None of these studies used coconut oil. The first used MCT. Coconut oil has some of these but much else also. Refined olive oil is as in the second study is likely unhealthy. One complaint regarding the studies I have mentioned which found coconut oil inferior was that they may possibly have used refined coconut oil, so no double standard please. Also, regarding the first study, greater shorter short-term weight loss is nice but says little regarding more long-term metabolic variables under stable weight. Like many short-term studies finding greater weight-loss and improved related variables from high-fat diets but when extended to one-year studies with stable weight the differences to high-carbohydrate diets disappear on many variables. Regarding LDL size, that is likely an unimportant variable.I still want to disagree with you.
A study that compares MCTs and Olive Oil:
Weight-loss diet that includes consumption of medium-chain triacylglycerol oil leads to a greater rate of weight and fat mass loss than does olive oil.
St-Onge MP, Bosarge A.
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University and New York Obesity Research Center, St Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital, New York, NY 10025, USA. ms2554@columbia.edu
BACKGROUND: Clinical studies have shown that consumption of medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCTs) leads to greater energy expenditure than does consumption of long-chain triacylglycerols. Such studies suggest that MCT consumption may be useful for weight management. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether consumption of MCT oil improves body weight and fat loss compared with olive oil when consumed as part of a weight-loss program. DESIGN: Forty-nine overweight men and women, aged 19-50 y, consumed either 18-24 g/d of MCT oil or olive oil as part of a weight-loss program for 16 wk. Subjects received weekly group weight-loss counseling. Body weight and waist circumference were measured weekly. Adipose tissue distribution was assessed at baseline and at the endpoint by use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography. RESULTS: Thirty-one subjects completed the study (body mass index: 29.8 +/- 0.4, in kg/m(2)). MCT oil consumption resulted in lower endpoint body weight than did olive oil (-1.67 +/- 0.67 kg, unadjusted P = 0.013). There was a trend toward greater loss of fat mass (P = 0.071) and trunk fat mass (P = 0.10) with MCT consumption than with olive oil. Endpoint trunk fat mass, total fat mass, and intraabdominal adipose tissue were all lower with MCT consumption than with olive oil consumption (all unadjusted P values < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of MCT oil as part of a weight-loss plan improves weight loss compared with olive oil and can thus be successfully included in a weight-loss diet. Small changes in the quality of fat intake can therefore be useful to enhance weight loss.
PMID: 18326600 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Dietary mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids similarly affect LDL size in healthy men and women.
Kratz M, et al. J Nutr. 2002 Apr;132(4):715-8.
The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of the dietary fat composition on LDL peak particle diameter. Therefore, we measured LDL size by gradient gel electrophoresis in 56 (30 men, 26 women) healthy participants in a controlled dietary study. First, all participants received a baseline diet rich in saturated fat for 2 wk; they were then randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments, which contained refined olive oil [rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), n = 18], rapeseed oil [rich in MUFA and (n-3)-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), n = 18], or sunflower oil [rich in (n-6)-PUFA, n = 20] as the principal source of fat for 4 wk. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a small, but significant reduction in LDL size during the oil diet phase (-0.36 nm, P = 0.012), which did not differ significantly among the three groups (P = 0.384). Furthermore, affiliation with one of the three diet groups did not contribute significantly to the observed variation in LDL size (P = 0.690). In conclusion, our data indicate that dietary unsaturated fat similarly R E D U C E S LDL size relative to saturated fat. However, the small magnitude of this reduction also suggests that the composition of dietary fat is not a major factor affecting LDL size.
PMID: 11925466
Edited by Blue, 17 November 2009 - 12:38 PM.