Coconut oil has taken the health world by storm for the last few years with fitness and nutrition fans hailing it a healthy fat. But according to a medical professor at Harvard University, the ‘healthy’ oil is actually ‘one of the worst foods you can eat’. Dr Karin Michels described the oil as ‘pure poison’ and claimed it is more likely to clog arteries than lard in a speech given in Germany last month.
Dr Michels’ claims follow a move by the American Heart Association (AHA) last year to update its guidelines, which recommended that people avoid the saturated fatty acids found in coconut oil. Among other things, she told her audience that ‘coconut oil is pure poison,’ and ‘it is one of the worst foods you can eat’, according to a translation by Business Insider. The professor said the oil is worse than lard – made from pig fat – yet 70% of Americans believed it to be one of the healthiest oils available. Coconut oil first became popular with health food fans in the early 2000s after a study by Colombia University found that coconuts contain medium-chain fatty acids which meant those who consumed it burned fat quicker than control tests. But health professionals are sceptical as there is no study that has shown any significant health benefits of coconut oil consumption.
According to Michels, coconut oil is more dangerous than lard because it almost exclusively contains saturated fatty acids, ones that can clog the coronary arteries. You can identify fats that contain large quantities of saturated fatty acids by checking to see whether they remain solid at room temperature, as is the case with butter or lard. Based on the fact that they contain a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, experts recommend olive or rapeseed oil as an alternative, and while it can’t be used for cooking, flaxseed oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and is just as good for the body.