Video: Is Coconut Oil or Butter Healthier? How Healthy Is Canola Oil Really? Olive Oil Buyer's Guide Healthy Low Fat Recipes and Menus Can you zap fat with fat? Can honey make you healthier? Why the new study on high-fructose corn syrup and weight gain is flawed More Diet Tips & Recipes 6 Secrets to Losing Weight 3 Antidotes to Overeating Quick and Healthy Low-Calorie Recipes and Menus Breakfasts That Fight Fat 5 “bad” foods you should be eating Weight-Loss Diet Meal Plan A. There is science to suggest that the tropical oil may cause a slight (temporary) boost in your metabolism. Anytime you eat, the process of digesting food burns off about 10 percent of the calories you consume. For example, if you consume 500 calories in a meal, your body uses about 50 of those calories to transform food into the energy that fuels your body. But theoretically if you eat a 500-calorie meal and replace the fat from oils or butter with coconut oil, your metabolism will speed up and burn more like 15 percent, or 75 calories.

It comes down to the molecular structure of the oil and how the body digests it. The fatty acids in coconut oil (called medium-chain triacylglycerols, or MCT) are shorter and more water-soluble than those in other oils, such as olive or canola. “So they’re more directly routed to the liver, where they’re readily burned for fuel,” explains Peter Jones, Ph.D., professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Unique Ways To Hang Grommet CurtainsTherefore, they have less opportunity to be deposited in fat stores.Best Flooring For Gazebo But there is no scientific evidence to show that consuming coconut oil helps people lose weight. Gothic Wedding Dress CostumeThere is one recent study, however, using an MCT oil, which suggests coconut oil may work in the same way.

In the study, 31 overweight men and women followed a low-calorie diet that included just over a tablespoon for women and just under two tablespoons for men each day of either an MCT oil or olive oil. After four months, the MCT-oil users lost an average of 7 pounds; the olive oil group just 3 pounds. The investigators suggested that the metabolic boost produced by the MCT oil likely played a role. Even if coconut oil does help people lose weight, few nutrition experts recommend it, since coconut oil is loaded with saturated fat: 12 grams in 1 tablespoon versus 7 grams in a tablespoon of butter. Bottom Line: The extra calorie burn produced by coconut oil might give you a slight edge, but only if you make room by eating less of something else. A tablespoon of any oil sets you back around 120 calories. I prefer the pills.Love Coconut OilSize: 120|Extra Virgin Coconut PilSize: 120|People Stop Wasting your Money on Capsules!!!!!!!I've noticed a difference in my ability to remember.

Virgin Coconut OilSize: 120|I like the product but i recently discovered how much time ... See all 14 answered questions Customers also viewed these itemsJarrow Formulas Coconut Oil 100% Organic Extra Virgin, Supports Cardiovascular Health,...344Organic Coconut Oil 2000mg. Highest Grade Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for Skin, Healthy...389Nature's Way Coconut Oil Soft Gels, 120 Count109Nutri Essentials Extra Virgin & Organic Coconut oil 3000 mg per Serving 180 Softgels167Need customer service? Appointments at Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations. Can coconut oil help me lose weight? Answers from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. The few small studies that have looked at coconut oil for weight loss suggest that coconut oil may help reduce waist size, but it doesn't lead to significant weight loss or improved body mass index (BMI). Coconut oil is a tropical oil that's made from the dried fruit (nut) of the coconut palm tree.

Proponents say that it contains a healthy type of saturated fatty acid (lauric acid) that your body quickly burns for energy. The oil extracted from fresh coconut contains a relatively large amount of medium-chain fatty acids, which don't appear to be stored in adipose tissue as readily as do long-chain fatty acids. This in part is why some people started looking at coconut oil as a weight-loss aid. However, coconut oil is still high in calories and saturated fat. Coconut oil has more saturated fat than lard does. Short-term studies have suggested medium-chain fatty acids, such as lauric acid, do not raise serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol as much as do long-chain fatty acids. However, there are few long-term studies looking at the relationship between coconut oil and heart health. In addition, 1 tablespoon contains 13.6 grams of fat and 117 calories. Consuming too much will give you extra calories — and that can signal to your body that it's time to store more fat.

Even if the stored fat doesn't come directly from the coconut oil, high doses of coconut oil could still indirectly contribute to the very problem you are trying to address. Although eating coconut oil in moderation isn't going to result in great harm to your health, it's not likely to help you lose weight either. For successful, long-term weight loss, stick to the basics — an overall healthy-eating plan and exercise. Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. Caffeine: Can it help me lose weight?Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Accessed June 5, 2015.Fat facts cholesterol, too. In: American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. 4th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 27. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Liau KM, et al. An open-label pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of virgin coconut oil in reducing visceral adiposity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.