Quite frankly, it seems a bit counter-intuitive that fatty acids could actually help reduction in bodyfat. But it’s true, coconut oil promotes weight loss and if you’ll be patient, I’ll walk you through it. Let’s start by going over some of the real fundamentals that you very well may have learned in University-level biochemistry, if you took it, but may have otherwise forgotten. are composed of hydrophobic groups known as fatty acids. There are really two different ways to classify fatty acids. The first method is based on saturation, and is probably the one, if any, you are most familiar with. Most of you would likely be familiar with saturated or unsaturated fats and oils, what with the attention they get in fad diets and the media. The 2nd way to define a fatty acid is based on relative length or size of the fatty acid. There are SCFA (short chain fatty acids), medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long chain fatty acids (LCFA). Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) contain less than 6 carbon atoms, medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) have between 6-12 carbons, and long chain fatty acids (LCFA) have fourteen or more carbon atoms. The reason oils are classified based length of their carbon backbone is because the size of the carbon chain affects the physical and chemical properties of the fatty acid.
Most of the fats and oils that you absorb from your diet come from either plants or animals, all of which are composed of long chain fatty acids (LCFA). In fact, probably more than 98 percent of the dietary lipids that people ingest consists of LCFA. Coconut oil is really unlike most others because it is mostly composed of MCFA (medium chain fatty acids), with lauric acid constituting approximately 47 percent of coconut oil. Here is where it gets important: medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) are metabolized very differently from long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). First, I’ll explain how most dietary fats consisting of long chain fatty acids are metabolized and digested. Then I’ll inform you how medium chain fatty acids contained within coconut oil are digested and metabolized, pointing out the differences and the major significances.
Long chain fatty acids (LCFA) found in plant and animal fat are not easily absorbed by the GI tract and require bile salts and pancreatic enzymes to to metabolize them so that they can be taken up by the intestine. Next, the long chain fatty acids (LCFA) are packaged into chylomicrons, which are proteins called lipoproteins that transport lipids throughout your body. The chylomicrons are transported through the lymphatic system then circulate through the bloodstream, where they deliver lipid components to a variety of tissues, including skeletal tissue, adipose, and cardiac. After the chylomicrons have uploaded their oil components to these tissues, the left over lipoproteins move to the liver, where they are imported into the mitochondria of liver tissues, using the CPT (carnitinte palmitoyl transferase) machinery, and are finally oxidized for energy uses (Life Sciences 62 (14): 1203-1215). This is how all unsaturated fat, cholesterol, and saturated fatty acids is made up of long chain fatty acids (all of your dietary fat) is transported throughout the body.
In contrast, MCFA (medium chain fatty acids) found in coconut oil are taken up by the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) with ease, they do not require any pancreatic enzymes to degrade them, which means less work for your pancreas. Next, medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) are transported to the portal blood stream, directly to the liver, where they go directly into mitochondria independent of the carnitine palmitoyl transferase, and are instantly oxidized for energy. Medium chain fatty acids from coconut oil do not get packaged into lipoproteins, and do not get transported to a variety of tissues and are not stored as body fat, they go directly to the liver and are metabolized for energy (Life Sciences 62 (14): 1203-1215). The bottom line is that medium chain fatty acids from coconut oil produces almost exclusively energy, whereas, LCFA (long chain fatty acids) found in all other dietary fats produce some energy, but mostly body fat.
Because the medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) found in coconut oils are rapidly and easily pulled into the mitochondria, unlike LCFA (long chain fatty acids), they are immediately used for energy, resulting in a surge of energy and thermogenesis, which, subsequently, increases the body’s metabolism. Several clinical and animal studies have shown that ingestion of coconut oil increases metabolism and reduces bodyfat both in animal studies performed on mice and rats, as well as humans. Rats that were fed a diet consisting of MCFA (medium chain fatty acids) had considerably less subcutaneous fat, a visible reduction in body adipose tissue, increased metabolism and increased thermogenesis (Lipids 22 (6): 442-444). The energy burst that is produced by medium chain fatty acids is also critical for athletic endurance. In one scientific study, Researchers tested the physical endurance of mice that were fed medium chain fatty acids vs. those fed a diet consisting primarily in long chain fatty acids for 6 weeks. The mice were tested with a swimming endurance test, where they were forced to swim. The mice that were fed medium chain fatty acids instead of long chain fatty acids continually had more endurance than the rest and demonstrated an increased physical endurance (Journal of Nutrition 125 (3):531-9). These studies in animals provide us with evidence that medium chain fatty acids increase metabolic rate and promote the reduction in body fat while providing a burst of energy that increases physical endurance, in a manner that doesn’t make you fat. Yes, this surge in energy means you feel less lethargic, and can help you feel less tired as you perform daily activities.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that coconut oil (as stated earlier, a MCFA) clearly has an effect in men and women very analogous to what has been shown in other studies involving mammalian animal models: it increases metabolism and decreases overall body fat. For example, in one study, healthy men and women were administered either long chain fatty acids or medium chain fatty acids in addition to a diet similar in protein, carbohydrate, and fat content for twelve weeks. Throughout the 12 weeks, individuals that took medium chain fatty acids had significantly less body weight and, specifically, body fat (The Journal of Nutrition 131 (11): 2853-2859). Scientific studies have also shown that ingestion of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) also increase the oxidation of long chain fatty acids (LCFA) that are already in your body (International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders: Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 24 (9): 1158-1166). Similar to the scientific animal studies, medium chain fatty acids also increase production of energy by increasing thermogenesis, which increases the metabolic rate in humans as well (Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental 38 (7): 641-648). In another study, people with high blood triglyceride levels were given medium chain fatty acids for 8 weeks. In addition to decreasing overall body fat, their triglyceride levels plummeted by 14.5 percent (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 63 (7): 879-886).
So just a quick refresher for those of you that lost focus: Coconut oil, a source of medium chain fatty acids, is metabolized by a different process than long chain fatty acids altogether, this process expedites its use as energy instead of storing it away as fat. Because the body has to preferentially burn the fat off, it ramps up the metabolism by increasing thermogenesis. This ramping up of the metabolism then proceeds to not only burn off coconut oil, but long chain fatty acids pre-existing the consumption of the medium chain fatty acids as well as well. These effects have been seen both in animal studies, and more importantly, human studies as well.
To reap the medium chain fatty acids benefits you simply need to change the type of oil you ordinarily cook with to coconut oil.
If you enjoyed this informative article please also take a look here: Far Infrared Sauna Benefits and vitamin d deficiency and supplementation.
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