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THE HEALTH-SUPPORTING BENEFITS OF COCONUTS HEALTH-SUPPORTING THE COCONUTS BENEFITS Coconuts and coconut oil contain health-promoting saturated fatty acids and derivative compounds which have powerful antimicrobial properties. Part 1 of 2 The following is the text of a talk and paper, Coconuts: In Support of Good Health in the 21st Century", presented by Dr Mary Enig at the Asian Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) meeting held in Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia in 1999. Note that it does make several references to animal experiments, and that NEXUS does not condone animal experimentation. Editor. ABSTRACT oconuts play a unique role in the diets of mankind because they are the source of important physiologically functional components. These physiologically func- tional components are found in the fat part of whole coconut, in the fat part of desiccated coconut and in the extracted coconut oil. Lauric acid, the major fatty acid from the fat of the coconut, has long been recognised for the unique properties that it lends to nonfood uses in the soaps and cosmetics industry. More recently, lauric acid has been recognised for its unique properties in food use, which are related to its antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal functions. Now, capric acid, another of coconut's fatty acids, has been added to the list of coconut's antimicrobial com- ponents. These fatty acids are found in the largest amounts only in traditional lauric fats, especially from coconut. Also, recently published research has shown that natural coconut fat in the diet leads to a normalisation of body lipids, protects against alcohol damage to the liver and improves the immune system's anti-inflammatory response. Clearly, there has been increasing recognition of the health-supporting functions of the fatty acids found in coconut. Recent reports from the US Food and Drug Administration about required labelling of the trans fatty acids will put coconut oil in a more competitive position and may help its return to use by the baking and snack-food industry, where it has continued to be recognised for its functionality. Now it can be recognised for another kind of functionality: the improvement of the health of mankind. I. INTRODUCTION: BENEFITS OF COCONUT OIL SATURATES Mr Chairman and members of the Asian Pacific Coconut Community: I would like to thank you for inviting me once again to speak to this gathering of delegates on the occa- sion of your 36th session as you celebrate the 30th anniversary of APCC. When I addressed the 32nd Cocotech meeting in Cochin, India, I covered two areas of interest to the coconut community. In the first part, I reviewed the major health challenge facing coconut oil at that time, which was based on a supposed negative role played by saturated fat in heart disease. I hope that my talk was able to dispel any acceptance of that notion. In the second part of my talk, I suggested that there were some new, positive health benefits from coconut which should be recognised. These benefits stemmed from coconut's use as a food with major functional properties for antimicrobial and anti-cancer effects. In my presentation today, I will bring you up to date about the new recognition of "functional foods" as important components in the diet. Additionally, I would like to review briefly the state of the anti-saturated fat situation and bring you up to date on some of the research that compares the beneficial effects of saturated fats with those of omega- 6 polyunsaturates, as well as the beneficial effects of the saturated fats relative to the detrimental effects of the partially hydrogenated fats and the trans fatty acids. In particular, I will review some of the surprising beneficial effects of the special saturates found in coconut oil as they compare with those of the unsaturates found in some of the other food by Mary G. Enig, PhD, FACN © 1999, 2001 Director Nutritional Sciences Division Enig Associates, Inc. 12501 Prosperity Drive, Suite 340 Silver Spring, MD 20904-1689, USA Telephone: +1 (301) 680 8600 Fax: +1 (301) 680 8100 Email: marye@enig.com NEXUS ¢ 13 FEBRUARY — MARCH 2002 www.nexusmagazine.com