It’s a surprise to learn that an oil aids in weight loss

Columbia U scientists believe that a simple kitchen trick can supercharge ordinary diets, helping dieters burn two times more weight and seven times more body fat.  All you have to do is spike a couple of meals each day with the special type of fat found in coconut oil.

They wrote, “In our study, dieters sautéed with the oil and added it to muffin batter and salad dressing. It really is easy and it gives weight-loss results a nice little boost.”

The Columbia team had dieters eat 1,500-calorie daily menus that included either four teaspoons of a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) like coconut oil or four teaspoons of olive oil.  The MCT group slimmed down a whole lot faster.  They noted, “Olive oil is still a healthy choice, but it’s made of longer chains of fatty acids that digest differently.  When MCT’s are digested, they set off chemical reactions that enhance weight loss in a number of ways.

Why coconut oil works to lose weight

You’ll store less fat with coconut oil. Because MCT’s are smaller than other fats, they are able to take a sneaky shortcut to the fat-processing center in your liver.  Because they get to the liver faster, there’s less opportunity for them to be stored in fat cells.

You’ll burn extra calories.  MCT’s are broken down by the liver.  The process jumpstarts metabolism and makes calories and fat burn faster.  It’s like throwing kindling on your metabolic fire.  One study found that we incinerate three times more calories after eating MCT’s than after eating other types of fat.

You’ll target tummy flat.  Researchers aren’t quite sure why, but belly fat seems to take the brunt of all the extra MCT-induced fat-burning heat.  It seems that MCT’s have soothing effect on belly-fattening stress hormones and blood-sugar hormones.  When levels of these hormones drop, it’s just easier for the body to burn belly fat.

You’ll feel less hungry.  Though MCT’s fire up fat burning, they somehow simultaneously throw a wet blanket on hunger.  The most likely explanation is that MCT’s trigger the body’s satiety (feeling of fullness) signals very quickly too.

How to use coconut oil:
Be aware that coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so you’ll need to melt it to use in salad dressing or recipes that call for liquid oil.  You can also sauté food in coconut oil rather than any other oil.  You want to consume at least three tablespoons a day.

Where to buy coconut oil:
Pick up coconut oil for $7 to $14 a pound at health-food stores, large supermarkets and www.gococonuts.com and www.tropicaltraditions.com.  A number of internet sources also carry MCT oil blends that are liquid at room temperature.

Resource Center:

• Wikipedia and Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s)
• Body Building.com
• The Ketogenic Resource.com
• The Coconut Diet.com

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