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Health

20th Jun 2017

Bad news ladies, coconut oil isn’t actually a ‘healthy alternative’

It's full of saturated fats.

Orlaith Condon

coconut

Another ‘healthy alternative’ is being taken from us.

It seems with every passing day we’re told about another food item that’s doing us harm.

And the latest one is coconut oil.

The AHA is reminding the public that the so-called ‘healthy alternative’ isn’t all that healthy.

The American Heart Association (AHA) says that coconut oil is full of saturated fats which has a seriously negative effect on our cholesterol.

They say the oil contains 82 percent saturated fat. That’s higher than butter (63 percent), beef fat (50 percent) and pork lard (39 percent).

While some say that the blend of fats in coconut oil make it a healthier option, the American Heart Association (AHA) says there is no solid proof of that.

So, what should we be using?

Well, the AHA say that we should replace it with unsaturated vegetable oils, olive oil and sunflower oil.