Hydrogenated vs Tropical Oils
The Facts about Fats
Some medical experts say that not all saturated fats are bad and that hydrogenated vegetable oils cause more damage to the heart. Others worry that the public is not adequately informed about dangers posed by tropical (coconut and palm) oils in processed foods. The controversy has diet-conscious consumers confused.
The Production of Trans-Fats in Vegetable Oils
During World War II, when Americans could no longer import coconut oil from Japanese occupied areas of the south Pacific, domestic production of cottonseed, corn, soy, and canola oils increased. An epidemic of heart disease spurred studies that connected diets high in animal (saturated) fats with the clogging of coronary arteries. American manufacturers marketed Crisco, made from crystalized cottonseed oil, and corn oil margarines as good for people with high blood pressure. Since unsaturated vegetable oils are liquid and subject to rancidity, partially hydrogenating, or adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats, hardens and retards spoilage. The new combination of fatty acids resulted in some shortenings containing 50% trans-fats (Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000). Trans-fats are also increased by the deodorizing process of canola oil, but are not listed on the labels of liquid oils. Trans-fats both raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol (Mayo Clinic, 2009), and Americans who are conscientiously avoiding animal fats now consume large amounts of trans-fats in the form of hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Tropical Oils
The Council on Scientific Affairs released a statement adopted by the American Medical Association in 1990 expressing concern that persons attempting to limit the consumption of saturated fats should be aware of the high content of saturated fatty acids in tropical oils. Letters from AMA members, however, refute the emphasis on tropical oils and state that hydrogenated oils, which make up 90% of vegetable fats consumed by Americans, is a far greater problem (JAMA, 1990).
The majority of coconut oil used in candy, cookies, and snack foods is hydrogenated. The benefits of virgin coconut oil, however, raw and used for cooking, have recently been coming to light.
Virgin coconut oil contains no trans fat. It is rich in lauric acid, an anti-microbial substance also found in breastmilk. Breastmilk is also high in saturated fats. Lauric acid is known to be antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal in the human body. Since the decline of coconut oil use in the United States, Americans are becoming deficient in lauric acid. A recent study showed children treated with coconut oil and antibiotics recovered from pneumonia faster than those treated with antibiotics alone (American College of Chest Physicians, Erguiza, 2008)
Natural coconut fat in the diet has also been shown to balance fats in the blood, protect the liver against alcohol damage and improve the immune systems anti-inflammatory response (Principles of Orthomoleculism, RAS Hemat, 2004).
Making Heart Healthy Choices
While the American Heart Association advises people at risk for heart disease to limit saturated fats, hydrogenated vegetable oils also pose a risk. Author Udo Erasmus, in his 1993 book Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, denounces hydrogenation that turns healthy oils into unhealthy fats and states that butter is less harmful than margarine. In 1988, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop said, during congressional hearings, "The coconut scare is foolishness...to get the word to commercial interests terrorizing the public about nothing is another matter."
Palm Oil Production
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