Is coconut oil good for you?

You may have heard people call coconut oil a "superfood", but is coconut oil really good for you and your heart?

Coconut oil is a plant-based oil that is made from the flesh of coconuts. It is solid at room temperature and becomes liquid when heated. 

As well as being used for cooking, it is also used on hair and skin.

Is coconut oil healthy?

More than 80% of coconut oil is saturated fat. 

When you eat too much saturated fat, the LDL cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, in your blood increases. This increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. 

For this reason, coconut oil is not a good choice for heart health.  

There are other cooking oils which are much lower in saturated fats, such as olive, canola, or avocado oil. 

More about cooking oils 

Will coconut oil increase cholesterol?

Yes, research shows that coconut oil raises total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. 

A simple way to manage your cholesterol and reduce your heart disease risk is to switch coconut oil for unsaturated plant oils, like olive, canola, or sunflower.

More about cholesterol 

What about coconut oil and MCT claims?

Some people point to research on medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) or traditional Pacific diets. 

However, the research on MCT oils doesn’t apply to coconut oil. 

MCT oils mainly contain caprylic and capric fatty acids, while coconut oil mostly contains lauric acid. Even though lauric acid is often called a medium-chain fat, it behaves like a long-chain fat during digestion and metabolism. 

Also, the fat molecules (triglycerides) in MCT oil are smaller than those in coconut oil, so the body processes them in very different ways.

What does the Heart Foundation NZ recommend?

• Choose liquid plant oils like olive, canola, or sunflower oil for everyday cooking and salad dressings 
• Get healthy fats from nuts, seeds, oily fish, and avocado as part of a balanced diet​ 
• If you enjoy the taste, there's no need to avoid coconut completely, but don't use it as your main cooking oil.​ 

Want more evidence?  

Coconut oil position statement 

Choosing fats and cooking oils