By Eulalee Thompson, Staff Reporter 
THE PARIAH of cooking oils coconut oil has been dusted off, spruced up and is now being called centrestage to take a bow, with adoring fans, spotlight and all to boot.
The oil, that 'sleeps up' when left standing in the kitchen cupboard for too long or in cooler temperatures was being avoided for years, like the plaque, because the belief was that it clogged up vital arteries in the body, setting off a train of events leading to heart disease.
All this information, according to visiting U.S. researcher and nutritionist, Dr. Bruce Fife, is nothing but 'hogwash'.
"I believe that coconut oil is the healthiest oil on earth but because of the bad publicity in the past, many people are confused about coconut oil. (They say) that it is a saturated fat and causes heart disease, well if you still believe this then you are in the dark ages and you need to be brought into the 21st century," he said.
The new mantra, as it is now turning out, is that no healthy diet can claim authenticity without healthy servings of coconut oil or at least some other coconut product the coconut meat, milk or water. Dr. Fife's new prescription for healthy living replace all those vegetable and soybean oils in the diet with coconut oil and further, add coconut oil to the diet whenever you can.
Dr. Fife, said to be the first person to compile medical research on the health benefits of coconut oil, indicates that it is used in hospital IV solutions; in baby formula; in many over-the-counter anti-Candida medication and in sports drinks and energy bars.
"Manufacturers are not just putting coconut oil in their products for the fun of it... the reason is that coconut oil provides health benefits not found in other oils," he said.
What gives coconut oil the edge over the other cooking oils? The secret lies in its chemistry. Yes, it is true that it contains saturated fat (the bad fat) but it is also important to note that it is composed predominantly of medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids while, according to Dr. Fife, the vast amount of fats, including those in other oils, are long-chain fatty acids.
"The size of the chain is important...because (the medium- and short-chain fatty acids) have a different effect on the body than the typical long-chain fatty acids found abundantly in meat and vegetable oils. Since the 1950s researchers have found that medium-chain fatty acids have tremendous health benefits but there have not been much research on them because all medium-chain fatty acids are saturated fat," he said.
Dr. Fife said that medium-chain fatty acids in our foods produce energy and not fat. They are broken down and used mainly for energy production, therefore, they very rarely end up as fat deposits on the hips or other parts of the body or clog the arteries.
"So it does not contribute to heart disease and in fact, if you want to prevent heart disease you should be using coconut oil," he said.
HEALTH BENEFITS
From his extensive research of the medical literature, Dr. Fife has come up with a slew of health benefits associated with coconut oil, some of them are:
reduces risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease
reduces risk of cancer and other degenerative conditions
helps prevent bacterial, viral and fungal (including yeast) infections
supports immune system function
helps control diabetes
provides an immediate source of energy
supports healthy metabolic function
promotes weight loss
supplies fewer calories than other fats
improves digestion and nutrient absorption
helps prevent osteoporosis
helps keep skin soft and smooth
So which cooking oil are you using? Still confused? Send me your feedback to eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com
