Is coconut oil really 'pure poison'?

Harvard professor Dr Karin Michels attacks popular 'superfood' as 'one of the worst things you can eat'

Claims by a Harvard professor that coconut oil is “pure poison” and “one of the worst things you can eat” has triggered a fierce debate about the benefits of the health product.

Speaking at the University of Freiburg in Germany, Dr Karin Michels suggested the oil contains damagingly high amounts of saturated fatty acids.

Her lecture, “Coconut Oil and other Nutritional Errors”, was widely viewed on YouTube and has raised doubts about the modish “superfood”, often regarded as a cure-all to help with a wide array of conditions, from dry hair to haemorrhoids and obesity.

So how concerned should you be about its presence in your diet?

Coconut oil contains more than 80 per cent fat, which is 60 per cent more than beef dripping and twice that in lard.

Dr Michels expresses particular concern over its propensity to raise levels of bad LDL cholesterol in the blood and both the NHS and the American Heart Association (AHA) broadly agree, recommending cutting down on saturated fatty acids because exposure to high amounts increases your risk of developing coronary heart or cardiovascular disease.

Other foods high in saturated fat to be wary of include butter, cheese, sausages and meat pies.

Those like Dr Michels who advocate excluding such items place emphasis on the importance of foods high in unsaturated fat including oily fish, nuts, seeds and avocados. Vegetable, sunflower or olive oil spreads are all proven to help reduce LDL cholesterol.

But the merits of a predominately low fat diet is a subject that still divides opinion.

As is the benefits of coconut oil in treating Alzheimer’s, a claim made for the ingredient that experts say requires more research to substantiate.

On the benefits of the product generally, previously hyped by Gwyneth Paltrow and Holland & Barrett, the British Nutrition Foundation stated: “There is to date no strong scientific evidence to support health benefits from eating coconut oil.”

Just 37 per cent of nutritionists said they believed the oil was good for you when surveyed by the AHA in 2017, compared to 75 per cent of consumers.

In the UK, coconut oil sales have boomed over the last four years, with sales rising from £1m in 2014 to £16.4m in 2018, according to research group Kantar.

“It’s only recently that the UK has gone coconut oil mad, with so many claimed health benefits from immune boosting properties to being hailed as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease,” nutritionist Lily Soutter told The Independent.

“However, we have to remember that coconut oil is almost all saturated fat and if consumed alongside a diet high in saturated fats, you may be consuming well over the government recommended 20g per day for women and 30g per day for men.”

Moderation appears to be the safest course for now, rather than cutting out intake entirely.