Rosedale briefly mentions coconut oil and claims that although it is
saturated it is metabolized by the body differently than saturated fats
from animal products and may have health benefits.  He just touches on the
subject but does not go any further.

It would seem to me that if saturated fat in general increases insulin
resistance, then it would be impossible for a type 2 diabetic to lose body
fat on a low carb, high saturated fat dietary regime -- but this isn't the
case.  Check out this study posted on Barry Grove's excellent web site.

Hays JH, Gorman RT, Shakir KM. Results of use of metformin and replacement
of starch with saturated fat in diets of patients with type 2 diabetes.
Endocr Pract 2002 May-Jun;8(3):177-83
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12113629&dopt=Abstract
Christiana Care Health Services, Inc., Cardiology Research, Newark,
Delaware 19718, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To improve glycemic control by substituting saturated fat for
starch, to identify any adverse effect on lipids masked by the extensive
use of metformin and lipid-lowering drugs, and to attempt to separate
dietary effects from effects of multiple drugs.
METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of medical records of patients
who completed 1 year of follow-up after dietary prescription. The study
subjects included 151 patients in the diet group (whose dietary
instructions included high saturated fat but starch avoidance ) and 132
historical control subjects (who were allowed unlimited monounsaturated fat
but had restriction of starch in their diets).
RESULTS:


Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels improved in both study groups (-1.4 +/- 0.2%
[P <0.001]; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.9 to -0.9). Use of metformin
was associated with a decrease in HbA1c ( -0.12 +/- 0.003%/mo [P <0.001];
95% CI, -0.17 to -0.07). The diet group had an additional decrease of -0.7
+/- 0.2% (P <0.001; 95% CI, -1.1 to -0.3).
Weight increase was associated with the use of insulin (+0.3 +/- 0.07 kg/mo
[P <0.001]; 95% CI, 0.2 to 0.5), sulfonylurea (+0.18 +/- 0.06 kg/mo
[P<0.01]; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.30), and troglitazone (+0.7 +/- 0.2 kg/mo
[P<0.005]; 95% CI, 0.3 to 1.2). Although not statistically significant,
metformin therapy showed a trend for weight loss (-0.14 +/- 0.08 kg/mo; P =
0.07).
An additional weight loss was noted in the diet group ( -2.65 +/- 0.62 kg
[P <0.001]; 95% CI, -3.87 to -1.44).
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor [statin] use was
associated with reduced total cholesterol level ( -1.7 +/- 0.6 mg/dL per
month [P <0.005]; 95% CI, -2.9 to -0.5). The diet group had an additional
decrease of -13.0 +/- 4.5 mg/dL (P <0.001; 95% CI, -21.9 to -4.1).
No significant effect of the diet on triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein,
or high-density lipoprotein levels was detected.

CONCLUSION: Addition of saturated fat and removal of starch from a high-
monounsaturated fat and starch-restricted diet improved glycemic control
and were associated with weight loss without detectable adverse effects on
serum lipids.

COMMENT: 1. Diet reduced HbA1c by six times as much as drugs. 2. Diet
reduced weight where drugs had little effect. 3. The high-fat diet reduced
total cholesterol seven times as much as statins (the drug of choice).