Question: Do coconut water
and coconut meat affect blood cholesterol especially in patients or people with
high blood cholesterol?
Answer: Generally, fat in
food can be divided into several types: saturated fat, trans-fat and
cholesterol. Blood lipid levels are different depending on the type of fat that
have been eaten.
Coconut water and coconut meat contain the following
components:
- 100 grams of coconut water provides 16
kilo calories of energy. The main component is water and there are other
components such as carbohydrates 3.9 g., protein 0.1 g., vitamins and minerals.
- 100 grams of Coconut meat provides 81 kilo calories of
energy. The main component is water and there are other components such as 5.9
grams of fat, 3.8 g of carbohydrates, 3.2 g of fiber, 1.8 grams of protein, vitamins
and minerals.
The data shows that carbohydrates are the main
ingredient in coconut water and there is a little fat. So eating coconut water
can affect blood sugar levels more than blood lipid levels.
But the coconut meat will have major component of fat
and carbohydrates. The fat from coconut is mainly saturated fat, which can
increase blood cholesterol levels. It is recommended for normal people to eat saturated
fat no more than 7% of calories received per day, or about 16 grams. In
addition, coconut meat also contains sugar, which can affect blood sugar levels
as well.
If possible, it is the best for patients with high
cholesterol that they should avoid eating coconut meat.
References:
1. Dignan C, Burlingame B, Kumar S, Aalbersberg W. The
Pacific Islands Food Composition Tables. FAO Publications, Rome 2004.
2. American Heart Association National
Center.http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Saturated-Fats_UCM_301110_Article.jsp#
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