Kinds of Fats by Carbon Chain and
Why Coconut Oil is So Good

The Three Kinds

All fats and oils are composed of fat molecules called "fatty acids." Based on the length or molecular size of the carbon chain in the fatty acid, you have short chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long chain fatty acids (LCFA).

Three fatty acids grouped together form a "triglyceride" so you may also have short chain triglycerides (SCT), medium chain triglycerides (MCT), and long chain triglycerides (LCT).

It's the MCTs, specifically the MCFAs like lauric acid that give coconut oil its amazing health properties!

Too Much LCT-fats

SCTs are the rarest of fatty acids. Vinegar and butter are the most common sources. If SCTs are rare, LCTs are everywhere.

I would venture to say that about 98-100 percent of all the fats you eat consist of "hard-to-digest" LCTs. Soybean, corn and olive oils, just to name a few, are entirely composed of LCTs. These kinds of fats require digestive enzymes from your pancreas and bile from your gallbladder to break down.

Coconut Oil Superiority

Relatively rare MCTs abundantly found in coconut oil are easy to digest. So easy that digestive enzymes and bile are not necessary. By the time they leave your stomach, MCTs are already completely broken down into MCFAs or individual fatty acids and sent straight to your liver where they are used as a source of fuel to produce energy.

MCFAs are also the powerhouse behind coconut oil's unique ability to kill viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc. Because MCFAs are virtually rare, you won't find this awesome antimicrobial benefit of coconut oil in almost all other fats.

Thanks to MCFAs, coconut oil can help cure and prevent disease and illness like:

• Throat and sinus infections
• SARS
• Ringworm
• Gastric ulcers
• Influenza
• Candidiasis
• Urinary tract infections (UTI)
• AIDS
• Athlete's foot
• Gonorrhea
• Mononucleosis
• Thrush
• Giardiasis
• Pneumonia
• ... countless more ...

Unlike other kinds of fats, properly processed MCFA-rich organic unrefined virgin coconut oil can stay fresh for up to five years, even without refrigeration. It doesn't oxidize or get rancid easily. Coconut oil is the most stable, durable dietary fat on the planet. It's all good!

Please visit types of fats based on saturation for the other method of classifying fats.

Hierholzer, J. C. and Kabara, J. J. In vitro effects of monolaurin compounds on enveloped RNA and DNA viruses. Journal Food Safety 1982;4:1.

PLEASE SEE REFERENCE NUMBERS 3-6, 13-20, 22-30, 32 FOR MORE.