On Fri, 31 Jul 1998, Richard Geller wrote:

> Todd Moody wrote:
> >
> > It is incomprehensible to me that whole peanuts should be
> > rejected because of a conjectured cholesterol-raising effect
> > while coconut oil, a refined and concentrated substance with
> > well-documented cholesterol-raising effects, is acceptable.
>
> Todd, I'm sure you have good evidence to back this up. It is my
> understanding that this coconut oil thing is based upon several
> misleading studies that use hydrogenated tropical fats. Subsequent
> study has to my understanding debunked this tropical fat cholesterol
> scare. Malaysian people have very low rates of heart disease. I
> read several studies (don't have them at hand) backing this up.

I'd be happy to be shown to be mistaken about coconut oil.  I
have searched Medline for various studies concerning cholesterol
and have found more than a few in which coconut oil is used in
comparison to other fats.  That's what I based my comment on.  I
do *not* automatically think that high cholesterol equates to
higher heart disease rates, so the fact that Malaysian people
have low rates of heart disease may not be relevant.  According
to Ravnskov, the Japanese also have low rates of heart disease,
but not lower cholesterol readings.

> Coconut oil is available in refined or "semi refined" states. Refined
> is fractionated and often hydrogenated. Semi refined contains lots
> of coconut flavors and presumably other coconut compounds and is
> the type Malaysians use in cooking (when they are not simply skimming
> the oily part of coconut "milk" and using that.)

I have no information as to what kind was used in the various
studies.  If I understand the chemistry correctly (doubtful), a
saturated fat cannot be artificially hydrogenated precisely
because the term "saturation" means that it is naturally
hydrogenated.  When polyunsaturated fats are hydrogenated they
are in fact artificially "saturated" with hydrogen atoms.

Todd Moody
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