Want a flat stomach? Instead of doing crunches, do this instead: Have an ounce of coconut oil.
Believe it or not, new research from Brazil says that adding a ounce of this to your diet significantly reduces fat around the abdomen in just 12 weeks.
The study was published in the health journal Lipids.
“The fat in coconut oil–a form of saturated fat known as MCT (medium chain triglycerides)–is among the healthiest fat in the world,” says Jonny Bowden, Ph.D. a nutritionist and author who did not participate in the study. “But the actual ability of coconut oil to help with weight loss has not been thoroughly investigated.”
And while researchers won’t say that it’s a “cure” for belly fat, they do admit that it definitely works.
“It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity,” say researchers.
What Researchers Found
Recruiting a group of 40 women between the ages of 20 to 40, researchers split them into two groups: A group receiving 30 mL of soybean oil or 30mL of coconut oil. The purpose was to see which oil had an effect on their waist circumference, a method used to measure a person’s central obesity. Researchers then asked them to continue eating a balanced diet and walk for 50 minutes a day.
“Groups received daily dietary supplements comprising 30 mL of either soy bean oil (group S; n = 20) or coconut oil (group C; n = 20) over a 12-week period, during which all subjects were instructed to follow a balanced hypocaloric diet and to walk for 50 min per day. Data were collected 1 week before (T1) and 1 week after (T2) dietary intervention,” say researchers.
When the study ended, researchers found that those who consumed coconut oil were more likely to be healthier–their HDL, or good cholesterol, levels were significantly higher, for instance, and they lost more weight. But what was more remarkable is that it decreased their waist size significantly more than those who consumed soybean oil, despite both groups eating the same amount of calories.
“While both the soybean oil group and the coconut oil group had similar reductions in BMI, only the coconut oil group saw a reduction in the circumference of their waists,” says Bowden. “A very interesting–and unexpected–finding, was that those consuming the coconut oil spontaneously reduced their consumption of carbohydrates and increased their consumption of protein and fiber over the course of the study.”
In short: If you want a slim belly, adding coconut oil to your diet is a must.
What You Should Do
Want a slimmer stomach? Forget crunches; add an ounce of coconut oil to your daily diet as an easy way to trim off the fat. Adding a spoonful of it to salads, stir fries, or in nutrient-rich soups are all tasty (and healthy) ways to get your daily coconut oil fix.
Readers: Do you try to include any other oils in your diet?
Sources:
Can Coconut Oil Help You Lose Inches? – JonnyBowdenBlog.com
Study: Coconut Oil Reduces Central Obesity in Women – NLM.NIH.gov
Can Coconut Oil Fight Belly Fat? – NaturalNews.com
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