The Coconut Oil Miracle Read online

  One area of investigation that is gaining a great deal of interest is the relationship between chronic infection and atherosclerosis. It appears that there is a cause-and-effect relationship associated with persistent low-grade infections and heart disease. Recent research has shown that certain microorganisms can cause or are at least involved in the development of arterial plaque, which leads to heart disease.

  A large number of studies have reported associations between heart disease and chronic bacterial and viral infections. As far back as the 1970s researchers identified the development of atherosclerosis in the arteries of chickens when they were experimentally infected with a herpes virus. In the 1980s similar associations were reported in humans infected with a number of bacteria (e.g., Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae) and certain herpes viruses (particularly cytomegalovirus). In one study, for example, Petra Saikku and her colleagues at the University of Helsinki in Finland found that 27 out of 40 heart attack patients and 15 out of 30 men with heart disease carried antibodies related to chlamydia, which is more commonly known to cause gum disease and lung infections. In subjects who were free of heart disease, only 7 out of 41 had such antibodies. In another study at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, researchers found that 70 percent of patients undergoing surgery for atherosclerosis carried antibodies to cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common respiratory infection, while only 43 percent of controls did.

  More evidence supporting the link between infection and cardiovascular disease showed up in the early 1990s, when researchers found fragments of bacteria in arterial plaque. One of the first to discover microorganisms in atherosclerotic plaque was Brent Muhlestein, a cardiologist at the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City and the University of Utah. Muhlestein and colleagues found evidence of chlamydia in 79 percent of plaque specimens taken from the coronary arteries of 90 heart disease patients. In comparison, fewer than 4 percent of normal individuals had evidence of chlamydia in artery walls. Animal studies provided more direct evidence that bacteria might contribute to chronic inflammation and plaque formation. Muhlestein showed that infecting rabbits with chlamydia measurably thickens the arterial walls of the animals. When the animals were given an antibiotic to kill the chlamydia, the arteries became more normal in size.

  At least one out of every two adults in developed countries has antibodies to Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia pneumoniae, or cytomegalovirus (CMV). The presence of antibodies does not necessarily indicate an active infection or the presence of atherosclerosis, but it is a sign that infection has occurred at some time. It’s common for infections from these organisms to persist indefinitely. Once one is infected with herpes, for example, the virus remains for life. The effectiveness of the immune system determines the degree of trouble the virus may cause. The weaker the immune system, the more likely an infection is to hang on and cause problems. When these microorganisms enter the bloodstream they can attack the artery wall, causing chronic low-grade infections that lack any noticeable symptoms. As microorganisms colonize an artery wall, they cause damage to arterial cells. In an effort to heal the injury, blood platelets, cholesterol, and protein combine in the artery wall, setting the stage for plaque formation and atherosclerosis. As long as the infection and inflammation persist, plaque continues to develop. Infection can both initiate and promote growth of atherosclerosis in arteries, which in turn, leads to heart disease.

  At this point, researchers are not ready to say that infection is responsible for every case of heart disease. Other factors (e.g., free radicals, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) can also cause injuries to the arterial wall and initiate plaque formation. And not all infections promote atherosclerosis. Only when the immune system is incapable of controlling the infection is there cause for alarm. Anything that may lower immune efficiency, such as serious illness, poor diet, exposure to cigarette smoke, stress, and lack of exercise (i.e., many of the typical risk factors associated with heart disease), will also open up the body to chronic low-grade infections that can promote atherosclerosis.

  We now know that, at least in some cases, heart disease may be treated with antibiotics. But antibiotics are limited because they work only against bacteria, and infections caused by viruses remain unaffected. However, there is something that will destroy both the bacteria (Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae) and viruses (CMV) that are most commonly associated with atherosclerosis, and that is MCFAs, or coconut oil. Yes, believe it or not. The MCFAs in coconut oil are known to kill all three of the major types of atherogenic organisms. These special fatty acids are harmless to us and even provide us nourishment and energy but are deadly to microorganisms that cause infection and illness. Research has shown that MCFAs from coconut oil can kill bacteria and viruses that cause influenza, herpes, bladder infections, gum disease, and numerous other conditions. Coconut oil provides a safe and effective way to prevent and even overcome many common illnesses. This topic is discussed in more detail in the following chapter.

  FREE-RADICAL INJURY

  Another major cause of arterial injury that can lead to atherosclerosis is free radicals. These renegade molecules, found in tobacco smoke, polluted air, and many substances in our food and environment, can cause damage to cells and tissues wherever they are allowed to roam. Probably the dietary substances most dangerous to the heart and arteries are the oxidized lipids (fats) found in rancid fats and refined oils that have been stripped of natural antioxidants. Oxidized fats are abundant in our modern diet, especially in processed vegetable oils, and they have been found to accumulate in arterial plaque.

  The only way to stop a free radical is with an antioxidant. Antioxidants are molecules that neutralize free radicals, making them harmless. Numerous studies have shown that diets high in fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E and beta-carotene) reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. If antioxidants are readily available in the bloodstream, they can protect the arteries from free-radical injury and reduce risk of heart disease.

  We can get antioxidants in fresh fruits and vegetables, but most people don’t eat enough of these to provide significant protection. Antioxidant supplements can help, and so can coconut oil. Unlike other vegetable oils, coconut oil is chemically very stable and is not oxidized easily. In fact, it is so resistant to free-radical attack that it acts as an antioxidant, helping to prevent the oxidation of other oils. Coconut oil protects the heart and arteries from injury caused by bacteria, viruses, and free radicals. By removing the cause of arterial injury, coconut oil prevents further damage, allowing the arterial walls to heal, thus not only reducing risk of heart disease but actually promoting healing.

  DENTAL HEALTH AND HEART DISEASE

  A remarkable series of studies of the health of Pacific Island populations was conducted in the 1930s, when Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist and nutritional researcher from Cleveland, Ohio, traveled to the islands to study the relationship between the islanders’ health and their diet. His results were published in 1938 in a book titled Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. This book, which is still in print, is considered a classic in nutritional science.

  His travels took him to numerous islands scattered over thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean. He studied native populations in Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti, Raratonga, Nukualofa, New Caledonia, the Marquesas, and other islands. In the 1930s many of the people still lived as they had for generations, eating traditional foods. Commercial trade with the islanders brought Western foods and influences to the ports of many of these islands. As a result, many islanders had adopted the Western way of life, including its foods. This provided Dr. Price with an ideal setting for studying the differences between native and modern diets and how they each affect health.

  Being a dentist, Dr. Price focused his research on dental health, but he also made note of health in general. He examined and analyzed the food and diets of the people. He immediately noticed the contrast in health between those who lived entirely on indigenous foods, su
ch as coconut and taro root, and those who had abandoned their traditional diet for Western foods.

  Wherever he found islanders living on traditional foods, he noted that both their dental and physical health were excellent, but when the islanders abandoned traditional foods and began eating modern foods, their health declined. In the absence of modern medical care, physical degeneration was pronounced. Dental disease, as well as infectious and degenerative diseases such as arthritis and tuberculosis, became common. For instance, the New Caledonian islanders who lived near the ports where modern foods were available had an incidence of dental caries (cavities) of 26 percent, and those who lived inland and on a diet of native foods an incidence of 0.14 percent. Those who lived near the ports also had a higher instance of gum disease and other health problems.

  This wasn’t an isolated phenomenon seen on only one or two islands. The same pattern repeated itself over and over again. In fact, every population he studied displayed this pattern. He found no exceptions. Overall, Dr. Price found that the number of teeth affected by cavities among those who ate traditional native foods was only about 0.3 percent (3 out of every 1,000 teeth examined) while the number of cavities in westernized islanders was typically as much as 30 percent (3 out of 10). He noted, as do many dentists nowadays, that the health of the mouth reflects the overall health of the individual. People with poor dental health also suffer from many other health problems; people who have good dental health are generally very healthy overall. Recent studies have verified this observation. Some of the conditions associated with dental disease include: heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, diabetes, ulcers, and pneumonia.

  In all these island populations, coconut, in one form or another, was a staple part of the diet; for some it was their primary source of food. The amount of fat (primarily from coconuts) in their diet far exceeded that in those in the West, yet both their dental and overall health was far superior. Through Dr. Price’s studies we see that eating coconuts and coconut oil didn’t harm the islanders one bit. If anything, it gave them a higher level of health than most of us.

  DENTAL HEALTH—A KEY TO UNDERSTANDING HEART DISEASE

  A wise farmer, when considering buying a horse, always examines its mouth. He knows that the condition of the animal’s mouth reflects the health of its entire body. No farmer in his right mind is going to pay top dollar for an animal with missing teeth or sore gums. Dental problems signal that other health problems are likely to be present. This is true with humans as well. This fact was recognized long ago and was the basis for the old focal-infection theory used in dentistry. According to this theory, an oral infection can influence the health of the whole body. On the basis of this theory, old-time dentists were inclined to pull all diseased teeth in the hope of preventing disease from spreading to other parts of the body. In the mid–twentieth century, better dental techniques were developed, teeth were repaired without being pulled, and the focal-infection theory came to be ignored. Fixing the teeth, however, doesn’t stop the association between dental disease and health. People can have good-looking teeth but still have recurring episodes of dental disease as well as other health problems. In recent years the focal-infection theory has made a comeback. Poor oral health has been linked with numerous health problems, including diabetes and ulcers, but the most striking correlation is with cardiovascular illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and atherosclerosis.

  Several studies have found that heart disease patients have more tooth decay and higher rates of gum disease. The reverse is also true. Those with poor dental health are more likely to suffer a heart attack. Subjects in these studies had their dental health evaluated and then were monitored for several years to see if those with poor dental health were more likely to get heart disease. They were. For example, RobertJ. Genco, D.D.S., Ph.D., of the University of Buffalo, studied 1,372 people over a 10-year period and found that heart disease was three times more prevalent for those with gum disease. In the National Health and Nutritional Examination Study published in the British Medical Journal (vol. 306, pp. 688–91) people with inflammation of the gums had a 25 percent increased risk of heart disease. Risk was high even for those who had gum disease in the past as well as currently. From these studies it appears that those who have or have had dental infections have a much higher risk of developing heart disease.

  Some researchers believe that oral bacteria that cause dental disease enter the bloodstream through small tears in the gums. In the circulatory system these bacteria can cause inflammation, increase blood clotting, and promote the formation of arterial plaque, all of which leads to heart disease, as well as stroke and atherosclerosis.

  Others have proposed that the bacteria responsible for heart and gum disease are present in the body because of poor diet and lifestyle choices that weaken the body’s natural defenses. To some extent these bacteria are present in the body all the time, but if the body is strong and healthy, the bacteria do not reach numbers that would cause problems. In this view, gum disease does not necessarily lead to heart disease; they each happen at the same time, more or less, as a result of the body’s inability to adequately control the bacteria.

  It seems that if you have good dental health you are likely to have good cardiovascular health as well. This is interesting because the Pacific Islanders that Dr. Price studied never brushed their teeth, never flossed, never used antibacterial mouthwash, and never saw dentists; yet they had exquisite dental health, that is, as long as they continued to eat their traditional, coconut-based diet. The islanders’ good dental health was a reflection of the absence of heart disease and other degenerative conditions.

  MONEY, POLITICS, AND HEART DISEASE

  Unlike the standard treatments for heart disease, coconut oil is cheap, has no adverse side effects, and is readily available to everyone. This, however, may also be a drawback. Because it is a natural product that is already widely available, pharmaceutical and medical industries have no desire to fund studies or promote interest in this area. There is no profit for them. Since most of the information on MCFAs and coconut oil are buried in scientific literature, few people are aware of the benefits. Knowledge about the true health aspects of coconut oil has to come from experienced clinicians, authors, and researchers who are familiar with the true facts about coconut oil. Yet they face an uphill battle because they must fight prejudice and misguided popular opinion that is fueled by powerful profit-seeking enterprises.

  The soybean industry’s attack on tropical oils was built on the accusation that these oils cause heart disease. This is ironic because replacing tropical oils with hydrogenated vegetable oils has actually increased heart disease deaths. And they know it. As far back as the 1950s, hydrogenated oils were suspected of causing heart disease. The soybean industry, fully aware that hydrogenated oils caused health problems, attempted to discourage and even suppress studies that presented unfavorable results. In the book What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You, Jane Heimlich tells about one researcher who, after publishing the results of a study unfavorable to hydrogenated oils, found that she could no longer find funding. The purpose of her research, she thought, was to reveal truth and increase knowledge, not promote a product, but this didn’t set well with the vegetable oil industry, and they refused to fund any of her future studies.

  The truth about hydrogenated oils and trans fatty acids eventually emerged. Like the tobacco industry, which denied for years that cigarette smoke caused cancer, the soybean industry has denied that trans fatty acids promote heart disease. They cunningly diverted the public’s attention to saturated fats and tropical oils, pointing a finger and calling them the troublemakers. In the 1980s and early 1990s, as the soybean industry’s campaign against tropical oils raged, study after study implicated hydrogenated oils in contributing to heart disease as well as to a number of other health problems. Aware of the growing evidence against hydrogenated oils, the soybean industry conveniently avoided discussing this in their anti–tropical oil campaign. They always
implied that tropical oils should be replaced by “vegetable oils.” They didn’t say what type of vegetable oil, but they knew all along that it would be hydrogenated vegetable oil.

  As knowledge of the benefits of coconut oil increases, the soybean industry and its friends will step up their efforts to confuse the public with unfounded criticism and research funding designed to hide the truth and to make its products appear more desirable. Biased research in favor of the funding institution or industry happens all too often. Smear campaigns like those sponsored in the 1980s and early 1990s will undoubtedly continue.

  A NEW LOOK AT COCONUT OIL

  One of the biggest tragedies of our time concerning diet and health is the mistaken belief that coconut oil is a dietary villain that causes heart disease. Ironically, it may be one of best things you can eat to help protect you from heart disease. Instead of being a villain, as it is often made out to be, it is in reality a saint. By eating coconut oil you can reduce your chances of suffering a heart attack!

  As I have shown, coconut oil does not increase blood cholesterol levels, nor does it promote platelet stickiness (excessive blood-clot formation). Because it stimulates metabolism it may, in fact, promote lower cholesterol. Studies in the 1970s and 1980s indicated that coconut oil is heart friendly, even though saturated fat at the time was being accused of promoting heart disease. Coconut oil consumption was found to have many factors associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, compared to those of other dietary oils, namely, lower body-fat deposition, higher survival rate, reduced tendency to form blood clots, fewer uncontrolled free radicals in cells, lower levels of blood and liver cholesterol, higher antioxidant reserves in cells, and lower incidence of heart disease in population studies.