Natural Coconut oil is exceptionally beneficial for pregnant women, nursing mothers, the elderly, athletes, and those who only want to improve their health.
I – Origin of the Coconut
The coconut, from the coconut tree, is a very interesting fruit for its taste and therapeutic and cosmetic virtues. The coconut tree is one of the oldest trees in the world; it can measure up to 30m high and live up to 200 years. A tree can produce up to 80 nuts a year.
The origin of coconut has yet to be determined, although many researchers are leaning toward Southeast Asia. Coconut is found today in most tropical countries, from the Caribbean to India.
Natural coconut oil, extracted from fresh pulp, is white in color and has the characteristic of being a so-called “concrete” oil, that is to say, that it solidifies at room temperature (below 22 °). Only fresh coconuts are used to extract the oil for virgin coconut oil, and no chemicals are used during the process.
It is to be distinguished from coconut oil, which comes from the dried albumen (pulp) of the coconut and is used to make monoi.
II – Natural Coconut Oil in the Kitchen
Natural coconut oil is probably the oldest fat to have been served in the kitchen. It has been the basis of the diet in Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific. These populations have been shown to be among the healthiest people in the world.
Coconut oil is the most stable of all vegetable oils because it contains mainly saturated fats (92%). It has the advantage of not producing toxic compounds when heated. Virgin coconut oil does not risk rancidity or change of the structure at high temperatures – no formation of trans fats or free radicals. It is 3000 times less prone to oxidation than linseed oil and 5 times less than olive oil.
It can be easily stored at room temperature for at least two years. It can, therefore, be used for cooking. Its sweet and fragrant flavor gives an exotic touch to all kinds of dishes.
III – How to Choose a Good Natural Coconut Oil?
I prefer an oil “extra virgin” and cold-pressed. The latter is obtained by natural fermentation of the fruit pulp or by mechanical pressure. It retains the taste and smell of coconut. It is extracted from cold mature, and fresh coconut without heating or chemicals.
It is important to use natural coconut oil, which is non-hydrogenated and contains no trance fat.
IV – Composition of Coconut Oil
More than ninety percent of coconut oil is composed of saturated fats.
Most saturated fatty acids are medium-chain triglycerides. Lauric acid is the main contributor, accounting for more than forty percent of the total, followed by capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic and palmitic acid.
In addition to fatty acids, extra virgin coconut oil is rich in potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, and vitamins A and E.
V – Natural Coconut Oil – A Great Health Ally
Natural coconut oil is an important source of essential fatty acids. It contains a unique combination of fatty acids with powerful medicinal properties: medium-chain triglycerides that are metabolized differently and that have effects on brain activity. They can also have effects on the decrease of blood sugar. It has the ability to reduce bad cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure, thanks to its high lauric acid content.
Fatty acids can annihilate the activity of pathogens, allowing them to contribute to the prevention of infections or to their disappearance. Lauric acid is usually used for the treatment of viruses and bacteria that cause diseases such as herpes, influenza, and cytomegalovirus.
In combination with other saturated fatty acids, lauric acid also contributes to the fight against harmful bacteria such as monocytogen listeria, Pylori Helicobacter, and protozoan pests such as Giardia Lamblia, which is responsible for intestinal parasitosis in women. Human being.
It also provides relief from kidney problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and cancer while helping to improve the quality of dental care and the strength of bones.
1 – Immune System
Coconut oil strengthens the immune system. These saturated fatty acids, like triglycerides, are usually recognized for their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, and even soothing properties. It is an effective way to deal with viruses and bacteria that cause diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV.
Recommended (in addition to omega 3/6/9) to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and babies who are no longer breastfed better to protect the mother and the child against infections but also to help the formation of the brain and eyes of toddlers.
The best-known natural remedy against fungi is caprylic acid, which causes fungal infections such as Candida albicans to be harbored in the gut. Consuming 3 tablespoons of coconut oil per day (at the meal) is recommended.
2 – Cholesterol Reduction
Saturated fatty acids help to increase the levels of the good cholesterol needed for some neurotransmitters in the brain to function properly.
Natural coconut oil can lower cholesterol levels thanks to its ability to stimulate the thyroid. When enough thyroid hormone is in the body, cholesterol is converted through enzymes into steroids such as progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA), and pregnenolone, which are fundamental to preventing heart disease, obesity, cancer, and other degenerative diseases.
3 – Digestion
The internal functions of coconut oil occur mainly because it is used as cooking oil. Coconut oil helps to improve the digestive system and protects the stomach from various problems related to digestion, including irritable bowel syndrome. Saturated fats have antimicrobial properties and help in the treatment of various bacteria, fungi, and parasites that can cause indigestion. Lauric acid destroys Helicobacter pylori – a bacterium that is a major cause of chronic inflammation of the stomach and causes 90% of ulcer cases. It can even be useful to people suffering from Chron’s disease.
Coconut oil also absorbs other nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
4 – Diabetes
Diabetics often digest fats badly because their pancreas produces too few enzymes and their liver fewer bile salts to emulsify them. Thanks to its fatty acids, natural coconut oil barely requires the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder and is easily digested. It helps to provide the cells with energy without the intervention of insulin.
5 – Prostate
Coconut oil has a positive effect on benign prostatic hypertrophy by hindering the transformation of testosterone into DHT, which strongly promotes the growth of the prostate.
6 – Weight Loss
Coconut oil contains 10% fewer calories than other fats. Its fatty acids can produce more energy, burn more calories, and lead to less fat storage. It also helps regulate blood sugar.
7 – Psoriasis, Eczema, and Skin Fungi
Fatty acids counter inflammatory reactions, and they have great purifying properties. Skin problems are relieved by consuming coconut oil and applying it locally.
8 – Skin Care
Natural coconut oil is an excellent massage oil for the skin. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all skin types. It protects against the aging effects of free radicals. It limits the damage caused by the sun’s rays, blocking about 20% of ultraviolet light, making it a kind of natural sunscreen for moderate exposure.
9 – Infections
When applied to infected areas, coconut oil forms a layer of chemicals that protects the infected body part from the outside against dust, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. It is very effective for bruising because it speeds up the healing process of damaged tissue.
VI – Natural Coconut Oil and Saturated Fatty Acids
Saturated fats (not to be confused with trans fats) are essential for the body. Those contained in coconut oil are of a very particular nature. They are composed largely of lauric acid (45%). In nature, only human breast milk contains as much lauric acid. The fats found in coconut oil have nutritional qualities very similar to those found in the mother’s milk.
The health benefits of coconut oil are directly related to the molecular structure of its fat, or more precisely, to the chain length of its fatty acids. It is a natural product that contains most of these good fats.
Normally, ingested fat must be mixed with bile secreted by the vesicle before being metabolized by the digestive system.
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are fats that are not metacetone metabolized by the body, such as long-chain triglycerides. Medium-chain triglycerides go directly to the liver through the digestive tract, completely avoiding passing bile. They are used as a fast energy source or converted into so-called ketone bodies, which can have therapeutic effects on brain disorders such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.
In contrast, most fatty acids in the diet are called long-chain fatty acids, which are not as good for one’s health. They are hard to assimilate, require special enzymes and more cholesterol to transport them, and require more work pancreas, liver, and the entire digestive system. They are mainly stored in fats.
Polyunsaturated oils are the fats involved in cardiovascular diseases. Vegetable oils also contribute to blood clots’ formation by increasing platelets’ viscosity. Coconut oil helps restore normal platelets.
Extra virgin olive oil is an excellent choice due to its concentration of monounsaturated fat (also found in avocado). It is perfect for salad and other recipes that do not require cooking. That said, it’s not the best oil if you have to cook food. Due to its structure, the fat it contains will oxidize.
VII – A Hope for Alzheimer’s Patients and Other Senile Diseases
Glucose is one of the main fuels that the brain needs and converts into energy.
The study of the mechanism of glucose uptake by the brain has only recently begun, and it has been discovered that the brain produces its own insulin to transform the glucose in the blood. Food is necessary for its survival.
Diabetes is a disease where the body’s response to insulin is weakened until the body finally stops producing the insulin needed to regulate blood sugar. Thus the body’s ability to regulate (or transform sugar in the blood into energy is essentially neutralized.
When brain insulin production goes down, it literally faces starvation because it is deprived of the glucose energy it needs to function normally.
This is what happens to patients with Alzheimer’s disease – parts of their brains begin to atrophy or starve, resulting in poor functioning and, ultimately, loss of memory, speech, motor skills, and personality.
In fact, the brain can begin to atrophy because of hunger if it becomes insulin-resistant and loses its ability to convert glucose into energy.
It is now established that diabetics have an additional 65% risk of having Alzheimer’s disease. A strong link between these two diseases exists, even if the exact mechanisms remain to be determined.
However, it seems clear that these two diseases are related to insulin resistance – in the body and in the brain.
Alternative foods for the brain can stop brain atrophy. Fortunately, the brain can use different sources of energy, and this is where natural coconut oil comes into play. It contains a substance called ketone bodies or keto acids.
Ketones
This substance can nourish the brain and prevent its atrophy. It can even restore and renew brain neurons and nerve function after trauma.
Ketones are produced by the body when it converts fats instead of glucose into energy. And one of the main sources of ketone bodies is medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) found in coconut oil. It contains approximately 66%.
The benefit of ketones could be applied to a number of other health problems: it is a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Lou Gehrig), refractory epilepsy, type I and type II diabetes when there is insulin resistance.
Ketone bodies can help the brain recover from oxygen deficiency in newborns and adults, can help the heart recover after a serious attack, and can reduce the size of cancerous tumors.
The liver immediately releases ketones into the blood, from which they are transported into the brain for use as a source of energy. It appears that ketones are the preferred food in the brains of patients suffering from diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease.
In Alzheimer’s disease, neurons located in certain areas are unable to absorb glucose due to insulin resistance, after which they slowly decay, a process that occurs one or more decades before the symptoms become perceptible. If these cells had access to the ketone bodies, they could stay alive and continue to function.
VIII – The Experience of Dr. Mary Newport
Mary Newport, MD, has been the Medical Director of the Neonatal Resuscitation Unit at the Spring Hill Regional Hospital in Florida since it opened in 2003. At about the same time, her husband Steve, then 53, began showing signs of progressive dementia, later diagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease.
When Dr. Newport could not get her husband into a new trial for a new drug against Alzheimer’s – MCT triglycerides – she began researching and understanding the mechanism behind Alzheimer’s disease.
She discovered that with Alzheimer’s disease, some brain cells might have difficulty using glucose from the carbohydrates or carbohydrates eaten, the main energy source in the brain. Without fuel, these valuable neurons can begin to die.
An alternative energy source for brain cells is the fats known as ketones. If the body is deprived of carbohydrates, it produces ketones naturally.
She realizes that natural food can be substituted for the drug provided in the study. Also, the ketones of natural coconut oil last and stay longer in the body than the chemical version – 8 hours instead of 3 hours.
Thus Mr. Newport, unable to enter the study for the drug trial, began taking coconut oil twice a day. For two weeks after adding coconut oil to her diet, her pattern/drawing improved.
After 37 days, Steve’s schema has gained a lot more clarity. The oil seemed to ‘raise the fog,’ and Dr. Newport saw remarkable changes in her husband in the first sixty days.
In the following year, dementia continued to heal: he can run again, his reading comprehension has improved dramatically, and his short-term memory has improved.
Therapeutic Protocol Based on Coconut Oil or TCM
The damage was done to the brain by harmful foods, and an imbalance in insulin and leptin levels appeared decades before the slightest symptom of Alzheimer’s. Therefore, making the right decisions now is extremely important because otherwise, the brain and the nervous system will be unintentionally damaged for decades, which could be irreversible.
You should start with limited doses of coconut oil and take them routinely during meals to minimize stomach problems. In his Web, Dr. Newport recommends starting with a teaspoon of coconut oil, ingested with food, and gradually increasing this amount, as appropriate, weight, etc., until reaching about 4-6 tablespoons a day, distributed with food. It is important to consider that these doses are recommended for people already suffering from Alzheimer’s or other diseases.
For children (with Down syndrome and autism), she makes some specific recommendations based on her experience. The dose should be a ¼ teaspoon of coconut oil for a weight of 4 pounds and a half, 2 or 3 times a day. Children also like a lot of coconut milk that contains TCM: the dose would be a teaspoon and a half to two for a weight of 4 pounds and a half, 2 or 3 times a day. The milk must be refrigerated once opened and consumed within 2 days.
Mary Newport also combines coconut oil with TCM oil, medium chain triglycerides extracted from coconut and sold as a dietary supplement.
Coconut oil or MCTs should also be taken in the morning, as it takes at least three hours for the oil to be converted to ketones and reach the brain. Taking 4 tablespoons of coconut oil twice daily can be beneficial for those already suffering from pre-Alzheimers or Alzheimer’s.
IX – Contraindications of Natural Coconut Oil
For coconut oil to be beneficial, only the highest quality oil must be consumed. Coconut oils refined, hydrogenated, or treated to remove their color, do not produce beneficial effects; on the contrary, they can be detrimental. Partial hydrogenation creates trans fats and destroys the oil’s antioxidants or essential fatty acids.
Some people may be allergic to coconut oil and any coconut ingredient. If unusual symptoms occur after eating or after applying coconut oil to the skin, seek medical attention.