7. On the Other Hand, Maybe the Opposite
The reason that there is so much debate over the health value of coconut oil is that many of the claims made about it come from one study. That study was done by a woman named Marie-Pierre St-Onge on the benefits of medium-chain triglycerides. Coconut oil does contain more MCTs than other sources of fat, but St-Onge’s study was done with a designer oil that contained 100% MCTs. Regular coconut oil only contains about 13-15%.
And while some studies have shown that coconut oil can have a beneficial effect on bad cholesterol levels, other studies have failed to discern a difference between the behavior of coconut oil and any other saturated fat. That has led the American Heart Association to issue a warning against consuming it.