Coconut oil is anti-inflammatoryFats in general – and especially saturated fats – have long gotten a bad rap for being inflammatory.While some fats are inflammatory (e.g. polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs – see our post on fish oil for more on that), coconut oil is not.In fact, several animal studies show that coconut oil actually reduces inflammation[16] [17] – so you can expect it to help reduce the redness and swelling of breakouts when you eat it (we’re not talking about topical use, here).One major cause of inflammation in the body is lipid peroxidation.Lipid peroxidation happens when free radicals in the body steal electrons from fats in your cells’ membranes. These newly “radicalized” (read: damaged) fats then steal electrons from other fats, zombifying them into free radicals, starting a chain reaction ad infinitum until something – an antioxidant – neutralizes the radicals and stops the process. (This is the real zombie apocalypse you should be worried about!)But the thing is, only super-delicate fats tend to have this problem in the body. PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids), I’m looking at you! Yes, now you have official permission to toss out the Crisco.Saturated fats, such as the MCTs in coconut oil, are billions of times less reactive than polyunsaturated fats (with 2 or more double bonds).[18] So it makes sense that MCTs and other saturated fats would be less inflammatory than other, more reactive fats – they don’t get peroxidized and then zombify other fats like PUFAs do!Numerous studies bear this out, and even show that coconut oil helps reduce inflammation in the body.[19]In one study, virgin coconut oil (VCO) -fed rats had lower oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and protein oxidation than those fed sunflower oil, olive oil, or non-virgin coconut oil (more on virgin vs. non-virgin coconut oil coming up). In addition, the VCO-fed rats had boosted antioxidant status. Glutathione, the body’s #1 antioxidant, was higher in these rats’ livers, hearts, and kidneys.[20]Score!Another study subjected rats to a challenging swim test. The critters that were fed virgin coconut oil showed less oxidative stress, higher levels of brain antioxidants, and less adrenal stress afterward than control group rats. [21]That’s right – coconut oil may just lower your stress levels. This heart-healthy fat has even been shown to lower high blood pressure.[22]So to reduce the inflammation of your acne, and to reduce the incidence of future breakouts by lowering systemic inflammation, consider subbing in coconut oil for the inflammatory PUFAs in your diet – e.g. canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, and other vegetable oils.
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