Health effects of coconut oil in current research
What it found
Coconut oil applied to skin may help with eczema, and swishing it in the mouth may help prevent tooth decay.
Evidence does not support its use for Alzheimer's disease, bone loss, or blood sugar control.
What they found
Studies in people
Skin and mouth uses
Limited but consistent evidence supports putting coconut oil on the skin to prevent or treat eczema. Swishing it in the mouth may help prevent tooth decay.
Diseases and blood sugar
Limited evidence does not support using coconut oil to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease, bone loss, or to control blood sugar levels.
Cholesterol compared to fats
Refined copra oil seems to affect total and LDL cholesterol less than butter fat. However, it has a bigger effect than vegetable oils rich in unsaturated fats.
Studies in people and animals
Hair protection
Coconut oil might protect hair from protein loss during grooming and sun exposure. Scientists need to do more work to confirm this benefit.
Other findings
Two types of coconut oil
Copra oil and virgin coconut oil have similar fat profiles. Virgin coconut oil contains more vitamin E and plant compounds like polyphenols.
What the authors conclude
- They note that many health claims about coconut oil come from animal or lab studies rather than human trials.
- They call for larger clinical studies in people to test claims about weight loss and heart disease.
- They point out that research on pure medium-chain fats cannot be directly applied to coconut oil, which contains a wide mix of different fats.
How it was done
Coconut oil products are becoming more popular because people believe certain fats in them offer health benefits. The authors wanted to gather and summarize what current research actually shows about these claims.
The authors gathered and summarized published scientific literature on how coconut oil affects health. They looked at studies involving people, animals, and lab tests. No specific number of studies or participants was given.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Many claims about coconut oil are based on animal or lab studies, which cannot show what happens in people.
- Studies looking at pure medium-chain fats do not tell us how whole coconut oil behaves in the body.
- Observational studies can only show links between coconut oil and health outcomes, not cause and effect.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- George Mason University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Health Effects of Coconut Oil-A Narrative Review of Current Evidence
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Wallace TC (2019). Health Effects of Coconut Oil-A Narrative Review of Current Evidence. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. doi:10.1080/07315724.2018.1497562PubMed 30395784DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error