HEALTH BENEFITS OF COCONUT OIL

                               HEALTH BENEFITS OF COCONUT OIL

The coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the family Arecaceae and the only species of the genus cocos. The term coconut can refer to the whole coconut palm or the seed, or the fruit, which botanically, is a drupe, not a nut. They are known for their usefulness ranging from food to cosmetics.

Coconut oil has several health benefits such as;

Hair Care: Coconut oil helps in a healthy growth of hair and gives a shine to those strands. It is also highly effective in reducing protein loss, which if unchecked can lead to various unhealthy qualities in your hair. This is the reason why it is used as a hair care oil, and in the manufacturing of various conditioners and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is an excellent conditioner and helps the re-growth process of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing and healing damaged hair. Research studies indicate that it provides better protection to hair against damage.

 

Boosts Energy: Coconut oil is often used by athletes, bodybuilders and by those who are dieting. The reason behind this is that it contains fewer calories than other oils, its fat content is easily converted into energy, and it does not lead to accumulation of fat in the heart and arteries. It helps boost energy and endurance and enhances the performance of athlete. Coconut oil is also effective in the elimination of fungi and yeast that cause ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, and diaper rash.

Coconut oil helps improve the digestive system and prevents various stomach and digestion-related problems including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The saturated fats present in it have anti-microbial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, and parasites that can cause indigestion. It also helps in the absorption of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Dental Care: Calcium is an important component of our teeth. Since coconut oil facilitates the absorption of calcium by the body, it helps in developing strong teeth. It also stops tooth decay. Recent research suggests that it is also beneficial in reducing plaque formation and plaque-induced gingivitis (inflammation of the gums).

Boosts Heart Health: This is a controversial topic. There is enough research to prove that coconut oil is good for the heart due to the presence of natural saturated fats. While there are also some research that shows that coconut oil is not good for the heart. The Lauric acid present in coconut oil helps in actively preventing various heart problems like high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. 

Coconut oil does not lead to increase in LDL cholesterol levels, and it reduces the incidence of injury and damage to arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis. Coconut oil helps promotes heart health and lowers the risk of heart disease.

Hormonal balance: Hormone disruption can cause a litany of problems in men and women. Coconut oil help in maintaining an important balance of hormones because of the presence of Lauric acid.

Skin Care: Coconut oil is an excellent massage oil that acts as an effective moisturizer for all types of skin, including dry skin. Unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin from the application of coconut oil. Therefore, it has been safely used for thousands of years for preventing skin dryness. For this exact reason, coconut oil forms the base ingredient of various body care products like soaps, lotions, and creams that are used for skin care.

It also delays the appearance of wrinkles and sagging of skin, which normally accompany aging. The credit to this benefit goes to its well-known anti-oxidant properties.

It helps in repair chapped lips, the mineral in coconut oil add enough of moisture to cure the dryness and make your lips soft, smooth and kissable.

Coconut oil is useful for weight loss too. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight.

It gives your pancreas a break: The MCTs of coconut oil are super easy to digest and they don’t need pancreatic enzymes to be broken down. Taking coconut oil actually eases the metabolic strain on the pancreas.

Speeds up Healing: When applied to infected areas, coconut oil forms a chemical layer that protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. It is highly effective on bruises because it speeds up the healing process of damaged tissues.

Keeping Organs Healthy: The presence of medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids in coconut oil helps in preventing liver diseases. This is because those substances are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver, thus reducing its workload and also preventing accumulation of fat. 

 It also helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases and helps dissolve kidney stones. Coconut oil is also believed to be useful in keeping the pancreas healthy by treating pancreatitis.

Other Benefits

Stress relief: Coconut oil is very soothing, and hence it helps in removing stress. Applying it to the head, followed by a gentle massage, helps eliminate mental fatigue. According to research virgin coconut oil gives relief from stress and has anti-oxidant properties.

Diabetes: Coconut oil helps in controlling blood sugar, and improves the secretion of insulin. It also promotes the effective utilization of blood glucose, thereby, preventing and treating diabetes. It can prevent insulin resistance, which is the precursor to type 2 diabetes. This refers to when a body s cells refuse to respond to insulin and can no longer take in glucose for energy.

Bones: As mentioned earlier, coconut oil improves the ability of our body to absorb important minerals. These include calcium and magnesium, which are necessary for the development of bones. Thus, it is very useful for women who are prone to osteoporosis after middle age.

Coconut oil is indeed a super food.