Even some of the most minor coconut oil benefits are largely unsupported. Coconut oil is often purported to be antimicrobial — hence Paltrow’s use of it for “oil pulling,” a technique that promises to reduce oral bacteria. This claim rests on the presence of a chemical within coconut oil thatcan inhibit the growth of certain bacteria in humans when it’s used as, for example, a mouthwash. But these studies have looked at the synthesized chemical rather than coconut oil itself.
As you may have noticed, all of these claims share a common problem: the magical properties attributed to coconut oil come from benefits derived from its individual components, rather than coconut oil as a whole. This lack of context also applies to entire food cultures. Coconut oil fans like to point out that people who eat lots of coconut, whether in Polynesia, India, or the Philippines, have lower levels of cholesterol and fewer cases of heart disease than people in Western countries.
“The whole thing, if you start putting it in a context, it starts getting a little bit complicated,” Block says. “And people don’t want that. People want quick and fast. People want a miracle.” If coconut oil is any kind of miracle at all, Block told Gastropod, it’s mostly a marketing miracle. If you think that its oil is the first time coconut has sparked controversy, buckle up for coconut water wars, a coconut cult, and even some good, old-fashioned Monty Python in the latest episode of Gastropod. Follow and subscribe to join us as we explore how and why we all went coco for coconuts.Thanks for signing up!Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.