Coconuts The New Super Food

By Brian Mciver

IT'S a food which is most commonly enjoyed as the tasty parts of a Bounty, a snowball or at the heart of a tasty shot of Malibu rum.
But the humble coconut has become the latest super food.

Experts and celebrities have all been tripping over themselves to celebrate the goodness of the tropical fruit as the latest miracle munch to cure ailments, boost health and revitalise our diets.
The milk-filled and tasty-fleshed food, has until recently only been enjoyed as a diet staple by Robinson Crusoe and the cast of Lost. But Jennifer Aniston is the latest celebrity reported to have been converted to the joys of coconuts, which is being found to have all sorts of health benefits, from fighting cancer, helping weight loss and improving heart health.

Even sport stars are getting in on the act, with the England rugby team enjoying its metabolism-boosting qualities at the recent world cup.
The key to the super food is coconut oil, which has no cholesterol, and while it is calorie rich, it is claimed the oil actually helps you lose weight, because it metabolises very fast, and is believed to actually raise the body's metabolic rate, by burning fat faster.

In the past it has been avoided by many because of its high calorie content, and also its high saturated fat content.
But the rethink of its benefits has been significant.
The key factor in the ingredient is MCT-Medium Chain Triglycerides - which are absorbed by the liver and are burned just like carbohydrates.

Regular oils and butters contain long chain fatty acids, which burn slower. A 2004 obesity research study in 2003 found that overweight men burned fat quicker by consuming virgin coconut oil.
In terms of heart health, the oil is unlike most saturated fats in that it has no cholesterol which means that levels are not increased.
And some have even claimed that the oil, which has been a staple of indigenous populations of the Asia Pacific region, also has various healing properties that can be beneficial.
However, some experts of organisations such as the British Nutrition Foundation have cast doubt over such findings, claiming they may have just short term success, while others feel the health benefits have been exaggerated.
There have been claims that the oil can help heart health, with antibacterial properties.
But one illness which seems to benefit from coconut oil consumption is Candida, the excess growth of yeast.

Experts at the National Candida Society encourage suffererers of the condition to include the oil in their diet.

Some other claims for coconut oil include that diseases such as diabetes can be helped, as well as thyroid function, vitamin absorption, digestive problems and boosting the immune system.
And some of the more excitable proponents have also suggested that it can help fight cancer, although there is currently no proof.
Despite all the claims and counter claims, the overall message seems to be that the oil has certain benefits to your diet, and may be worth a try.

The fact that it is used by the England rugby team, as well as several club rugby and football sides, shows that there must be some health benefits, and it may be worth finding out more.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/health-fitness/2008/01/21/coconuts-the-new-super-food-86908-20292911/