Does coconut oil lower blood pressure?

There are frequent reports online claiming that coconut oil has a positive effect on blood pressure. We looked into this to find out whether there are reliable studies to support these claims.

When people talk about coconut oil, you need to distinguish between virgin coconut oil and coconut fat. Coconut oil usually comes in jars, is cold-pressed from the coconut flesh, is unrefined and has a butter-like consistency: it is fairly solid when cold and becomes liquid when warmed. Coconut fat is sold as a block or slab, is heavily industrially processed and hydrogenated.

Coconut oil is made up largely (about 90 to 97 percent) of saturated fats. That has the advantage that coconut oil can be heated to high temperatures without forming harmful Trans fats. These are formed, among other ways, when the more delicate unsaturated fats are overheated. Unlike unsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids can also be produced by the body itself.

However, saturated fatty acids have a reputation for being rather unhealthy.

So what is the claimed benefit of virgin coconut oil?

Coconut oil's high content of lauric acid is often said to have positive effects on health. Lauric acid is one of the medium-chain fatty acids, which are claimed not to raise LDL cholesterol but instead to be able to reduce damage to the vessel walls. In this way they are supposed to help prevent atherosclerosis. That, in turn, would have a positive effect on blood pressure. In addition, coconut oil is said to have a favorable effect on body weight, because medium-chain fatty acids are considered easy to digest. They are therefore thought to be used by the body mainly for energy production.

But at present these are mostly guesses rather than scientifically proven facts. What is established, however, is that coconut oil is suitable for cooking and frying.

This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands monitor their blood pressure every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 04/2024).

Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.

Does coconut oil lower blood pressure?

Registry: