What do coconut oil, butter, and other kinds of fat from animals have in common? They are all saturated fats. Yet coconut oil is supposedly good for us with health benefits such as weight loss, increasing good cholesterol levels, and decreasing risk of cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, the American Heart Association recommends us to limit saturated fat consumption. So ... what explains the benefits of coconut oil? The difference between coconut oil and fat from animals is in the length of the fatty acids. Coconut oil is a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) while fat from animals are long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). MCFAs have a carbon backbone of 7-12 carbons, while LCFAs have more than 12 carbons. The body digests these fats differently. LCFAs are digested through the lymphatic system. LCFAs are packaged into chylomicrons which circulate through the body before reaching the liver. LCFAs are released from the chylomicron by lipoprotein lipase. All cells secrete this enzyme in
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