The coconut is once again in the eye of a storm. Consumed liberally and venerated for its versatility, by a large population of Asians, the Indian nut, weathered a similar controversy in the 90s and came out tops. Today the super food is being called pure poison.
Two contrasting opinions that have broken within a week are causing confusion and suspicion among consumers of coconut oil. They are, one, the recent publication of a research paper titled Coconut and Other Nutritional Errors by Dr Karin Michels, an epidemiologist at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, who has attributed the fruit to be one of the worst foods one can eat, alleging its high content of saturated fatty acids to be reason for bad cholesterol or LDL that increases the risk of heart disease. In direct contest, although coincidentally, the virgin coconut oil (VCO) is set to be championed as the healthiest oil on earth and the most versatile oil at the recently held Asia Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) Conference in Bangkok that concluded last week.
So where do these conflicting scenarios leave the consumer of coconut oil? India being the largest producer of the oil and Kerala its largest consumer, the question becomes highly relevant in the present.
Dr Remany Gopalakrishnan, Retd Director in-charge Coconut Development Board who participated as a resource speaker at the Bangkok Conference says, “The coconut was much maligned in the nineties. That was a period of misconception. Those years the anti coconut propaganda was at its highest. It has resurfaced again.”
It was renowned cardiac surgeon Dr MS Valiathan, Director Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences who came out strongly against the charge in the nineties when the controversy started. The Coconut Development Board took immediate steps to counter the allegations by undertaking clinical research to prove this wrong. The research was done in many reputed institutes including Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences, Thiruvanathapuram, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Bio- Chemistry Department at Kerala University and National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad.
The findings proved that coconut oil, which indeed is a saturated fat that contains more than 60% medium chain fatty acid like Lauric acid found in breast milk, builds resistance. Hence making its consumption extremely beneficial. It was also found that along with this it also helps elevate HDL( good cholesterol).
Parallel to these researches APCC sponsored many international researches that came up with positive findings. It was found that VCO increases the immune system in HIV patients, that its consumption mitigated cognitive brain decline.
“Many researches are under way in different parts of the world. The goodness of the oil is well known to us in Kerala for hundreds of years. It is clear that the evidence against coconut oil is indirect and invalid. Last year the American Heart Association once again brought up this debate. Yes, if coconut oil is adulterated with impure and poisonous adulterants then it definitely is unhealthy. Anything has to be consumed in moderation. The right way is the way Kerala uses coconut oil. It is the healthiest oil,” says Remany.
