Know2eat

Coconut oil

Cocos nucifera

Also known as Copra oil, Virgin coconut oil

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Fat extracted from coconut flesh, solid below about 24 degrees Celsius and dominated by saturated fatty acids, principally lauric acid. It is frequently described as a medium-chain triglyceride oil, but lauric acid behaves in the body partly like a long-chain fat, which is why coconut oil is not equivalent to the MCT oil used in research.

Skin HealthWeight ManagementHeart HealthBrain & Cognitive Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Skin structure and hydration

Skin Health
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited but real for topical use rather than eating: small trials report improved skin barrier hydration when virgin coconut oil is applied to dry skin and in mild atopic dermatitis.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

The weight-loss claim rests on medium-chain triglyceride research using purified oils at doses well above culinary use. Trials of coconut oil at realistic amounts do not show meaningful effects on body weight or fat mass.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Cardiovascular risk markers

Heart Health
Insufficient evidence

There is no dependable human evidence that coconut oil lowers cardiovascular risk, and the trial evidence points the other way on the main measurable marker: it raises LDL cholesterol compared with unsaturated oils. Claims based on Pacific island populations describe whole diets built around coconut flesh, not on adding refined coconut oil to a Western diet.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Cognitive function

Brain & Cognitive Health
Insufficient evidence

Claims that coconut oil supports memory in dementia have no dependable human research behind them. The ketone rationale comes from studies of purified medium-chain triglycerides, and even there the findings are preliminary and contested.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Coconut oil

Ask about Coconut oil

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories892 kcal45%
Protein0 g0%
Total fat99.1 g127%
Carbohydrate0 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water0.03 g—
Fats
Saturated fat82.5 g412%
Monounsaturated fat6.33 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1.7 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
ALA (omega-3)0.019 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)1.68 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.11 mg1%
Vitamin K0.6 µg1%
Thiamin (B1)0 mg0%
Riboflavin (B2)0 mg0%
Niacin (B3)0 mg0%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0 mg0%
Vitamin B60 mg0%
Folate0 µg0%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline0.3 mg0%
Minerals
Calcium1 mg0%
Iron0.05 mg0%
Magnesium0 mg0%
Phosphorus0 mg0%
Potassium0 mg0%
Sodium0 mg0%
Zinc0.02 mg0%
Copper0 mg0%
Manganese0 mg0%
Selenium0 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.03 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Oil, coconut (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171412).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • friedPreserves oxidative stability

    The high saturation of coconut oil makes it resistant to oxidation during heating, which is a genuine technical advantage in frying and unrelated to its effect on blood lipids.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Raises LDL cholesterol

    Controlled trials consistently show that coconut oil raises LDL cholesterol relative to unsaturated plant oils, and by about as much as butter. This is the central and best-established fact about coconut oil, and it is not offset by the accompanying rise in HDL, whose significance is uncertain. Major cardiovascular bodies advise limiting it as they do other saturated fats.

  • Worth knowing

    MCT research does not transfer

    Trials on medium-chain triglycerides typically use purified caprylic and capric acid oil, not coconut oil. Applying those results to a lauric-acid-dominated culinary fat is a substitution the research does not support.

  • Worth knowing

    Energy density

    Coconut oil is pure fat, and adding it to coffee or meals adds substantial calories that are easy to overlook because they arrive without bulk.

  • Allergy

    Coconut allergy

    Rare, but documented, including anaphylaxis. Coconut is classed as a tree nut for US labelling purposes even though it is botanically a drupe, so it appears on nut allergen statements.