Coconut Oil Consumption Research Articles

The effect of polyunsaturated fats on bile acid metabolism and cholelithiasis in squirrel monkeys

Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were fed diets containing safflower oil, butter, or coconut oil and 1 mg cholesterol/cal for 15--17 mo to examine the effect of type of fat on cholelithiasis and bile acid metabolism. Controls were fed low cholesterol diets containing an isocaloric mixture of the three fats. Cholic acid fractional catabolic rate, pool size, chenodeoxycholic acid pool size, and total bile acid pool size and excretion rate were estimated using a modification of Lindstedt's isotopic turnover procedure. The animals fed the safflower oil diet had the highest incidence of cholelithiasis (9/10) when compared to those fed butter (3/7) and coconut oil (1/7). Animals consuming the low cholesterol control diet did not develop gallstones. The butter- and coconut oil-fed groups had significantly (p less than 0.05) expanded bile acid pools when compared to controls, and the butter-fed group had a significantly increased (p less than 0.05) cholic acid fractional catabolic rate. The safflower oil group had the smallest mean bile acid pool and the highest mean lithogenic index of the cholesterol-fed groups. It was concluded that the safflower oil-fed animals had a higher incidence of cholelithiasis than the butter group because, unlike the latter group, they did not compensate for a high cholesterol intake by stimulating bile acid synthesis. The animals consuming coconut oil apparently did not absorb cholesterol to the extent of the other groups and as a result their bile did not become saturated with cholesterol.

New developments in synthetic fatty acids

AbstractNew developments in synthetic fatty acids have occurred in the last few years in Russia, Japan, the United States and Canada. In 1959 Russia decided to replace 40% of natural fatty acids in soaps with synthetic fatty acids. In 1966, 548 million pounds of C5–C30 synthetic fatty acids were produced including 288 million pounds of C10–C20 fatty acids. Forty million pounds of fatty acids are converted directly to the fatty alcohols for detergent use. A conservative estimate predicts that one billion pounds of synthetic fatty acids will be produced in Russia by the end of the current five‐year program. Reports say that the Japanese have been interested in the oxidation of not only paraffin hydrocarbons but naphthenic petroleum hydrocarbons as well. Production of lower homology fatty acids up to butyric acid is being seriously considered in Japan. In America the most likely syntheses aside from “oxo” syntheses being considered for the manufacture of products like lauric acid is the carboxylation of the Ziegler intermediates prepared from ethylene polymerization. Some data on the current and future coconut oil consumption by major end‐use for Canada and the United States are presented. Synthetic lauric acid is predicted for 1970 in the United States.

Effects of the Composition of Dietary Fat upon Composition of Adipose Tissue

The fatty acid composition of the abdominal fat in hens was compared to the composition of the fat in the diet, the composition of the diets being otherwise identical. The proportion of fatty acids in the adipose tissue approximates that of the fat ingested. The findings, if applicable to man, suggest a method for estimating the dietary habits with regard to fat. The hens consuming coconut oil had the highest serum cholesterol values. The amount of vascular sudanophilia was least in the group receiving safflower oil. Although it would appear that the kind of dietary fat influenced the serum cholesterol levels and the development of vascular sudanophilia, differences in production of eggs in this experiment limit the conclusions that can be drawn.

The Philippine Coconut Industry

C OCONUT oil including copra, the dried coconut meat from which the oil is derived, today stands at the head of the list of imports of fats and oils into the United States. The average annual consumption of coconut oil of the United States in 1919-1923 amounted to about 327,356,000 pounds, of which 211,073,000 pounds, 97,232,000 pounds, and 19,050,000 pounds, respectively, were used in the manufacture of soap, oleomargarine, and lard compounds. As a soap stock coconut oil is highly valuable for it has the following chemical characteristics: (1) It is readily saponifiable, that is, cold process soap may be made from this oil. (2) It contains a relatively high percentage of glycerine.