This article aims to give you information about coconut oil and how it is beneficial for your weight loss goals. The belief that it helps in weight loss is based on the fact that it reduces hunger and suppresses appetite. Coconut contains healthy fats called medium-chain triglycerides, which are metabolized differently, increase the feeling of fullness, and enhance weight loss.

Research shows that medium-chain fatty acids need more energy for metabolization. This implies that comparatively more calories are burnt while trying to digest food prepared in coconut oil as opposed to those cooked in conventional vegetable oils.

Does Coconut Oil Help For Weight Loss:

• When I heard about coconut oil aids in weight loss, even my surprise knew no boundaries. Coconut oil can actually help you lose some extra pounds of your weight. This has been supported by various studies, researches, and trials. Unlike most other cooking oils, which are primarily composed of long-chain fatty acids, coconut oil is almost entirely made up of medium-chain fatty acids or triglycerides. These fatty acids are known to boost up metabolism and reduce appetite. Medium-chain triglycerides include caprylic, caproic, and lauric acid. (1)
• The chief Medium-chain triglyceride present in coconut oil is called Lauric acid, which are not stored as fat deposits due to the difference in their metabolic pathways.
• These boost up your energy levels quite effectively. Consuming approx three tablespoons of organic virgin coconut oil in a day would help you achieve a significant energy boost.
• The ketone bodies produced in the liver help in inducing a sensation of fullness and curbs hunger pangs. This, in turn, reduces your daily calorie intake. Additionally, coconut oil has been found to make the digestion better along with more efficient absorption of nutrients from the gut. So, even while dieting, you can extract maximum nutrition from your food and don’t end up feeling weak or tired all the time.
• Unlike long-chain triglycerides, Medium-chain triglycerides are absorbed entirely and rapidly into the bloodstream, and hence can be used as a source of immediate energy for the body. They are also less likely to be converted into storage fat than the long-chain ones.
• Various studies conducted on lab rats demonstrated that the rats fed on medium-chain fats gained almost 20% lesser body weight and fat as compared to the control group fed on long-chain fatty acids.
• Studies have found that coconut oil consumption also keeps your mood swings in check. So, you stay more positive and motivated to achieve your weight loss goals. This is so because the medium-chain fatty acids of coconut oil help in converting the cholesterol into a steroid called pregnenolone. This particular hormone triggers the smooth functioning of many other hormones related to weighing loss like digestion, better fat utilization, etc
• Out of the total family of vitamins, some are classified as water-soluble, Vitamin B complex and the others, including Vitamin A D E and K are fat-soluble. Coconut oil helps in better absorption of these fat-soluble vitamins. So, this leads to better skin texture, stronger bones, too, as an indirect effect of consuming coconut oil.
• Last but not least, coconut oil is easily absorbed and utilized by the body. It decreases the workload on the pancreas, too. The pancreas is the gland responsible for the product of insulin. So, a less stressed pancreas can handle blood sugar better.
• Research has shown that adding healthy fats like coconut oil to your diet may increase stomach volume and increase the feeling of fullness. It also increases HDL (good cholesterol) and improves insulin sensitivity, which leads to a decrease in sugar cravings.
• Coconut oil decreases inflammation and is supposed to have cardioprotective effects.
• Virgin coconut oil contains higher amounts of nutrients such as vitamin E and active dietary polyphenols and is generally considered healthier than coconut oil extracted from mature copra.
• Coconut oil increases metabolism and helps in burning down fat. In a study, it was observed that the intake of coconut oil led to a decrease in waist circumference in males. It decreases abdominal fat and accumulation of fat in the body and thus aids in weight loss.

See Also: Is Coconut Water Good For Weight Loss