What About Saturated Fat From Coconut Oil?

"Can I just substitute coconut oil for my cooking oil?"

UPDATED: July 22nd, 2025

Welcome to the Healthy Aging Newsletter, a free publication translating trustworthy medical research into simple habits to age well, free of chronic disease. I’m Dr. Ashori, a family medicine doctor turned health coach. 

Many of my patients who first get into healthy habits ask me about coconut oil. It’s more solid and makes for a decent additive in desserts and it’s convenient for sauteing, cooking, and frying. It’s also a fat that’s mostly saturated.

Saturated fat has a strong association with elevated LDL-C, apoB and increases atherosclerotic plaque deposition on the arteries which has been consistently shown to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Unsaturated fats like MUFA (olive oil, canola) and PUFA (corn, sunflower oil) seem to not have the same negative effects on arteries.

I know the topic of oils and fats are contentious. Just uttering ‘seed-oils’ or “saturated fat’ can boil some blood. Let’s only focus on the data we can find on coconut oil. And to save you the headache of reading this whole article, basically coconut oil raises LDL-C and apoB but not as much as butter, lard, or cheese. Just like any saturated fat, a little bit is likely okay for most healthy individuals, but I would use it sparingly.

Coconut Oil is 92% Saturated Fat

Coconut oil is extraordinarily high in saturated fat, about 92%. Unlike animal fats, e.g. butter, which are rich in longer-chain saturated fatty acids, coconut oil’s saturated fat is predominantly a “medium-chain” fatty acid, but functionally it behaves more like a long-chain fat.

Coconut Oil’s Impact on Blood Lipids & Heart Disease

Compared to unsaturated plant oils (like olive, safflower, or sunflower oil): Coconut oil consistently raises LDL cholesterol. A 2020 systematic review found coconut oil raised LDL-C by about 10 mg/dL on average relative to other oils.

Total cholesterol and apoB also tend to increase with coconut oil diets. At the same time, coconut oil raises HDL cholesterol slightly more than unsaturated oils do. In one meta-analysis coconut oil increased HDL-C by 5 mg/dL relative to olive oil.

Unfortunately, higher HDL-C from saturated fat intake does not clearly translate to cardiovascular benefit. It may simply reflect how these fats affect cholesterol transport, not a true risk reduction. Notably, triglyceride levels usually are not significantly changed by coconut oil compared to other fats.

Coconut Oil Compared to Butter

Butter consumption in a randomized trial led to significantly higher LDL-C than coconut oil, by 16 mg/dL. In the same 4-week trial, coconut oil did not increase LDL significantly more than olive oil did, and it raised HDL-C more than both butter and olive oil.

Coconut oil raises both LDL and HDL cholesterol compared to most plant oils, with no clear net benefit on the LDL/HDL ratio or other risk factors that would offset the LDL elevation. This pattern is in line with its high saturated fat content.

Findings suggest that while coconut oil is high in saturated fat, it contains different fatty acids (lauric, myristic) that raise LDL less potently than butter’s longer-chain saturates. In simple terms, coconut oil is somewhat “less atherosclerotic” than butter when it comes to cholesterol profiles, but it is still worse for LDL than healthy plant oils.

Coconut Oil and Inflammatory Markers

Short-term studies show minimal differences in weight, blood sugar, or blood pressure when using coconut oil versus other fats. There is some limited evidence coconut oil might lower C-reactive protein (an inflammation marker) compared to olive oil, but findings are not consistent and trials are short.

Coconut Oil vs. Vegetable Oils

No dietary choice happens in isolation, so it’s important to compare coconut oil to realistic alternatives.

Replacing olive or canola oil with coconut oil is generally seen as a downgrade for heart health. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat (MUFA) and associated with lower cardiovascular risk, whereas coconut oil will raise LDL-C relative to olive oil.

In interventions, coconut oil did not improve any cardiovascular risk marker compared to olive oil. For example, a head-to-head trial found no significant difference in blood pressure, blood glucose, or body fat between coconut and olive oil users, but did observe higher LDL with coconut (though not statistically large) and higher HDL-C.

There is no evidence that coconut oil provides the same benefits of olive oil (such as reduction in heart attacks seen in Mediterranean diet studies), since coconut oil lacks the polyphenols and unsaturated fat profile thought to confer those benefits.

Oils like sunflower, safflower, corn, or soybean oil are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and tend to lower LDL-C. Replacing these with coconut oil eliminates that LDL-lowering benefit and actually results in higher LDL-C.

Clinical Trials and Outcome Data

Crucially, we should note that no large randomized controlled trial has ever tested coconut oil consumption for long-term outcomes like heart attacks, strokes, or mortality. According to recent reviews, the scientific community “lacks studies with a long-term follow-up and a significant number of participants that evaluate the effect of coconut oil consumption on cardiovascular outcomes.” In other words, we don’t have direct RCT evidence that eating coconut oil will cause or prevent hard outcomes (Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events, or MACE).

How Much Saturated Fat Is Safe?

The good news is that you don’t have to abolish all saturated fat from your diet. Some butter, lard, cheese, or coconut oil is safe. The exact amount seems to be 5-10% of your total daily calories, depending on your cardiometabolic health.

Of course, if you have very little risk of cardiovascular disease, are cardiometabolically fit, have a nearly 99% whole food diet, have no signs of inflammation then you can tolerate more saturated fat.

• 1 tbsp butter spread on toast ≈ 7 g

• 1 tsp butter used to toast a bun ≈ 2 g

• 1 oz cheddar cheese as a snack ≈ 6 g

• 2 tbsp half and half in coffee ≈ 2 g

• 4 oz beef patty (85% lean) ≈ 7 g

• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk in a curry ≈ 12 g

• 1 tsp ghee used for sauté ≈ 2 g

• 1 lean chicken breast ≈ 1 g

• 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream ≈ 5 g

• 2 slices bacon at breakfast ≈ 4 g

• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan ≈ 3 g

My Thoughts On Using Coconut Oil

My thoughts on any oil in general is that it’s a highly processed food item that should be consumed in small amounts. If you prefer to have some added fats and oils in your food it seems that order in which one should choose is:

1. Olive oil

2. Canola oil

3. Coconut oil

4. Butter

5. Lard

In conclusion, coconut oil has no proven cardiovascular benefit and several potential drawbacks for heart health. In the general population, using coconut oil in place of unsaturated fats is likely to worsen cholesterol profiles and possibly increase the risk of atherosclerosis over time.

Book a 1:1 consultation with me, Dr. Ashori, if you need help navigating your own healthy aging journey.