About two weeks after bringing baby Benjamin home, little bumps formed all over his face. By four weeks old, those bumps turned red and inflamed - a bad case of baby acne.Our midwife, and later, our pediatrician, told us to leave it alone. "Do nothing. It will go away on its own." But as it continued to worsen, and especially when I found myself adjusting the lighting to hide the spots before taking a photo of Ben, I couldn't help myself.
Melting a dab of organic, extra-virgin coconut oil between my fingers, I applied it to Ben's face using a cotton ball. Within a few hours, it was significantly better. The very next day, it had all but disappeared! Coincidence? Perhaps. When the spots reappeared a couple of weeks later, I applied some coconut oil again and got the same results. This time, the acne did not return. I'm a believer!
The lauric acid in coconut oil is a known anti-inflammatory. Studies have shown that it's especially useful for skin conditions.
With that said, however, when Ben developed eczema on his belly and legs over the winter, coconut oil didn't work. Instead, I changed his diet (My bad - I was offering 8 month old Ben 1/2 of Olivia's gluten-free cookies now and then. Soooo bad! The tiny bit of sugar caused the eczema, even though Ben was getting - and still gets - probiotics every day.) and gave him omega-3 fish oil (both topically and internally) and that did the trick almost immediately.
Below is an article I wrote for Naturally Savvy. It reviews some of the benefits of coconut oil, particularly the research showing that it is an effective metabolism-booster.
We use coconut oil often in our cooking and baking. It has a high smoke point, so it's much safer to heat than olive oil and is especially safer than other vegetable oils. It's great in cookies, cakes and breads, too. If you like a little bit of a coconut taste, buy organic virgin coconut oil. If you prefer no taste, choose extra-virgin.
Why Coconut Oil is Good for You
Supermodel Miranda Kerr recently credited coconut oil as one of her beauty secrets, sending sales of the healthy oil soaring in the UK. The Victoria’s Secret angel says that she uses it daily in her cooking and applies it topically to her skin and hair.
Her statements have North American doctors in, well, a Kerr-fuffle. You see, coconut oil is a saturated fat (92% saturated), and aren’t sat-fats really bad for us? It seems like everyone dreads them and those ‘in the know’ about health go to great lengths to avoid them.
Saturated fats have long been picked on as a major factor in the development of heart disease. Looking at coconut oil as just another saturated fat, however, is missing the big picture. The difference between coconut oil and other fats is that about 66 percent of coconut oil is comprised of medium-chain triglycerides (or MCTs), whereas most of the other fats we consume – saturated or unsaturated – are composed of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). The length of the fatty acid chain is important because the physiological effects of MCTs in coconut oil are very different from LCTs. In fact, it is coconut oil’s MCTs that provide the benefits to health it’s now recognized for.
Despite research showing its effects on health, consumers are most interested in its impact on weight.
A study found that consuming MCTs compared with LCTs resulted in an increased metabolic rate (higher calorie burning) and enhanced fat oxidation in obese women after only 27 days, suggesting that substituting MCTs for LCTs may promote weight control and prevent long-term weight gain.
Kerr, among other coconut oil enthusiasts, claims that consumption of the oil helped her regain her model-figure shortly after giving birth to her first child. Coconut oil proponents claim that taking several tablespoons a day promotes weight loss, not weight gain. The reason for this is because MCTs are quickly metabolized into energy, acting more like carbohydrates than other fats. LCTs, on the other hand, are metabolized more slowly and stored for use as a future energy reserve, causing weight gain.
Coconut oil’s MCTs, including lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid and myristic acid, have been shown to improve immunity, having antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Lauric acid, the primary MCT in coconut oil, is an important component of breast milk. In fact, it’s been added to infant formulas, as well as to nutrition formulas created for hospitalized patients for decades – which means that the medical community has been well aware of the health-promoting, easy-to-digest fat for a long time.
In 2010, researchers in Thailand found that coconut oil can relieve pain associated with inflammation and has anti-inflammatory properties. This might be useful for those with arthritis, heart disease, and other inflammatory conditions.
Choosing the right coconut oil
The type of coconut oil used in food manufacturing is processed and does not provide benefits to health; actually, the “refined, bleached and deodorized,” or RBD oil can be detrimental and should be avoided. Look for organic extra-virgin or virgin coconut oil at natural product stores and most supermarkets. It’s perfect for cooking and baking, and can be easily slipped into a smoothie... and while you’re cooking, rub some into your skin and hair for super-moisturizing during the cold, dry winter months.
While Miranda Kerr finds that four teaspoons a day in her salads and meals is “personally beneficial,” up to four tablespoons a day have been recommended by health experts – at least by those who have updated their understanding of fats.
References:
St-Onge MP, Bourque C, Jones PJ, Ross R, & Parsons WE., (2003) “Medium-
versus long-chain triglycerides for 27 days increases fat oxidation and
energy expenditure without resulting in changes in body composition in
overweight women” Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 27(1):95-102.Intahphuak S., Khonsung, P. & Panthong, A. (2010) “Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activities of virgin coconut oil”Pharmaceutical Biology. 48(2):151-157.
Previously posted on Naturally Savvy
