Coconut oil for weight loss: how and why it stimulates the metabolism
Coconut is the tasty tropical fruit that is enjoyed not only on the hottest days on the beach, but the juice is also extracted to make drinks, oils or snacks from ethnic and non-ethnic cuisines. Coconut oil is used not only in the kitchen, in the preparation of sweet and savory dishes, aimed at exploiting the characteristic aroma, but also in the natural cosmetics industry for the treatment of skin, hair and various beauty. In this video you will see the many ways to take advantage of coconut oil!
Coconut: the tropical fruit to add to your diet
Cocos Nucifera is the scientific name for coconut, the plant of which originates in the tropical countries of Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines and, as mentioned, is consumed as food, both sweet and salty, but also as an oil or snack in following the numerous nutritional properties provided by a regular consumption of the pulp. Precisely for the benefits it possesses, even Western cuisine has adopted coconut oil and coconut itself, for the versatile taste it guarantees. The extracted oil, however, is used in different ways, making full use of all its properties. and the benefits it enjoys. For this reason it is widely used as a condiment in the kitchen but also, as mentioned, in cosmetics, as a natural remedy for beauty treatments, nourishing for skin and hair.
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In the past, coconut oil was condemned by a smear campaign which aimed to limit the consumption of coconut by citing propaganda, at the center of which were listed the harmful effects it possesses. First of all, according to this position, the high saturated content of coconut and how this would lead to increased cardiovascular risk.
However, studies in the following decades re-evaluated these considerations thanks to a "detailed analysis of the lipid fraction, which allowed a clearer and more exhaustive interpretation of the functions of the individual components. It is in fact necessary to distinguish long-chain fats from medium chain fats: in the first case palmitic acid, stearic acid and myristic acid are mentioned; for medium-chain fats, on the other hand, lauric acid, caprylic acid and capric acid. The most represented category is the latter and attributes various properties to coconut oil, among which there seems to be precisely that of making you lose weight.
Coconut oil for weight loss: why?
Among the benefits of "coconut oil, as mentioned, there is therefore the ability to allow you to lose weight, but why does this happen? And what is the correct way to enjoy this beneficial property?
First of all, coconut oil has a promoting action of fat metabolism, thus making it useful in the slimming process. This capacity might seem a contradiction, given its lipid nature: its composition, in fact, is almost entirely of lipids, as well as the energy supplied for about 100 grams of product consumed is equal to about 800 kilocalories.
However, we can assure you that coconut oil actually makes you lose weight. This is explained by the high content in medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) e medium chain triglyceride (MCT), i.e. medium-chain fats and medium-chain triglycerides, respectively. Fatty acids are placed in these categories based on the length of their chain, that is, based on the number of carbon atoms present in the chain itself.
Medium-chain fats are made up of chains of 6 up to even 12 carbons; medium chain triglycerides, on the other hand, are complexes made up of a molecule of glycerol linked to 3 molecules of MCFA.
We mentioned lauric acid in the medium chain triglycerides (with 12 carbons) present in coconut oil, which has significant consequences in the digestion and absorption process. In fact, MCTs are more soluble in water and digested by pancreatic lipases and compared to long-chain triglycerides, thus releasing lauric acid which is mainly transported to the liver through the portal vein.
From here, lauric acid will be metabolized in the mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of the cells of our body, permitting more rapidly through the membrane without the use of the "shuttle" used by long-chain fatty acids, carnitine.
Once inside the mitochondrion, lauric acid, as well as the other fatty acids of coconut oil, are metabolized in the "beta-oxidation" mechanism and broken up into smaller molecules, the acetyl-CoA, which can be converted into ketone bodies, sources of energy for other tissues, including the brain and heart.
That's not all: coconut oil seems to help you lose weight for another reason that sees the involvement of lauric acid: it seems to directly activate two fundamental proteins in the metabolism of fatty acids. In one case homeostasis enters. of fatty acids with the consequent improvement of the insulin response. The second protein is instead associated with brown adipose tissue, which specializes in burning fat. With the activation of this second protein, therefore, lauric acid promotes the dissipation of the energy produced by the fats themselves in heat. Consequently, integrating coconut oil in one's diet seems to lead to a stimulation of the metabolism of fats, thus eliminating excess fat. Of course, it is essential that this food is inserted in the context of a "healthy and hypo / normocaloric diet."
Furthermore, according to studies, the greatest benefits have been found in cases of slow metabolism or weight loss block.
Coconut oil for weight loss: Makes you burn more calories
It is not a "utopia nor a paradox: coconut oil is thermogenic, meaning it allows you to burn more fat and therefore lose calories. In one study it was found that 15-30 grams of coconut oil, about 1-2 tablespoons, per day increases energy expenditure by 5%, for a total of 120 kilo calories per day! The study in question is certainly not unique: the world of scientific research and nutrition has mobilized, confirming these discoveries. By replacing fats with medium-chain fats, you burn more calories.
Furthermore, recent studies show that abdominal fat is mostly lost.
Coconut Oil for Weight Loss: Makes you feel full
Other studies have shown that the fats we have just defined MCT increase the sense of satiety and automatically lead to a painless reduction in calories. This is probably linked to the way these fats are metabolized: the ketones produced by the liver after ingesting coconut oil can in fact have a beneficial effect on reducing appetite.
