There have been both studies favouring the use of coconut oil and studies showing negative side-effects, so I regard coconut oil as "unproven" re health-benefits. I'd agree, though, that anything is better than hydrogenated oils.
 
As for coconut being used as a biofuel, this is a well-established fact. Just search online  under "oconut oil biofuel" or "coconut oil biodiesel" and you'll find endless references(eg:-
 
http://tinyurl.com/2fg9pg
 
)
 
Geoff> ------------------------------> > Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:05:30 -0300> From: Juergen Botz <[log in to unmask]>> Subject: Re: Re Coconut Oil and Palm-oil> > Geoffrey Purcell wrote:> > I should warn you that coconut-oil and palm-kernel-oil are rather=20> > dangerous fad foods. There's no real proof that they are effective> > in anyway, [...]> > There is significant scientific evidence accumulating that coconut> oil has various beneficial effects, and some of that applies to> other medium chain saturated fatty acids based oils (such as=20> palm oil) as well.> > In any case, if you need a cooking oil, coconut oil is excellent> because it is stable at high temperatures, and also because it> keeps for at least 2 years at ambient temperatures without any> kind of processing or preservatives.> > In fact, until about WWII coconut oil was the primary commercial> vegetable oil, precisely for that reason. The development of> hydrogenation as a preservative changed that, and soon thereafter> margarine and other hydrogenated fats became a huge portion of> the western diet. I belive that this one development was probably=20> the single worst thing that happened to nutritional health of=20> our civilization in the last century (before that it was the=20> switch to increasingly refined grains from whole grains).> > > but, even worse than that, they are the spur=20> > behind the current psychotic(and useless) biofuels craze> > This is true for palm oil and palm kernel oil (i.e. oil of the=20> fruits and seeds of the oil palm or dend=EA) but not coconut oil.> Coconut oil is not economical for biofuel and I know of no=20> place where coconut is grown specifically for biofuel.> > :j
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