Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Good morning and welcome to Episode 054 of the Train Your Brain Podcast with Dr. Michael Trayford. Every Monday we produce a 30-minute episode. Tuesday through Sunday we produce episodes with five-minute tips. Every episode of the Train Your Brain Podcast features a tip, so you can receive pointers 365 days a year that will help enhance the performance of your brain!
Today Dr. Trayford shares brain training tip No. 54! There has been a lot of hype surrounding coconut oil. Dr. Trayford is here to sift through some of the information and tell us what we really need to know about coconut oil and fats. Join us! We’re grateful that you’re listening to our show.
If you have any concerns regarding the information and applications discussed in this podcast, please consult your physician and a doctor who is experienced in functional neurology. Michael Trayford DC, DACNB is available for consultation by calling (828) 708-5274. Thanks for listening.
Coconut oil is a saturated fat that can be solid or liquid at room temperature. In fact, a temperature change of only one or two degrees can change it. There are certain fats like lard that are stable and will always be solid at room temperature. At the same time unsaturated fats like olive oil tend to be liquid at room temperature.
These are different types of fats called medium chain triglycerides or medium chain fatty acids. This is basically a way of describing the size of the molecules and how they are organized.
There is a lot of confusion in our understanding of the nature of fats these days. In the past saturated fats were always seen as being bad. Now there is some research that suggests they are good again.
When we really spend some time taking a closer look at saturated fats, the bottom line is that we need to vary and limit certain types of fats depending on your health, diet and nutritional goals.
In the case of coconut oil, research looked at certain cultures all over the world, including the South Pacific, where people consumed coconut oil on a regular basis. Among certain individuals there was no evidence of heart disease. Their health was impeccable!
The one common connection that all of these people shared was that their daily diet included foods like coconut, coconut milk and coconut oil. Research started digging deeper into all of the vast medicinal qualities of coconuts and coconut oil.
Basically they can be a quick source of energy. The human body is designed to burn glucose, however if glucose isn’t readily available, then medium chain fatty acids like coconut oil can actually find their way easily into the blood stream where they can be used as a really rich source of energy.
Coconut oil also has benefits in the area of dementia or cognitive decline. The human brain in large part is made of fat. We need to eat good fats in order to keep our brain healthy. Medium chain triglycerides are really been shown to have a building and protective effect in the brain. This can of course help support brain function into later life.
Coconut oil also has other beneficial effects for the cardio vascular system in decreased risk of certain types of heart disease and decreased risk of stroke.
Coconut oil also has a significant antioxidant effect. This means it can actually help decrease the negative impact of oxygen and its relationship to the damage caused by free radicals.
New research has also found that coconut oil has an effect on pathogens due to the presence of acid. This acid can directly kill things like viruses, bacteria and fungus. It has actually shown to have an impact on things like staph infections that are normally resistant to antibiotics.
The research continues on in multiple branches of the world of science. Every day we discover more benefits of coconut oil and reasons why you should include it in your diet.
Links for this episode:
Click here to learn more about helmets
Learn more at APEX Brain Centers.com
Read the APEX Brain Centers BLOG
Follow us on Facebook
On Google Plus
Follow APEX Brain Centers on Twitter
And here is the Twitter handle for this podcast: @BrainPodcast365
Visit our YouTube Channel