Coconut Oil: Heart Disease Medicine?

Scientists recently discovered a powerful new weapon in the fight against heart disease. As surprising as it seems, this new weapon is coconut oil. Yes, ordinary coconut. Food coconut on a regular basis can reduce your chances of suffering a heart attack!

Coconut consists of a unique group of fat molecules known as medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). Although they are technically classified as saturated fats this fat may actually protect you from getting hit by a heart attack or stroke.

Although coconut oil is a saturated fat, it does not have a negative effect on cholesterol. Natural, nonhydrogenated coconut oil to an increase in HDL-cholesterol and improve the cholesterol profile. Is it good HDL cholesterol that helps protect against cardiovascular diseases. The total cholesterol in the blood, which consists of HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol, is a very inaccurate indicator of heart-disease risk. A much precise way assessing Heart Disease risk by separating two types of cholesterol. Therefore, the ratio of bad to good cholesterol (LDL / HDL) is widely recognized as a much more accurate indicator of heart-disease risk. As a result of coconut oil tend to HDL, the cholesterol ratio and thus enhances the risk of cardiovascular disease.

People who traditionally consume large quantities of coconut oil as part of their normal diet have a very low incidence of heart disease and have normal cholesterol in the blood. This is well supported by numerous studies population. The study shows that people who consume large quantities of coconut oil are remarkably good cardiovascular health.

At first, this remark confused many researchers. She did not recognize the difference between the MCFA in coconut oil and other saturated fats. New research has shown, however, that medium-chain fat in coconut oil protect against cardiovascular diseases may and be at a day treatment used as a cure.

Studies in the years 1970 and 1980 indicated that coconut oil is heart friendly, even though saturated fat at the time was accused of promoting cardiovascular diseases. Coconut oil consumption was revealed that many factors associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease compared with other oils, namely through diet, improved cholesterol readings, less body fat deposition, higher survival rate, reduced tendency to blood clots, less uncontrolled free radicals in cells, Low levels of blood cholesterol and liver, higher antioxidant reserves in the cells, and a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease in the population studies.1

From this evidence only coconut oil should be seen as a healthy heart, or at least as much favorable cardiovascular disease. But there is another factor, that is, more importantly, shows that coconut oil as not only a benign bystander but a very important player in the fight against cardiovascular diseases. So it is remarkable that it may soon become a powerful new weapon used against cardiovascular diseases.

Heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), apparently by the formation of plaque in the arteries. Under the current initially thought atherosclerosis develops as a result of damage to the inside of the arterial wall. The damage may result from a number of factors, such as toxins, free radicals, viruses or bacteria. If causation further damage is not removed can lead. As long as irritation and inflammation persist scar tissue continues to develop.

Special blood clotting protein called platelet released into the blood. Whenever they are confronted with injuries they sticky and adhere to each other and to the damaged tissue acting somewhat as a link to facilitate healing. This is how blood clots are formed. Damage from any source triggers platelets to clump together or clot and arterial cells to protein growth factors that stimulate the growth of muscle cells in the artery walls. A complex mixture of scar tissue, platelets, calcium, cholesterol, triglycerides, and are included in the site for the damage. This mass of tissue forms arterial plaque. When this process occurs in the coronary artery, which gives food to the heart, there is coronary heart disease-the most common cause of death in the United States.

One area of research that is the acquisition of one large section of interest is the relation between chronic infection and atherosclerosis. It appears that there is a cause and effect relationship in connection with persistent low-grade infections and heart disease. Recent research has shown that certain micro-organisms can cause or at least be involved in the development of arterial plaque, leading to cardiovascular diseases.

A large number of studies have reported associations between cardiovascular diseases and chronic bacterial and viral infections.2 Already in the years 1970 researchers who develop atherosclerosis in the arteries of the chickens when they were experimentally infected with a herpes virus. In the years 1980 similar associations were reported in people infected with certain bacteria (eg Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae) and certain herpesviruses (especially cytomegalovirus). In one study, for example Petra Saikku and colleagues at the University of Helsinki in Finland found that 27 of the 40 heart attack patients to 15 of the 30 men with heart disease carried antibodies in connection with Chlamydia, which is better known to cause gum disease and lung. Compared with persons who were free of cardiovascular disease and only seven of the 41 had these antibodies. In another study at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas researchers found that 70 percent of patients undergoing surgery for atherosclerosis carry antibodies against cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common respiratory infections, while only 43 percent of controls.

More evidence supporting the link between infection and cardiovascular disease appeared in early 1990 when investigators found fragments of bacteria in arterial plaque. One of the first to micro-organisms in atherosclerotic plaques was Brent Muhlestein, a cardiologist at the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City and the University of Utah. Muhlestein and colleagues found evidence of Chlamydia in 79 percent of plaque samples of the coronary arteries of 90 heart disease patients. By comparison, in less than four percent of normal people, showed a Chlamydia in the artery walls. Animal studies that more direct evidence that bacteria could contribute to chronic inflammation and plaque formation. Muhlestein showed that infect rabbits with Chlamydia measurable thickens the arterial walls of the animals. When the animals were given an antibiotic for the killing of the Chlamydia the arteries was more normal in size.3

At least one in two adults in the developed countries have antibodies against Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia pneumoniae, or cytomegalovirus ( CMV). The presence of antibodies does not necessarily indicate an active infection or the presence of atherosclerosis, but is a sign that the infection took place at a particular time. It is for infections from these organisms to continue for an indefinite period. Once infected with herpes, for example, the virus remains for life. The effectiveness of the immune system determines the extent of problems with the virus can cause. The weaker the immune system the greater the chance that an infection hangs on and cause problems. When these micro-organisms into the bloodstream, they can attack on the artery wall caused chronic low-grade infections that no noticeable symptoms. If micro-organisms colonize an artery wall damage they cause to arterial cells. In an attempt to damage the platelets, cholesterol, protein and reconciliation in the artery wall down the stage for the formation of plaque and atherosclerosis. Until the infection and inflammation persists plaque continues to develop. Infection can both initiate and promote the growth of atherosclerosis in the arteries, which in turn leads to cardiovascular disease.4, 5

You or someone else can a chronic low-grade infection without reality. This is apparently what happens to many people who think that they are healthy, but suddenly drop dead of a heart attack.

So far, the researchers are not yet ready to say infection is responsible for all cases of cardiovascular diseases. Other factors (such as free radicals, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) can also lead to injuries to the arterial wall and initiate plaque. Also, not all infections promote atherosclerosis. Only when the immune system is unable to control the infection, there is reason for concern. Anything that lower immune efficiency as a serious disease, poor nutrition, exposure to tobacco smoke, stress and lack of exercise (typical of many risk factors associated with heart disease) opens body that chronic low-grade infections can promote atherosclerosis.

The above findings suggest that, at least in part, cardiovascular disease may be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics are limited because they are good only against bacteria. Infections caused by viruses would remain unaffected. But there is something that will destroy both the bacterium (Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumonia) and viruses (CMV) that are most commonly associated with atherosclerosis and that is MCFA or coconut oil. The MCFA know a coconut for the killing of all three of the most important forms of atherogenic organisms. MCFA are powerful germ fighters and are known to dozens of deaths from the disease causing organisms. Not only coconut oil can help protect you against the bacteria that causes ulcers, lung infections, herpes, etc., but also heart disease and strokes. If you want to avoid dying of heart disease you have to eat coconut!

Cardiovascular disease, stroke and atherosclerosis accounted for nearly half of all deaths in the United States. Statistically, one in two people who you know will die from one of these heart conditions. In countries where people eat a lot of coconut products cardiovascular diseases is much less frequent. In Sri Lanka, for example, where coconut oil is the primary fat in the diet, the mortality rate from cardiovascular disease is one of the lowest in the world.6 In areas of India, where coconut oil has been largely replaced by other vegetable oils, heart -- Sickness is on the rise. People encouraged from to switch from traditional cuisine oils as coconut implement for vegetable oils consumed advertised as cardiovascular vriendelijk. Researchers involved in studies diet and cardiovascular in India now recommend the return to coconut oil to the risk of cardiovascular disease. This recommendation is based on their findings show an increase in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, such as coconut oil, will be replaced by other vegetable oils.7

It seems that simply by the use of coconut oil in your daily diet instead of other oils you can achieve a remarkable degree of protection against heart disease and strokes.

Sources:

1. Kaunitz, H. 1986. Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in aging and arteriosclerosis. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 6(3-4):115.
2. Danesh, J. and Collins, R., 1997. Chronic infections and coronary heart disease: Is there a link? Lancet 350:430.
3. Gura, T. 1998. Infections: A cause of artery-clogging plaques? Science 281:35.
4. Leinonen, M., 1993. Pathogenic mechanisms and epidemiology of Chlamydia pneaumoniae. Eur Heart J 14(suppl K):57.
5. Gaydos, C.A., 1996. Replication of Chlamydia pneumoniae in vitro in human macrophages, endothelial cells, and aortic artery smooth muscle cells. Infect Immunity 64:1614).
6. Kaunitz, H. 1986. Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in aging and arteriosclerosis. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 6(3-4):115.
7. Sircar, S. and Kansra, U 1998. Choice of cooking oils-myths and realities. J Indian Med Assoc 96(10):304.