Study Finds Eating Coconut Oil Daily Reduces Waist Size and Body Fat

Weight Loss coconut oil

Looking for a way to get rid of unwanted body fat?  A daily dose of coconut oil can help you shed that extra fat that has been holding you back from the confidence and self-esteem that you seek, finds new research.

Triglycerides are fats in the bloodstream that are used for producing energy, and in 2010, Chinese researchers tested the metabolic effects of medium and long-chain triglycerides (MLCT) versus long-chain triglycerides (LCT).  Long-chain triglycerides are found in unsaturated fats such as soybean or safflower oil.  Medium-chain triglycerides, which are metabolized more efficiently, can be found in milk and most abundantly in coconut oil.  According to coconut oil expert Dr. Bruce Fife, “Probably 98 to 100% of all the fats we eat consist of LCT.”

In their double-blind, randomized and controlled protocol, subjects ingested either 25–30 g/day MLCT or LCT oil as the only cooking oil for 8 consecutive weeks.  When comparing subjects in the long-chain triglyceride (LCT) group to the medium and long-chain (MLCT) group, “subjects in the MLCT group showed significantly greater decrease in body weight, BMI, body fat, WC, ratio of WC to HC, total fat area and subcutaneous fat area in the abdomen”.

An immediate effect of consuming medium-chain triglycerides was an increase in the metabolic rate of subjects participating in the study, which sheds light on the mechanism by which MCT’s help reduce body fat.  Researchers found that the MCT-containing meals boosted basal metabolic rates by an average of 12% as compared to 4 percent in the LCT-containing meals.

Medium-Chain Triglycerides and the Metabolic Rate

Simply put, your metabolic rate, or metabolism, is the rate at which your body produces energy.  Children have high metabolic rates, and as a result, they eat a lot, are creative, have abundant energy, and heal extremely quickly.  Contrary to popular belief, the higher your metabolic rate, the longer you will live.  A study in 2002 examined the life span in three types of hamsters, and one type, known for its 20% greater metabolic rate than the rest, lived 15% longer than the hamsters with lower metabolic rates.

How do MCT’s improve the metabolic rate?

Coconut oil increase the efficiency with which all the cells that make up your body produce energy.  “MCT are easily digested, absorbed, and put to use nourishing the body” writes Dr. Fife. “Unlike other fats” he continues, “they put little strain on the digestive system and provide a quick source of energy necessary to promote healing.”

Conclusion

Whereas long-chain fatty acids, such as vegetable oil, are typically stored as fat by the body, medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil and milk boost thyroid function, and are efficiently used as energy. Even more amazing is that, as the authors of the study concluded, increasing dietary intake of Medium-Chain Triglycerides could result in weight loss even without reducing the amount of food consumed.

Beyond it’s fat-busting properties, coconut oil has been shown in numerous scientific studies to be a powerful killer of cancer cells.  So not only will you slim down and reduce your body fat stores just by adding coconut oil to your diet, you will also be protecting yourself from a variety of diseases including cancer.  See our article titled Scientists Discover Lauric Acid from Coconut Oil Kills Cancer Cells to learn more.