1. Promotes skin health
Coconut oil has amazing skin enhancing properties too. It has potent moisturizing ability that works with every type of skin including, obviously, dry skin. Mineral oil and coconut oil have a comparable effect on the skin. But since mineral oil can have a negative effect on the skin, coconut oil is the better choice among the two for continuous use as a moisturizer on skin that has a tendency to get dry or flaky.
Apart from this, coconut oil has the ability to delay the onset of age effects such as wrinkles and sagging on the skin. Skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis etc. are also treatable by coconut oil. These properties of coconut oil to boost skin health are the reason why it is a core ingredient in soaps, creams and lotions. Its antioxidant properties further aid in preventing age effects.
2. Promotes hair health
Coconut oil is on top of the list of natural nutrients for healthy hair. If you want your hair to grow thick and shiny, coconut oil is a must. Unhealthy hair caused by the loss of proteins can be stoppered through the application of coconut oil to the scalp.
Coconut oil has been used in India for improving hair health since centuries. In fact, it is the habit of many people to massage their scalps with coconut oil after having bathed. It is a great natural hair conditioner and repairs damaged hair by providing the necessary proteins they require. Some studies have shown that hair damage from hygral fatigue can be avoided by applying coconut oil on one’s hair. Coconut oil also takes care of dandruff – even in the most severe cases and even shields from parasites like lice. It is a good idea to use coconut oil regularly to keep your hair in tip top form.
If you need any more convincing, have a look at all the hair care products that boost coconut oil as their major ingredient!
3. Aids digestion
Coconut oil is known to keep the digestive system working in good form when consumed as a cooking oil. It prevents stomach related conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It does so because of saturated fats that it contains which are potent germ killers. These saturated fats take care of microbes, bacteria, and fungi etc. that cause stomach disorders. Moreover, coconut oil also aides in the uptake of other nutrients e.g. minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
4. Cures candida
Coconut oil has proven to be very effective against candida. It alleviates the painful symptoms of the disease quite effectively. With its ability to prevent loss of moisture, it is very good at preventing the cracking or peeling of skin that is a distinguishing symptom of candida. An important quality of coconut oil is that it cures candida in a gradual manner which allows the body to adjust to the withdrawal symptoms that manifest themselves as candida is being rooted out of the body. The best way to take advantage of coconut oil’s candida fighting powers is to start with a moderate dose and increase gradually.
Candida is an extremely troublesome condition that occurs due to the uncontrolled formation of yeast in the stomach. The yeast is known as Candida Albicans. Although this yeast is present in a small quantity in nearly everyone’s gut, it doesn’t cause anything bad because its growth is contained by the good bacteria in the stomach. If the good bacteria in the stomach get killed off due to some malignant microbes or excessive use of antibiotics then the yeast starts to grow out of proportion leading to the onset of Candida. Furthermore, using laxatives, taking in harmful chemicals, or washing the stomach with lots of medication can lead to the abnormal growth of the yeast leading to Candida.
5. Fights heart disease
Coconut oil has been identified as a potent new weapon in the fight against heart disease. This is quite surprising since coconut oil was previously advertised as a promoter of heart disease. As it turns out, consuming liberal quantities of coconut oil can actually bring down the risk of a heart attack!
The MCFAs present in coconut oil are responsible for bringing down the risk of heart attack even though they were slandered as saturated fats in the previous years. As it turns out, MCFAs are completely different in the way they are handled by our digestive system compared to long chain fatty acids which are harmful for the body.
The main argument against coconut oil had been that it increases the cholesterol level of the blood. The truth is that it does raise the cholesterol level but this raise is in HDL cholesterol which is actually good for the overall cholesterol profile. This good cholesterol protects against heart disease. The total blood cholesterol is the collective HDL and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels combined and does not prove to be a good indicator of heart disease. The correct chance of heart disease can be obtained by the ratio between LDL and HDL and since coconut oil improves the HDL levels, the ratio declines and as does the risk of heart attack.
6. Effective against diabetes
The general perception about combating type 2 diabetes up until now had been to use prescription drugs but now, researchers and patients alike are cottoning on to the fact that type 2 diabetes can in fact be dealt with through a healthy diet and lifestyle without resorting to medications. Those who were into the alternative health scene knew about this information several years prior to the common public. In fact, there are testimonials as old as over a decade from people who have experienced improvement in their diabetes condition through the use of coconut oil!
The key to defeating type 2 diabetes through a healthy lifestyle is to limit your intake of refined sugar, carbs and alcohol, and, at the same time, increasing the consumption of good saturated fats and proteins. Most of the people suffering from type 2 diabetes consume foods cooked in oils such as corn and soybean which contain lots of long chain polyunsaturated fats that are quite harmful for someone with diabetes. Replacing these cooking oils with coconut oil that contains healthy saturated fats reduces the hunger pangs that occur frequently otherwise leading to lowered insulin resistance that is the mark of diabetes.
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