Skin Benefits of Eating Coconut Oil

Coconut oil (also known as coconut butter) has been eaten by tropical cultures for thousands of years to promote health and beauty. The fatty acids that compose the chemical structure of coconut oil are powerful immune boosters, fighting irritation in a way that delays cellular degeneration and slows the skin's aging process. The result? Youthful-looking, glowing skin with high levels of elasticity and moisture. The best part? It's natural, it's tasty, and it's available on supermarket shelves.

Significance

• Coconuts are rich in a wide range of elements that support the health of the skin and body (among them vitamin A, vitamin C, amino acids, calcium, and iron). The oil is a dense source of these nutrients, and it has the added benefit of being entirely composed of medium-chain fatty acids, or MCFAs. The body tends to burn MCFAs as energy and not store them as unsightly adipose tissue. As opposed to animal fats, which settle in the arteries and pores, coconut oil's anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-aging compounds are metabolized quickly and efficiently to moisturize and repair the skin from the inside out. Coconut oil can be eaten alone as a supplement, used in baking, or substituted for other oils in any recipe in which a very light "coconutty" taste is appropriate.

Types

• The most common, cheapest form of coconut oil on the market is RBD (refined, bleached and deodorized). This type of oil is mechanically produced from copra (dried coconut meat) and is nutritionally compromised and not recommended as a health support. "Cold-pressed" coconut oil (also referred to as "virgin") means the coconut meat was processed in a way that did not expose it to high factory temperatures during manufacture, and is much more nutritionally intact. DME (direct micro-expeller pressed) oil is centrifugally extracted from the meat; since there is no heat applied during this process, the oil's natural vitamin, antioxidant, and mineral content is almost entirely preserved.

Benefits

• Coconut oil is an incredible moisturizer--as effective as mineral oil at the prevention of dryness and flaking, but without the potential irritating side effects. Coconut oil's powerful antioxidant components are naturally effective against the onset and perpetuation of skin wrinkling and sagging. Furthermore, the healing properties of coconut oil aid in the treatment of a range of skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. Topically applied coconut oil also speeds the healing of bruises.

Theories/Speculation

• Somewhat surprisingly, coconut products (including coconut oil) are also effective antifungal treatments, having been shown to kill Candida Albicans yeast. Some scientists theorize this is because of coconuts' high levels of caprylic acid, which has antifungal properties. Overgrowth of Candida Albicans in the body and on the skin is caused by a number of factors (among them antibiotics, birth control drugs, and diet). This overgrowth can cause a large number of health problems, ranging from poor digestion to vaginal thrush.

Anti-Microbial Properties

• Lauric acid is a key component of coconut oil. (The only other significant nutritional source of lauric acid is breastmilk.) When enzymes in saliva or the bacteria on the skin break down lauric acid, they create monolaurin. Monolaurin is a compound that kills microbes (such as viruses and "bad" bacteria) on the outside of the body so the immune system doesn't have to spend energy to fight them on the inside. This makes topically applied coconut oil a valuable immune support as well as a moisturizer. Inside the body, lauric acid also plays a key role in protecting the digestive lining and the immune integrity of the sinuses.