Brazilian Study Finds that Coconut Oil can Help You Lose Belly Fat
Healthy Living
Men and women alike have excess ‘belly-fat,’ usually an anthropomorphized representation of a lack of healthy fats in our bodies- like the ones in coconut oil. A peer-reviewed study from Brazil shows how eating just two tablespoons of coconut oil a day can help whittle our middle faster than spending months on the dreaded treadmill.
Coconut oil is full of medium chain triglycerides. (MCTs) The good thing about this type of fat is that it is more likely to be burned as energy than turned into extra blubber. Additionally extra virgin, organic coconut oil is full of lauric acid and caprylic acid, two important fatty acids that contain anti-viral and anti-microbial properties, so while your body can more easily utilize these fats as easy energy, coconut oil also helps to boost immunity and keep you from getting sick.
Furthermore, the Brazilian study showed that participants had exceptionally higher rates of good cholesterol, or HDL. Also, people who ate other forms of ‘good’ fats, like soybean oil did not realize a smaller waistline, while those who consumed coconut oil did. Part of this may be because participants ‘spontaneously’ reduced the number of unhealthy carbs they were eating and naturally increased their consumption of healthy proteins – which may also account for the loss in belly fat.
The researchers in the study concluded, “Supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia [an abnormal amount of fats in the bloodstream] and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.”
Related Read: Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
A doctor, Weston Price, who traveled to the South Pacific, where people often consume high levels of coconut oil, found that they were healthy and trim despite eating a diet high in ‘fat.’ The reason for this is that coconut oil is a natural fat, and not a polyunsaturated fat, the man-made type, which can cause obesity and heart disease.
Extra virgin coconut oil can also:
- Increase heart health by increasing good cholesterol
- Support the immune system
- Reduce abdominal fat
- Help support a healthy metabolism
- Keep skin, hair and nails healthy and vibrant
- Support the thyroid in its proper functioning
Even if you don’t live in a tropical climate, you can eat just two tablespoons of coconut oil a day to enjoy better health and a smaller waistline.
 | Christina Sarich is a humanitarian and freelance writer helping you to Wake up Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New World. Her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body And Mind Through the Art of Yoga. |
Four months of eating 3 tablespoons a day of organic, cold pressed coconut oil has had zero benefit for reducing my stomach.
what happens if you are already a heart patient , would you still advise that I can start the coconut oil usage , will this impact on my heart negatively ? I do not know but would appreciate a professional advise.
Hi Peter,
I’ve been adding it to my diet by way of smoothies in the morning- with Whey protein, fresh fruits, the coconut oil, cinnamon and of course ice cubes and either Coconut milk or water- all in the blender—-Yum!!
The article clearly says to take two tablespoons daily….there's no magic formula, no special time of day to take it, just swallow it dang it! Remember K.I.S.S., Keep It Simple Stupid!
Hi. Nice article.
I know this question will probably be beyond the scope of the article and the writers professional ability to answer, but:
If I was going to take coconut oil to try and help boost weight loss around my mid section, how would I take it?
I know that this 'advice' does not constitute medical or health and fitness advice, I just wanted a 'tip' to help integrate Coconut Oil into my diet as part of my exercise routine.
Thanks.
Peter