Coconut Oil and Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Open accessAbstract
Purpose of Review: This narrative review summarizes the current peer-reviewed literature and mechanisms surrounding the cardiovascular health impact of coconut oil. Recent Findings: No randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and/or prospective cohort studies have investigated the effect or association of coconut oil with cardiovascular disease. Evidence from RCTs indicated that coconut oil seems to have less detrimental effects on total and LDL-cholesterol compared to butter, but not compared to cis-unsaturated vegetable oils, such as safflower, sunflower, or canola oil. The isocaloric replacement (by 1% of energy intake) of carbohydrates with lauric acid (the predominant fatty acid in coconut oil) increased total cholesterol by 0.029 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.014; 0.045), LDL-cholesterol by 0.017 mmol/L (0.003; 0.031), and HDL-cholesterol by 0.019 mmol/L (0.016; 0.023). Summary: The current evidence from shorter term RCTs suggests that replacement of coconut oil with cis-unsaturated oils lowers total and LDL-cholesterol, whereas for the association between coconut oil intake and cardiovascular disease, less evidence is available.
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In a randomized controlled trial involving 96 participants, LDL-cholesterol levels were lower with coconut oil than with butter (difference of 0.42 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.65), with no significant differences between olive oil and coconut oil.
“The study observed that LDL-cholesterol levels were remarkably lower with coconut oil than with butter (difference of 0.42 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.65), with no significant differences between olive oil and coconut oil [147].”
From Nutritional composition and bioactive properties of tropical coconut palm fruit with functional food applications (2025) · cites this paper as [147]
Coconut oil elevated HDL-cholesterol compared to olive oil (0.16 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.28) and butter (0.18 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.30).
“Additionally, coconut oil elevated HDL-cholesterol compared to olive oil (0.16 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.28) and butter (0.18 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.30) [147].”
From Nutritional composition and bioactive properties of tropical coconut palm fruit with functional food applications (2025) · cites this paper as [147]
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Cites
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Ajibola, O. O. (2025) · Discover Food · doi:10.1007/s44187-025-00746-3 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“The antimicrobial properties of natural compounds have garnered significant attention as a result of their potential in combating resistant pathogens, offering advantages such as lower costs and reduced side effects compared to synthetic alternatives [147].”
Influential
- Authors
- Schwingshackl, L., & Schlesinger, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Freiburg (DE)
- Deutsches Diabetes-Zentrum e.V. (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Schwingshackl, Lukas
- Venue
- Current Atherosclerosis Reports
- Published
- 2023-03-27
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 231-236
- ISSN
- 1523-3804 (ISSN-L)
- 1534-6242
- PMC
- PMC10182109
- OpenAlex
- W4361007561
- Cited by
- 24
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 4
- FWCI
- 0.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Current Atherosclerosis Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Inorganic Chemistry › Coconut Research and Applications
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Diet and metabolism studies
- Keywords
- coconut oil, cardiovascular risk, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, lauric acid, butter, fat replacement, cardiovascular health
- MeSH terms
- Coconut Oil, Cardiovascular Diseases, Dietary Fats, Humans, Cholesterol, LDL, Plant Oils, Triglycerides
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