[Rachel SheltonParticipant]

Thank you Warren for your response! I appreciate the research you did on my question. When I was doing my own investigating on the topic, I found results that agreed with your findings, especially that it is more beneficial to get protein from whole food sources than from supplements. Supplements may be beneficial to those who are very physically active and trying to build more muscle, but they likely aren’t as beneficial to the general population. In a study by Xu et al., they found that protein supplements did not increase the strength or muscle mass in elderly patients (1). Thus supplements may only benefit a select few, so I think I’ll follow the advice and stick to getting my protein from food sources.

Reference List
1. Xu Z, Tan Z, Zhang Q, Gui Q, Yang Y. Clinical Effectiveness of Protein and Amino Acid Supplementation on Building Muscle Mass in Elderly People: A Meta-Analysis. Plos ONE [serial online]. September 2014;9(9):1-10. Available from Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed March 6, 2015.

[Rachel SheltonParticipant]

Coconut oil has been hyped as the latest miracle food and there are a wide variety of claimed benefits. These claims include; that it boosts brain function in people with Alzheimer disease, and helps with weight loss, cancer and HIV. Coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat (1). Coconut oil is 47.3% lauric acid and 15.8% myristic acid, these components are medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which are metabolized differently in the body (2). There is a theory that MCTs could be beneficial for Alzheimer’s disease because their breakdown yields ketone bodies, which can be used by the brain as an alternative to glucose (2). The MCTs are also believed to benefit weight loss because they are absorbed more easily and are metabolized more directly (2), but the evidence is limited. In an experimental study in rats by Lemieux et al. they found that a diet enriched in saturated fatty acids offers strong advantages for the protection against oxidative stress in heart mitochondria in rats which may be a possible prevention of cancer (3). While there are proposed mechanisms for many possible benefits of coconut oil, there is insufficient scientific evidence for any of them. While there are possible benefits, due to its high levels of saturated fat, coconut oil should still be limited in the diet and it is still recommended that saturated is switched to unsaturated fats to obtain the best nutritional value.

Reference List
1. Willett W. COCONUT OIL. Harvard Health Letter [serial online]. May 2011; 36(7):7. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed March 2, 2015.
2. Cadenhead K, Sweeny M, Lau A. Coconut oil: The new super food? Not likely. British Columbia Medical Journal [serial online]. November 2014;56(9):448-449. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed March 2, 2015.
3. Lemieux H, Bulteau A, Friguet B, Tardif J, Blier P. Dietary fatty acids and oxidative stress in the heart mitochondria. Mitochondrion [serial online]. January 2011;11(1):97-103. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed March 1, 2015.

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