New research reveals significant metabolic and health risks associated with long-term coconut oil supplementation, including hormonal changes, weight gain, and inflammation. Lead researcher Marcio Alberto Torsoni advises against consuming coconut oil blindly and recommends a moderate amount according to dietary guidelines.
Scientists at the State University of Campinas observed changes in eating patterns, weight gain, signs of anxiety, and increased inflammation in the brain, adipose tissue, and liver in mice.
Article published in Functional food journal We report on a research study in which oral administration of extra virgin coconut oil supplements to mice showed significant changes in eating habits, weight gain, anxiety levels, and inflammation in the central nervous system, adipose tissue, and liver.
Researchers also discovered that leptin, an important metabolic hormone, insulin The ability to activate cellular mechanisms involved in satiety and blood sugar control may be impaired, and biochemical mechanisms involved in fat synthesis may be stimulated.
Researcher insights
Marcio Alberto Torsoni, a researcher at the Institute of Metabolic Disorders, said: “The results of this study suggest that although the process occurs slowly and quietly, long-term coconut oil supplementation contributes to the development of obesity and related comorbidities. “This suggests that it may cause significant metabolic changes.” LabDiMe) is conducted at the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the State University of Campinas (FCA-UNICAMP), São Paulo State, Brazil. He holds a PhD in Functional and Molecular Biology and completed postdoctoral studies at the UNICAMP Faculty of Medicine and the University of Michigan, USA.
LabDiMe is part of the Obesity and Comorbidity Research Center (OCRC), one of FAPESP’s Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs), and the Center for Metabolic Programming and Perinatal Management (MPPM), which receives funding from the U.S. We are collaborating with National Institutes of Health (NIH (National Institutes of Health).
Animal fat and coconut oil risks
Excessive intake of animal fats is associated with an increased risk of: cardiovascular disease, as well as obesity and diabetes. One of the components of this diet is cholesterol, but this type of fat also contains saturated fatty acids, which can activate inflammatory processes through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) and cause disease. there is.
Saturated fatty acids are also available from other sources, such as plants. For example, it makes up 90% of the fat in coconut oil. Although short-chain fatty acids make up the majority and are beneficial as they reduce inflammation, the saturated fatty acids found in coconut oil are sufficient to activate inflammatory pathways and damage many different types of cells.
“Consumption of coconut oil, either as part of the regular diet or as a dietary supplement, has increased significantly in the population,” Torsoni says. The problem is that most of the time it is consumed without the guidance of a nutritionist who can adjust the daily intake according to the individual’s needs.
experimental model
To find out whether daily consumption of coconut oil over long periods of time could cause health problems, the research group used an animal model involving healthy mice that were given coconut oil daily for eight weeks. did. This amount of coconut oil is equivalent to about 1 soup spoon (13g) of calories per day, or 5% of the calories from saturated fat in the diet of an adult of appropriate weight for his or her age and height.
Torsoni said coconut oil should be used in small amounts as part of seasonings and sauces, preferably with fresh or minimally processed vegetables. This is also the advice of the Ministry of Health’s Dietary Guidelines for Brazilian Citizens, which also recommends “an appropriate and healthy diet that combines quantity and quality and meets the needs of variety, balance, moderation and enjoyment.” I am.
“Coconut oil is not recommended as a supplement to treat disease or restore health,” Torsoni says.
Reference: “CO 2 supplementation induces lipogenesis in adipose tissue, leptin and insulin resistance in healthy Swiss mice” Alana Carolina Costa Veras, Larissa da Silva Bruzasco, Ana Beatriz Profiro Lopes, Beatriz da Silva Franco, Written by Alessandro Spencer de Souza Holanda, Andrea Maculano Estevez, Marcian Milanski, Adriana Souza Torsoni, Leticia Martins Ignacio-Sousa, Marcio Alberto Torsoni, June 4, 2023. Functional food journal.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2023.105600
This study was funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation.
