Coconut oil may not be that healthy

CAIRO – 18 June 2017: Coconut oil is known for its beauty benefits and health. People use it in everything, from cooking, losing weight, skin moisturizing, soothing sunburns, teeth cleaning to anti-fungal cream, among many other applications .

According to the American Heart Association paper that was released on Thursday, coconut oil is not healthy food. Coconut oil is a saturated fat and so it is not better than butter for us. It can raise cholesterol.

Saturated fat is not wholly bad for you, however too much of it in a diet can result in clogged arteries, an increased risk of heart disease and a stroke, as stated by AHA.

Coconut oil contains 82 percent of saturated fat, which is more than butter (63 percent) and beef fat (50 percent). Plus there is no solid proof that backs up claims that coconut oil has healthy benefits, as stated by AHA.

Hence, they recommend people to decrease the saturated fats and replace it with unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils and spreads. Therefore, AHA advise against the use of coconut oil.