An Incredible Superfood: The Many Benefits of Coconut Oil

by Elizabeth Renter
Natural Society
May 5, 2013

If you haven’t noticed lately, the western world is on a bit of a coconut oil kick. It’s in all the popular blogs—from nutrition to hair care—and it’s no longer difficult to find a few different varieties of the oil in normal grocery stores. This is a good thing. Coconut oil should have never been demonized, as it was, and deserves a top spot in the natural health world.

Vilified Coconut Oil

Several decades ago, coconut oil was vilified. It was made to look like the “bad guy” in comparison with its competitors from the corn and soy industries. They were successful in their campaign to squash the coconut oil competition by highlighting it’s saturated fat content and tying that to heart disease. Now, however, coconut oil and its medium chain triglycerides (saturated fats) are back on top and being recognized for numerous health benefits.

The health benefits of coconut oil are amazing; the oil possesses antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant properties. The lauric, capric and caprylic acids within the oil are credited with many of these benefits. It’s the lauric acid, for instance, that is converted into monolaurin which in in turn fights the bugs associated with herpes, giardia, listeria, influenza, and even HIV.