…COUNTERING AHA CLAIMS

Amidst the current industry boom, the American Heart Association (AHA) released a report in June on the linkage between saturated-fat consumption and heart disease based on the analysis of data and studies over many years.  The study startled many who saw coconut oil as being healthy, the Asian Journal report continued.  Thus many coconut devotees, and advocates immediately began defending coconut oil with counter studies.   

Reyes said the AHA report was very selective and missed out on a lot of important information.  For example, while saturated fats do tend to raise LDL cholesterol, many studies point out that variations in their chemical structures can create different cardiovascular effects.  They further point out that coconut oil contains lauric acid which also raises HDL, a “good” cholesterol.  It has also been noted that the AHA has been recommending a reduction in dietary saturated fat to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases, yet heart disease continues to be America’s number one leading cause of death.

This is not the first time the coconut industry has experienced the backlash.  In the 1980s, a media campaign targeted coconut oil and other tropical oils as being responsible for heart attacks due to their saturated fat content.  “It’s actually a rehash of that same advisory,” said Reyes to the Asian Journal.  The anti-tropical oil campaign encouraged food companies to consequently begin replacing tropical oils with partially hydrogenated oils which contain trans fats, something that is widely avoided today.  As trans fats were found to be bad, they were removed from processed foods and food companies went back to using tropical oils.