Believe it or not — coconut oil can ACTUALLY help you lose weight and burn fat!

Born in a South Indian family who are proud of their culture and coconut oil, I am always at daggers with people who refuse to eat at my place since ‘coconut oil is so fattening’. This post is especially for all you people who think so too. It’s time to change your perception!

How does it work?

Usually used in South Indian cooking, Using coconut oil to cook is a good way to speed up the entire calorie burning process. Not only is the oil compositionally different from other oils (since it has medium chain fatty acids, as compared to long chain fatty acids that other oils are made up of) but it is also thermogenic in nature. This means that, when eaten coconut oil is stored, broken down and utilised differently by your body. Also this effect of the oil speeds up the fat burning and metabolic process of your body — helping you lose weight faster. Apart from that, medium chain fatty acids help you feel full for longer and reduce cravings.

Interestingly, a study[1] published in the journal Lipids, found that coconut oil is especially great to lose weight around your belly as it speeds up your metabolism, helping you burn the fat from your belly quickly. It also helps increase the amount of good cholersterol (HDL), keeping your heart healthy.

How to use it?

Studies suggest that having about 2 tablespoons (about 30 grams) per day is more than sufficient to help you lose weight. The easiest way to use it is as the base for cooking your daily meals. That being said, make sure you supplement this habit with a proper diet and exercise.

You may also like to read: 

• This coffee-lemon mix can help you melt off fat and lose weight!
• This Indian herb with warm water will help you shed those kilos
• Barley water — your secret weight loss tool

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References:

[1] Medium- and Long-Chain Triacylglycerols Reduce Body Fat and Blood Triacylglycerols in Hypertriacylglycerolemic, Overweight but not Obese, Chinese Individuals, Yuehong Zhang, Yinghua Liu, Jin Wang, Rongxin Zhang, Hongjiang Jing, Xiaoming Yu, Yong Zhang, Qin Xu, Jieying Zhang, Zixin Zheng, et.al. Lipids, June 2010, Volume 45, Issue 6, pp 501-510.

[2] Dulloo AG, Fathi M, Mensi N, Girardier L. Twenty-four-hour energy expenditure and urinary catecholamines of humans consuming low-to-moderate amounts of medium-chain triglycerides: a dose-response study in a human respiratory chamber. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1996 Mar;50(3):152-8. PubMed PMID: 8654328.

[3] St-Onge MP, Bourque C, Jones PJ, Ross R, Parsons WE. Medium- versus long-chain triglycerides for 27 days increases fat oxidation and energy expenditure without resulting in changes in body composition in overweight women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Jan;27(1):95-102. PubMed PMID: 12532160.

[4] Liau KM, Lee YY, Chen CK, Rasool AHG. An Open-Label Pilot Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Virgin Coconut Oil in Reducing Visceral Adiposity. ISRN Pharmacology. 2011;2011:949686. doi:10.5402/2011/949686.

 

 

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