Does healthy saturated fat exist?
Sometimes all kinds of health benefits are attributed to exotic products. Coconut oil is a good example of this. Are these (pre)judgments actually correct? We spoke to Patricia Schutte of the Nutrition Center about this.
1.
Unsaturated fat is healthy, saturated fat is unhealthy, that’s the ‘rule’. However, coconut oil is said to contain healthy saturated fats, because the fatty acids are medium in size. Is this correct?“No. Even though coconut oil is a vegetable fat, it contains mostly saturated fat. Most of that is lauric acid, or C12:0. Lauric acid increases the LDL cholesterol and is therefore – just like the other saturated fats – unhealthy. Some people argue that lauric acid is a ‘healthier’ saturated fatwould be. There are no approved health claims from the European Food Safety Organization EFSA for this. So there is insufficient evidence for this.
A report by the EFSA (2010) on fats does state that there may be differences between the different types of saturated fat. This concerns the effect on the lipoprotein in the blood. However, the report also states that there is currently insufficient research data available to make any statements about this.”
2.
Coconut oil is also said to have other health benefits. For example, the lauric acid in the oil is said to be a weapon against viruses and bacteria, making it effective against, for example, chlamydia and stomach problems. To what extent are these health benefits scientifically substantiated?
“Actually, the same applies here as with the previous question: there are no approved health claims for lauric acid. There are indications that lauric acid has such health benefits, but what matters is that the effect must be demonstrated in humans. And that is not yet the case. case, hence the EFSA has not approved the claim.”
3.
Coconut oil is seen as a weight loss aid: it stimulates combustion and has a satiating effect. Is this true?
“No, there is currently no good scientific substantiation for this effect either.”
4.
Is it true that coconut oil is the most stable form of fat and that coconut oil is therefore extremely suitable for baking and even deep-frying?
“Coconut oil is indeed suitable for frying and frying, and even for deep-frying. However, by current standards it is unhealthy saturated fat. We do not recommend this.”
5.
What about contaminated coconut oil, is there a lot of talk about that?
“All food products that come on the market in the European Union are subject to strict requirements that suppliers must meet. One of those requirements has to do with contaminants. Various laws contain requirements for maximum amounts of dioxins, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), dioxin- like PCBs, pesticides, etc. Based on so-called raw material certificates, it is possible to trace which coconut oil comes from where.
