on the level of LDL or bad cholesterol in the blood which in turn leads to atherosclerosis. Coconut oil has the opposite effect in that it increases the levels of the good HDL cholesterol. This type of cholesterol helps to protect the arteries against fatty build ups and in turn fights against heart disease. 

It is well known that places like Sri Lanka and India have a very low incidence of coronary heart disease and this is now put down to the regular use of coconut oil in their cooking. It is also interesting to note that India is now having increasing problems with heart disease and this is since traditional coconut oil has been replaced by western style vegetable oils. The same situation has been seen where peoples from the Polynesian islands moved to New Zealand. The Polynesians had very little incidence of heart disease and used a lot of coconut oil as it is native to the islands. Once the people moved to New Zealand they started using vegetable oils instead and since then the incidence of heart disease in the migrated populations has rocketed. 

Clearly it is obvious that despite the initial appearance of coconut as a bad oil containing bad saturated fats it is actually a better choice to other oils and should be used as often as possible in order to improve your diet and reduce the chance of heart disease.  (SOURCE: 107 EVERY DAY USE OF COCONUT OIL)