Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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My Mom keeps telling me, "Oh, I don't know why you use CO because olive oil is healthier," and just the other day my friend said she saw in a magazine that CO is dissed for Olive oil instead. SO what are some simple reasons why CO is the better fat to be using? I would like to write an article and need some packed pointers (with sources would be even better!!).

Much appreciated!!

flag	asked Jul 13 at 19:42 YoungPaleoLover 1,939●1●7●19

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The reasons why we Paleos know coconut oil is better, are the reasons why CW people use to say olive oil is better. For example, I believe saturated fat is good for us, but CW thinks it's bad for us. – a mesmerizing trickster Jul 13 at 19:45

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What is CW????? – YoungPaleoLover Jul 13 at 21:35

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conventional wisdom – tj Jul 13 at 21:48

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Chances are your mom isn't even using real olive oil: foodrenegade.com/your-extravirgin-olive-oil-fake – Kay Jul 13 at 22:09

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Ugh. All that stuff about the fake olive oils just burns me up! Grrrrr. – Soporificat Jul 13 at 22:36

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RaiseFitness · Answer 1 · 2012-07-13 21:10:47Z UTC

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Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated oleic acid, it is healthy and more stable than PUFA's but it is still not in the same league as CO. CO is one of the highest concentrations of naturally occuring saturated fats there is. It is very shelf stable due to no open bonds. It is much better for cooking at a higher temperature than olive oil as it is less likely to oxidize. Olive oil is best as a dressing, rather than cooking. Also, coconut oil had a decent amount of medium chain triglycerides that are metabolized differently and faster than long chain fatty acids. They give you more of the quick energy of carbs without the insulin response, and they can't be stored as adipose.

answered Jul 13 at 21:10

RaiseFitness
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I believe coconut oil IS the most saturated fat on planet Earth. – BoneBrothFast Jul 13 at 23:46

Olive oil actually has a higher smoke point than coconut oil. MUFAs are generally pretty stable when it comes to oxidative sensitivity, only when you have multiple unsaturations does the oxidative sensitivity increase significantly. – Matt Jul 14 at 13:18

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Yes MUFA's are pretty stable, only having one open bond, but oils will begin to oxidize long before they are smoking. By being upwards of 92% saturated fat, Coconut oil has the least mono or poly in it. Olive oil still has 10% or more poly in it. Coconut oil has less than 2% – RaiseFitness Jul 14 at 14:08

Whoa, whoa, whoa. HIGHLY PROCESSED olive oil has a higher smoke point than CO. A lot of this highly processed olive oil is pomace oil, which has to be extracted from the pressed husks using chemical solvents. Virgin and EV olive oil have smoking points around 50-60 degrees LOWER than standard CO. – Elunah Oct 26 at 14:28

Also, virgin olive oils lose their delicious flavor when heated to even moderate cooking temperatures. – Elunah Oct 26 at 14:33

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KA24 · Answer 2 · 2012-07-13 23:39:29Z UTC

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Used in the proper setting with a quality brand, BOTH are very healthy oils.

With all the arguments going on out there, this one is pretty dumb to participate in IMO...

answered Jul 13 at 23:39

KA24
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I know I just like to win :) – YoungPaleoLover Jul 13 at 23:43

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i think its a fine question – zaitz Oct 20 at 9:41

Mscott · Answer 3 · 2012-07-14 05:59:32Z UTC

I've seen a lot of evidence that suggests they're equally healthy oils. But not all studies, some have shown coconut oil comes out ahead:

In a study in which women were fed diets with lots of coconut oil or olive oil, the coconut oil group experienced lower postprandial levels of lipoprotein A and tissue plasminogen activator antigen (1). Although postprandial effects are not always reliably extrapolated to the long term, these effects are supportive of ways coconut oil may be beneficial to risk factors of cardiovascular disease over olive oil.
In a recent meta analysis of 60 trials measuring the effect of fatty acids on cholesterol, the authors reported “Lauric acid has a more favorable effect on total:HDL cholesterol than any other fatty acid” (2). The ratio of total:HDL cholesterol is one of the strongest predictors of heart disease that I’m aware of (3). The main fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid. Oleic acid, the main fatty acid in olive oil, is thus not as beneficial to total:HDL ratio.
In one study (4), men were fed either lauric acid (the main fatty acid in coconut oil) or oleic acid (the main fatty acid in olive oil) via a catheter until the participants were no longer hungry. At the end of the three day trial, the men being fed lauric acid reduced their calories more than the oleic acid group. This suggests coconut oil may influence greater weight loss than olive oil.
In an old study from 1948, rats fed coconut oil were largely protected from tuberculosis compared to rats fed olive oil and flaxseed oil (5).
In one study, mice with gene knockouts that increase susceptibility to cardiovascular disease were used to compare coconut oil and olive oil (6). In the LDL receptor knockout group coconut oil produced less atherosclerosis.

So these studies are supportive of coconut oil over olive oil. And of course, there are attributes like smoke point and heat stability that come into play when cooking. Coconut oil likely wins here as well, though I couldn't find much in the way of studies on this, so I'm just trusting basic chemistry. So yeah, I think both oils are good, but no convincing evidence suggest olive oil is better.

Hope this was helpful.

Citations:

Mary Taylor · Answer 4 · 2012-07-21 15:11:02Z UTC

I can offer another option--macademia nut oil. It is 80% monounsaturated and is transfat free. It has a really nice light flavor. It is not as well known as the other oils so there hasn't been as much research but I think it is worth exploring. Nothing wrong with more options.

Taylor · Answer 5 · 2012-07-13 20:40:17Z UTC

You can cook with it at high temperatures without it going rancid (I think that's the issue when you heat oil too high, I could be wrong on that though). It has a higher smoke point.

Their chain of fatty acid is similar to those found in breast milk I believe. If I'm not wrong, olive oil is a polyunsaturated fatty acid, or a PUFA, and there's something that's less than ideal about PUFAs, which I don't remember. Kurt harris et al convinced me of it through articles and then I forgot the reason. But I'm pretty sure the community doesn't altogether frown on olive oil, but just not for cooking, since the smoke point is low.

I think that's all I got. But I know there's more.

Maybe this is a good link?

Here’s what I learned from Dr. Fife on the podcast, as it relates to overall health:

*Coconut oil is a healthy Saturated Fat that is heat stable. This means you can cook with it at high heat, and it will not go rancid and create free radicals in the body, which promote premature aging.

*Coconut oil stimulates the thyroid, regulating metabolism and increasing overall energy.

*Coconut oil has been known for its healing power. Being a MCFA (medium chain fatty acid), it has anti microbial properties, meaning that it helps break the lipid coat of bacteria and viruses and allows the body’s white blood cells to work more effectively.

*Coconut oil promotes healthy gut flora by allowing the friendly bacteria to flourish in the gut and killing any microorganisms or parasites that are not beneficial to the gut lining. It also kills candida (yeast overgrowth) in the digestive tract.

*Of particular interest to me was information about the benefits of coconut oil and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Fife mentioned that coconut oil provides ketone bodies which promote healing in the brain, and that many Alzheimer’s patients have had a regression in their symptoms after using coconut oil. Any kind of brain healing sounds good to me.

*Many more unbelievable health benefits are listed on Dr. Fife’s website.

http://coconutresearchcenter.com/

Chinaeskimo · Answer 6 · 2012-07-13 23:27:01Z UTC

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I don't know if you feel like arguing, but if you don't, (I get tired after a while) I just say, " I like (insert food) I don't like (insert other food)."

Hard to argue with someone's personal preferences :-)

answered Jul 13 at 23:27

Chinaeskimo
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That works too but not with her! – YoungPaleoLover Jul 13 at 23:43

tj · Answer 7 · 2012-07-13 22:02:58Z UTC

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http://www.ihealthtube.com/aspx/viewvideo.aspx?v=9a6ea595a29de2cd

heres a video

answered Jul 13 at 22:02

tj
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may Siegrist · Answer 8 · 2012-10-26 14:15:16Z UTC

My answer to this will be a trigger to our common senses. BOTH oils ARE healthy, non of them is healthier than the other. Depends on the climate we accustomed to. I suggest that wherever you may be, use the oil that is available to you, because if you use the oil in Europe that is transported from asia ( coconut) then you do it wrong. The substance of our bodies are slightly different and mother Earth knows exactly what we need. Just look around and take what's available. I have consumed coconut oil in winter time, and it's a no no for me, I don't feel that good as I would feel with Olive oil. If I'm in tropical countries, coconut oil is the winner!

robin · Answer 9 · 2012-12-25 20:47:21Z UTC

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although this does not answer your question as to which is better, this website has a lot of stuff about coconuts in general....

http://coconutresearchcenter.com/

answered Dec 25 at 20:47

robin
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Coconut Oil vs. Olive oil

9 Answers