The purpose of this article is to enlighten you on some of the benefits of the use of coconut oil. Yes coconut oil. Coconut oil is a very nutritous product and is one of the most edible fats around. It is good for both internal and external use any can be used in many different applications. It can be used as a cooking oil,  for energy, to boost metabolism, for weight loss, to help assist thyroid function, for a healthy heart, and to boost immune function.

Externally it makes an excellent massage oil. Coconut oil is used as a base in many skin care products, lotions, and hair care products. The health and beauty industry has recognized the many benefits of this product and it has been a staple health and beauty product for decades. Coconut oil is known for its resistance to oxidation and is very beneficial as a skin care product because of the fact that it blocks the degenerating effects of free radicals which cause aging by damaging healthy cells.

Coconut oil was once used plentifully in this country until WWII caused supply to not meet demand. This resulted in the advent of other cooking and skin care products to fill the vacuum. There were two famous studies done on the residents of the tropical pacific regions which did much to document the benefits of coconut oil. In the 1930's Dr. Weston Price who was a dentist travelled tropical countries where coconuts were a dietary staple and found the coconut to have many of the beneficial effects noted above. In addition to superior skin tone and youthfullness the islanders had superior muscle tone. This would seem to be odd since coconuts contain so much fat but we will discuss that later.

The same results were cited in a 1981 study of populations where coconuts were the chief source of caloric intake. The 1981 study served to confirm the results of Dr. Prices earlier studies.

As a dietary product coconut oil can be used as a cooking oil with very good health benefits. The main benefit is that coconut oil resists the destabilizing effects of heat. It dosen't break down into harmful compounds as readily as most other cooking oils. In addition, it can be used as a dressing for many different fruits and vegetable dishes.

Farmers once attempted to use coconut oil to fatten up their livestock before taking them to market but the experiment didn't work. The livestock became leaner and more lively as a result of using coconut oil. The reason for this is the type of triglycerides in the oil. Coconut oil is made of medium chain triglycerides rather than the long chain triglycerides. The importance of this is the way that they are utilized by the body. The shorter chain fats are more readily broken down and used for energy while the longer chain fatty acids are more readily stored as body fat. More available energy means more energy used, and more energy used means more energy needed. This also translates to a faster metabolism and more muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat thus less fat is stored. One chemical compound which coconuts are rich in is lauric acid. You may ask why this is important. It is important because lauric acid is vital to boosting immune function in the human body. Breast milk is also high in this chemical compound. Coconut oil can be an excellent diet aid when used judiciously.

Here I want to highlight the skin care effects of coconut oil. The major benefit of using this product as a lotion or as a massage oil is that it is beneficial to restoring elasticity to the skin. When you use it in massage the benefits are many fold. You enjoy the benefits of massage along with the health benefits. I always harp on the benefits of using oils on the skin instead of lotions. They are too many to ignore. The antioxidizing effects of coconut oil has an antiaging effect on the skin. Remember when we talked earlier about how coconut oil blocks the negative effects of free radicals. Free radicals are the chemical compounds which attack skin cells and cause ageing. Coconut oil reduces wrinkles by streghtening the connective tissues in the skin. It penetrates the layers of the skin to nourish and protect the underlying layers.

You can see by the evidence that I have cited here why coconut oil is such a superior product.You should seriously examine this article and other references for this product and determine how you can include it in your diet and skin repetoire.

To go back to the list Click Here