In the 1960s, food manufacturers sought to persuade consumers to buy their margarines and hydrogenated oils. To do that, they had to “discredit” the products people had always used in their homes to prepare their food. Olive oil, coconut oil, and lard were no longer “good for you,” they said. The marketing campaign for their synthetic products began, and coconut oil was portrayed as an artery-clogging and cholesterol-raising substance. People were told that it contained too much saturated fat and contributed to heart attacks.
Flash forward four decades later. In the midst of an obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer explosion, scientists discover that it is not healthy fats found in coconut oil and other natural products that are bad for you.
It was, in fact, the very goods the food manufacturers had been pushing on their consumers for thirty years. The trans-fats contained in these “fake foods” were incredibly dangerous to your entire body. High-fat, high-sugar, and high-carb diets were put under the microscope and found guilty.
Over-processed, pre-made synthetic foods filled with additives, preservatives, dyes, and high levels of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and other unnatural fillers were found to be the true culprits behind the Western world’s health decline.
After all these years, coconut oil is getting the positive scientific attention it deserves. There’s a reason cultures around the world have been using it for thousands of years. The benefits of coconut oil have filled entire books. There are very good reasons for that. Let’s talk a little about the history.
Coconut Oil’s Bad Rap
How did food manufacturers manage to discredit an oil used by civilizations throughout history that didn’t experience the disease rates we in the United States currently face?
Dr. Thomas Brenna of Cornell University explained the magic trick the food industry pulled on this amazing oil.
Most studies involving coconut oil used partially hydrogenated coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil, which has not been chemically treated, is a different thing in terms of a health risk perspective.”
His research made it clear that natural, organic coconut oil was not the culprit. Once coconut oil is chemically altered to a hydrogenated state, it is no longer natural or organic. They are two very different products and have opposite effects on the human body.
Dr. Brenna’s findings were supported by Dr. Ancel Keys.
In the 1950s, Dr. Keys suspected a link between heart disease and hydrogenated oils. He began a series of studies to test his hypothesis. He investigated a Wisconsin dairy farmer whose cholesterol levels initially neared 1000, far higher than the United States “normal” range of 200-230.
Dr. Keys put him on a diet that replaced margarine with coconut oil. His cholesterol level dropped to 300 in one week. He changed the man’s diet again, adding back the margarine that had been part of his daily food intake. Within days, his cholesterol went back up. The topic of cholesterol and heart disease is a topic for another article altogether. Despite what you hear, the research actually indicates that cholesterol does not cause heart disease.
This particular experiment raised public awareness and sparked health concerns among consumers. The vegetable oil industry proceeded to divert the public’s attention by criticizing and attacking all tropical oils, particularly coconut oil. The soybean industry followed suit. Soon enough, the public quieted down, and the manufacturers went back to “business as usual.”
A group of researchers published a paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1981 about their study of two groups of Polynesians. Both groups were instructed to consume coconut oil as their primary source of energy. The results showed positive circulatory and vascular functions in both populations. There was no indication that high intake of saturated fat caused harm.
The “French Paradox” – a study of low coronary heart disease mortality rates and increased intake of saturated fat – confirmed their findings.
The Unique Coconut Oil Benefits
With advances in technology and scientific breakthroughs, numerous studies over the past decade have shown coconut oil to be a “good” saturated fat and incredibly healthy.
Pure coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid that is converted to monolaurin by your body. In fact, 50% of coconut oil is lauric acid, a compound commonly found in human breast milk, making it one of the best dietary sources of this nutrient. Lauric acid is beneficial in deterring parasites, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and viruses.
Coconut oil also consists of 86.5% saturated fatty acids, 5.8% monounsaturated fatty acids, and 0% trans-fat. It is comprised of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), contrary to vegetable or seed oils consisting of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). LCFAs are stored in the body as LDL cholesterol, contribute to hardening of the arteries, and strain the pancreas and liver.
MCFAs support the immune system with their antimicrobial properties. They are easily digested and converted to energy.
Studies indicate that MCFAs increase feelings of fullness and reduce calorie intake compared with the same number of calories from other fats. When MCFAs are metabolized, ketone bodies are created in the liver. Ketone bodies have been shown to have a strong appetite-reducing effect. Coupled with its stimulatory effect on metabolism, it’s easy to see why coconut oil makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight.
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In the 1930s, Dr. Weston Price, a dentist by profession, traveled throughout the South Pacific to examine traditional diets and their effects on dental hygiene and overall health. He observed that people whose diets contain high amounts of coconut products were healthy and trim. Despite their high fat intake, there was no evidence of heart disease.
Another study in the 1940s found that when farmers used coconut oil as a fattening substance for their livestock, the animals became leaner instead. The high levels of MCFA in coconut oil maintain the thyroid gland’s optimal control of metabolism, ultimately resulting in weight loss.
In recent decades, society has been misinformed into believing that eliminating saturated fats from its diet is necessary for healthy living. We’ve been told that shunning these fats would prevent heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Raw, organic, virgin coconut oil is considered a superfood because it supports cardiovascular health, helps heal damaged cells that can lead to cancer and other diseases, and cleanses the body.
People worldwide are now realizing the numerous benefits of coconut oil. The truth is, it provides us with crucial nutrients not found anywhere else and is indeed a healthier choice for total body wellness.
Editor’s Note: This article was initially published in 2022 and has been updated in 2026.
Article Summary
In the 1960s, coconut oil was falsely portrayed as an artery-clogging and cholesterol-raising substance.
4 decades later, we now realize that the highly processed foods are the culprit.
Research actually indicates that cholesterol does not cause heart disease.
Numerous studies in the past decade have proven coconut oil to be a “good” saturated fat and incredibly healthy.
Coconut oil is comprised of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs).
Studies indicate that MCFAs help increase feelings of fullness and lead to a reduction in calorie intake when compared to the same amount of calories from other fats.
I find it so ironic that Ansel Keys actually saw the benefits of saturated fat, yet he gave thousands of dollars to push the false narrative, to the American Heat Association and that is why HEART DIS-EASE is the leading cause of death
Bravo! Thank you for pointing out this crucial fact. I was flabbergasted while reading the Bollinger’s article and its’ inaccurate description of what was actually Keys misdeed. Ancel Keys cast himself as a true villain when he radically skewed the true findings of his study in exchange for celebrity in his time.
I find it Ironic that Ancel Keys saw the benefits of saturated fat. Yet he gave thousands of dollars to push the false narrative to the American Heart Association.
Good article! Shouldn’t real butter also be included as one of the healthy ancestral fats like coconut oil, lard and olive ve oil?
I heard someone say that “Coconut Oil becomes oxidized within a few minutes after it is processed”; and, the oxidation causes harm to the body. I have never heard anything about this before. How much truth is there in this statement??
Happy Birthday Ty.You and Charlene have been a Godsent to my daughter Stephanie in helping her through cancer issues.Keep up the God-inspired work.
My granny lived until 96 years old, ,died in the 1970’s still had all her marbles.. Great granny lived till she was 98 yrs.old died sometime in 20th century. neither had any vaccines and ate lard, butter and dripping. Nothing much existed that was pre-prepared except maybe some canned food. Didn’t have any major diseases, just worn out by a lifetime of hard work.
I have been using coconut oil to fry my French fries and in some of my cooked vegetables instead of vegetable oil and animal butter because of my cholesterol being high. I am trying to keep my cholesterol as low as possible.