Coconut Oil for Keto: Increase Ketosis with Coconut oil

A good use for coconut oil is for cooking food on a stove it has a high smoke point of 232°C. Its fragrant scent adds more flavor to your food. Many fat bomb and keto dessert recipes use coconut oil as the primary fat.

Coconut oil also approximately contains 60% medium chain triglycerides (MCT) which is a type of fatty acid which our bodies can easily and readily convert into ketones. This is used by many on the keto diet to supplement their energy, especially when they first start out.

When buying coconut oil, choose unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil. Avoid hydrogenated and processed versions.

Coconut Oil contains 0 grams of carbohydrates. It is 100% fat and is keto friendly. Coconut oil has a special synergistic benefit with the ketogenic diet as medium chain triglycerides that make up 60% of coconut oil readily converts to ketones in the body.

A study done in 2018 on coconut oil shows that it even after frying it 80 times, it didn’t reach a rejection limit in volatile polar compounds found in the used oil which show it has excellent stability under high heat (r). Of course, in general, don’t re-use your cooking oils.

Coconut oil is 100% fat and contains no significant protein, vitamins or minerals. The composition of the fat is approximately 87% saturated fat, 6% monounsaturated fat, 2% polyunsaturated fat.

Saturated fat is stable and incredibly hard to oxidize which will help keep inflammation in the body at a minimum.

Since coconut oil contain no vitamins, but will require B vitamins to convert into energy. Eat foods high in B vitamins or supplements to make sure you are getting adequate resources to utilize the fats. Otherwise it will have to use existing Vitamin B already in your body, lowering your vitamin status and leave you deficient. This may have you feeling more tired and moody.

Brain readily uses ketones for fuel when available instead of glucose sparing it for parts of the brain the requires it. In a study of mild cognitive impairment, it shows that glucose uptake is impaired while ketone uptake remains normal, allowing the brain to use ketones as additional fuel, thus improving cognitive performance. (r)

MCTs in coconut oil is quickly and easily converted by the body to ketones which will provide your brain with extra energy. Combined with the ketogenic diet adaptations allowing your to use fatty acids more efficiently allows you to maintain stable, high levels of energy in the brain.

As a general rule for weight loss, you are trying to maximize the burning of the fat stored in your body. Eating more fat may slow this down as your body will prefer to use up your dietary fat first. However, in a meta-analysis of RCTs conducted on studies of the effect of MCTs on weight loss found that replacing your normal fat intake with MCTs could “potentially induce modest reductions in body weight”. (r)

The intake of MCTs increase fat oxidation in the body which also increases energy expenditure as metabolization of fatty acids uses more energy while also producing more energy as a result. This increased energy usage and production reduces our food intake due to satiety and as an end result will improve body composition. (r)

Being fat adapted and supplying your body with MCTs allows the body to efficiently use fatty acids for lower demand movements and spares glycogen stores for more demanding movements. (r)

Coconut Oil will provide a quick boost of energy for your body when you have been fully fat adapted. It contains around 60% medium chain triglycerides which are metabolized quickly by the liver and converted directly into ketones for use in your body. Endurance sports will benefit the most from this as ketones and fatty acids provide a slow burning and stable stream of energy for your activities.

Monolaurin is a chemical which has anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antifungal medicinal properties and is converted from lauric acid by your body. Coconut oil is made up of around 40% lauric acid. This also makes coconut oil a good and safe remedy for topical use and works for many skin conditions.

The lauric acid content of coconut oil also has protective properties for your hair as it is able to penetrate due to its high affinity for hair proteins. Using coconut oil as a pre or post hair wash is a great way to protect against daily protein loss and damage to your hair. (r)