In a study sure to shock TikTok dieticians, low doses of coconut oil added to the diets of mice over an eight-week period have been linked to changes in their metabolism, leading to obesity and related health issues.
The study found that the introduction of coconut oil disrupted the mice’s ability to effectively utilize two crucial hormones, leptin and insulin, which play pivotal roles in regulating energy expenditure, appetite, and the body’s management of fats and sugars.
These findings lend support to the notion that a diet rich in saturated fatty acids can result in leptin resistance. Furthermore, as leptin resistance develops, the body’s white adipose tissue, responsible for storing fat, becomes less responsive to leptin.
This research builds upon earlier investigations in which the authors observed a range of adverse effects in mice exposed to coconut oil, including inflammation in both central and peripheral areas of the body, weight gain, increased fat percentage, reduced energy expenditure, and signs of anxiety, indicating a systemic imbalance. In the current study, 60 mice were divided into three groups, each receiving a liquid supplement: one group received water (the control group), another was given 100 microliters of commercial extra-virgin coconut oil, and the third received 300 microliters of the same.
The daily doses of coconut oil administered to the mice were calorically equivalent to approximately 13 grams of saturated fat or 5% of the saturated fat calories recommended for a healthy adult human. At the end of the experiments, the mice were anesthetized and subjected to hypothalamic study.
Impact of coconut oil on humans
Impact of Coconut Oil on the Body Dr Taylor Wallace, a nutrition scientist, commented on the study’s implications, stating, “The study suggests that, at least in mice, coconut oil may hinder the body’s ability to respond properly to essential hormones that regulate hunger and energy usage. This could potentially contribute to issues like obesity and insulin resistance, a significant problem in diabetes.”
Dr Wallace further explained, “What they found was a bit concerning: the coconut oil appeared to disrupt the normal communication pathways in the brain and other tissues that these hormones use to transmit their signals.”
The researchers also observed that the coconut oil-induced stress in the endoplasmic reticulum, a cellular area responsible for protein production and processing.
Registered dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick referred to a 2022 study, emphasizing the need for additional research on coconut oil’s effects in humans. She stated, “It’s impossible to say definitively, but studies have shown that mice and humans share similar genetics, making it a promising starting point.”
Dr Wallace pointed out several factors that should be considered, including biological disparities, differences in dosages, controlled environments in mouse studies lacking the variables found in human research, genetic uniformity among rodents, the simplicity of rodent systems, interspecies differences, and ethical concerns. He noted that while rodent studies offer valuable insights and guide further investigations, they are typically preliminary and require validation through rigorous human trials before drawing definitive conclusions.
