Despite gaining a lot of media attention recently, this tropical wonder oil (and other coconut products) is advertised as being good for just about everything — from weight loss, boosting the immune system, better brain function, less wrinkles to fighting various diseases, yet do these claims for coconut oil’s healthiness stack up?

Coconut oil is more than 90 per cent saturated fat (a much higher proportion than butter), however we now know that not all ‘saturated’ fats are created equal. Unlike fats from animal sources, coconut oil is composed largely of lauric acid, a type of saturated fat which tends to mimic healthy unsaturated fats by boosting HDL (good) cholesterol.

However, numerous reports show that it also raises LDL (bad) cholesterol just like other saturated fats, such as butter. Granted it may be a better choice than butter, coconut oil is still not recommended as a suitable alternative to unsaturated oils, such as extra virgin olive oil and therefore should be consumed in moderation.

Courtesy: Nutrition Australia