Univeros wrote:
>
> Also, does candy coconut bars actually contain anything good from the
> coconut, i read someplace cocnut is a good laxative and has good
> oils, whether that keeps in a candy bar is doubtful, do any of you
> know though? I always eat boutys, the cocunut candy bar, so just
> curious, thats all...

This study blames the MUCH higher rate of
cardiovascular mortality in Singapore as compared
to Hong Kong on consumption of saturated fats
including coconut oil.


Eur J Epidemiol. 2001;17(5):469-77.
Differences in all-cause, cardiovascular and
cancer mortality between Hong Kong and Singapo
role of nutrition.
Zhang J, Kesteloot H.
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public
Health, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.

BACKGROUND: The majority of inhabitants in Hong Kong
and Singapore are ethnic Chinese, but all-cause and
cardiovascular mortality rates in these two regions
are markedly different. This study describes
differences in the magnitude and trends in mortality
and attempts to explain these differences.

METHODS: Data of mortality rates in 1963-1965 and
1993-1995 in the age class of 45-74 years, dietary
habits and other factors were compared between
Hong Kong and Singapore using Japan, Spain and the USA
as reference countries. Mortality and food consumption
data were obtained from WHO and FAO, respectively.

RESULTS: Large differences in all-cause and cardiovascular
mortality exist between Hong Kong and Singapore. The
difference in total cancer mortality was less consistent
and smaller. The most pronounced finding was that ischemic
heart disease mortality in 1993-1995 was 2.98 and 3.14 times
higher in Singapore than in Hong Kong in men and women,
respectively. Of the five countries considered, Singapore
has the highest all-cause mortality in both sexes in the
period of 1960-1995. The ratio of animal to vegetal fat
was higher in Singapore (2.24) than in Hong Kong (1.08).
Singapore had higher serum concentrations of total
cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
than Hong Kong, but the opposite result was observed
for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

CONCLUSIONS: There are striking differences in all-cause
and cardiovascular mortality between Hong Kong and
Singapore. These differences can be most reasonably and
plausibly explained by their differences in dietary
habits, for example, a higher consumption of coconut and
palm oil, mainly containing saturated fat, in Singapore.


Coconut oil raises bad cholesterol more than
beef fat!


Am J Clin Nutr. 1985 Aug;42(2):190-7.
Plasma lipid and lipoprotein response of humans
to beef fat, coconut oil and safflower oil.
Reiser R, Probstfield JL, Silvers A, Scott LW,
Shorney ML, Wood RD, O'Brien BC, Gotto AM Jr,
Insull W Jr.

This study's purpose was to evaluate the fasting
human plasma lipid and lipoprotein responses to
dietary beef fat (BF) by comparison with coconut
oil (CO) and safflower oil (SO), fats customarily
classified as saturated and polyunsaturated.
Nineteen free-living normolipidemic men aged
25.6 +/- 3.5 yr consumed centrally-prepared
lunches and dinners of common foods having 35%
fat calories, 60% of which was the test fat.
The test fats were isocalorically substituted,
and each fed for five weeks in random sequences
with intervening five weeks of habitual diets.
Plasma total cholesterol (TC), high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations
among individuals follows the same relative rank
regardless of diet. Triglycerides (TG)
concentrations among individuals also maintain
their relative rank regardless of diet but in
a different order from that of the cholesterols.
Plasma TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C responses to BF were
significantly lower and TG higher than to CO.
As compared to SO, BF produced equivalent levels
of TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C and marginally higher TC.
Thus, the customary consideration of BF as
"saturated" and grouping it with CO appears
unwarranted.


This study in a rat model for myocardial
infarction (induced with a synthetic hormone)
found omega-3 fatty acids to be protective
against lipid peroxidation and cardiovascular
death, while coconut oil raised indicators of
damage to the heart muscle.


J Nutr Biochem. 1999 Jun;10(6):338-44.
Effect of saturated, omega-3 and omega-6
polyunsaturated fatty acids on myocardial
infarction.
Nageswari K, Banerjee R, Menon VP.
School of Biomedical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology, Bombay, India.

Dietary fatty acids have cholesterol lowering,
antiatherogenic, and antiarrhythmic properties
that decrease the risk of myocardial infarction (MI).
This study was designed to study the effects of
various oils rich in either polyunsaturated
(omega-3 or omega-6) fatty acids (PUFA) or
saturated fatty acids (SFA) on the severity of
experimentally induced MI. Male albino Sprague-Dawley
rats (100-150 g; n = 20) were fed diets enriched with
fish oil (omega-3 PUFA), peanut oil (omega-6 PUFA),
or coconut oil (SFA) for 60 days. Experimental MI was
induced with isoproterenol. Mortality rates; serum
enzymes aspartate amino transferase; alanine amino
transferase; creatine phosphokinase (CPK); lipid
profiles in serum, myocardium, and aorta; peroxide
levels in heart and aorta; activities of catalase and
superoxide dismutase; and levels of glutathione were
measured. The results demonstrated that mortality rate,
CPK levels, myocardial lipid peroxides, and glutathione
levels were decreased in the omega-3 PUFA treated group.
Maximum increase in parameters indicative of myocardial
damage was seen in the coconut oil group. These findings
suggest that dietary omega-3 PUFA offers maximum
protection in experimentally induced MI in comparison
to omega-6 PUFA and SFA enriched diets. SFA was found
to have the least protective effect.