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Coconut oil predicts a beneficial lipid profile in pre-menopausal women in the Philippines
– Reported, January 13, 2012
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) figure prominently as public health problems in the Philippines, and are now the leading causes of death in the country . One dietary risk factor of particular importance to CVD risk is coconut oil, which is the most commonly used cooking oil in the country . Coconut oil is high in saturated fats, and thus, there are concerns that it could lead to more artherogenic lipid profiles . Some past studies have found that coconut oil supplementation increases adverse lipids, thus potentially elevating CVD risk . However, some of these studies have been criticized for using hydrogenated coconut oils . Hydrogenation increases stability of the oils at room temperature and for cooking, but results in increased levels of trans-fatty acids have been linked to adverse lipid profiles and heightened risk for CVD . These studies may not reflect the effect of naturally occurring oils. Reiser similarly notes that studies in humans have often been conducted in the absence of a neutral diet with coconut oil consumption compared with polyunsaturated fatty acids which have known hypocholesterolemic effects.
When non-hydrogenated coconut oil supplements have been provided, studies often find evidence for modest benefits of coconut oil consumption on lipid profiles . Animal studies have shown that coconut oil in particular lowered total cholesterol, lipoproteins and phospholipids . The reason for this is that coconut oil is composed of medium chain fatty acids which are rapidly metabolized in the liver into energy and does not participate in the biosynthesis and transport of cholesterol . In fact, coconut has lauric, capryllic, capric, myristic, palmitic fatty acids. Animal studies have shown that capryllic and capric fatty acids have no effect on cholesterol levels while lauric, myristic and palmitic fatty acids are equivalent in their cholesterol raising potential . Coconut oil which is rich in lauric acid has less effect on total cholesterol and LDL-c and is a better alternative to butter and hydrogenated vegetable fats .
Further studies on coconut revealed the beneficial effects of this tropical fruit. A study of a cohort of women showed that coconut based diets lowered the postprandrial tissue plasminogen and lipoprotein (a) a blood marker associated with the risk of heart attack. Lipoprotein (a) was lowered when the diet was high in saturated fat using coconut oil . Similarly, a study of individuals with moderately elevated levels of cholesterol showed that levels of total and LDL-c were lower in individuals consuming coconut oil diet compared to those consuming safflower oil and butter (10). Studies on Pacific Islanders who have coconut as their staple food have traditionally had a low incidence of cardiovascular diseases and population studies in Sri Lanka have shown that consumption of coconut is not associated with cardiovascular diseases .
The question of the health impacts of coconut oil may have greatest importance for populations like the Philippines, where coconut oil is the most commonly used cooking oil. At present, little is known about the relationship between coconut oil and lipid profiles or cardiovascular disease in the country the Philippines. Interestingly, data from the Philippine National Nutrition Survey of 2003 revealed a relatively low incidence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, stroke and angina in the Bicol Region where diets have high levels of coconut consumption compared to the other regions . Here we seek to shed light on the health impacts of coconut oil by describing patterns of coconut oil consumption and by evaluating the association between coconut oil intake and plasma lipid profiles in a healthy population of Filipino women living in Cebu City, Philippines, and its environs.
Educational attainment in the sample was generally low with many women only completing elementary school education. There was a substantial prevalence of overweight using the recommended body mass index cut points for Asian populations . Nearly half of the sample had reached menopause.
Stratifying the women according to their menopausal status revealed that post-menopausal women tended to be older, had experienced more pregnancies, had lower BMI, were less educated, and were from households with fewer assets. A smaller proportion of these post-menopausal women were from urban areas. Post- menopausal women had higher CVD disease risk as indicated by their lipid profiles, including higher total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and TC/HDL ratio, and lower HDL-c levels compared to pre-menopausal women. On average, women in the sample consumed 9.54 grams of coconut oil each day, with pre-menopausal women reporting higher intake than post-menopausal women.
Coconut oil intake was biased towards the younger, more educated women and those with smaller BMI, and less pregnancies but not for post-menopausal women . Similarly, coconut oil intake was higher among women living in households with more assets and in more urban areas. The level of coconut oil intake was higher among women with more total energy intake. Similarly, lipid measures (TC, HDL-c, LDL-c, triglyceride levels) increased with increasing intake of coconut oil.
he results that showed coconut oil did not elevate TC, triglyceride levels and TC/HDL ratio in general even if menopausal status was accounted for.
Menopause was a significant modifier of the relationship between coconut oil and lipid levels. This finding supports an earlier study that showed a protective effect of endogenous estrogen with increased HDL-c levels and reduced LDL levels among pre-menopausal women compared to post-menopausal women . According to Sacks the hormonal changes associated with menopause, including low plasma levels of estrogen and a marked increase in leutenizing and follicle stimulating hormone levels have a positive effect on the metabolism of plasma lipids and lipoproteins. The reduction in estrogen levels brought by menopause has an apparent adverse effect on the plasma lipids and lipoproteins .
This study because of its design has not been able to control for other external factors and is less stringent than a randomized controlled trial. However, this study has its merits of having a large sample population and high quality data. With the use of two measures of coconut oil intake, it has shown the importance of coconut oil on lipid measures. It is one of the few studies from the Philippines that support the beneficial effects of coconut oil use. Oil consumption was lower in the CLHNS sample compared to the country with 18% than in other developed countries like the United States with 33% yet the positive effects on the good cholesterol was shown. Further studies need to be explored to determine the association of coconut oil consumption in other populations to provide evidence on the positive effects of coconut oil usage and correct the notion that coconut oil is harmful to ones health.
Credits: Alan B. Feranil,Paulita L. Duazo,Christopher W. Kuzawa,and Linda S. Adair
USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
More Information at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3146349/?tool=pubmed
– WF Team