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Current Atherosclerosis Reports May 2023This narrative review summarizes the current peer-reviewed literature and mechanisms surrounding the cardiovascular health impact of coconut oil. (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This narrative review summarizes the current peer-reviewed literature and mechanisms surrounding the cardiovascular health impact of coconut oil.
RECENT FINDINGS
No randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and/or prospective cohort studies have investigated the effect or association of coconut oil with cardiovascular disease. Evidence from RCTs indicated that coconut oil seems to have less detrimental effects on total and LDL-cholesterol compared to butter, but not compared to cis-unsaturated vegetable oils, such as safflower, sunflower, or canola oil. The isocaloric replacement (by 1% of energy intake) of carbohydrates with lauric acid (the predominant fatty acid in coconut oil) increased total cholesterol by 0.029 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.014; 0.045), LDL-cholesterol by 0.017 mmol/L (0.003; 0.031), and HDL-cholesterol by 0.019 mmol/L (0.016; 0.023). The current evidence from shorter term RCTs suggests that replacement of coconut oil with cis-unsaturated oils lowers total and LDL-cholesterol, whereas for the association between coconut oil intake and cardiovascular disease, less evidence is available.
Topics: Humans; Coconut Oil; Dietary Fats; Cardiovascular Diseases; Plant Oils; Cholesterol, LDL; Triglycerides
PubMed: 36971981
DOI: 10.1007/s11883-023-01098-y -
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic... Aug 2020Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), a scarring alopecia that commonly affects women of African descent, can be challenging to manage, and there are limited... (Review)
Review
Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), a scarring alopecia that commonly affects women of African descent, can be challenging to manage, and there are limited treatment modalities available. The use of natural ingredients for nonscarring hair loss has gained popularity among patients, but has not been previously studied for CCCA. We sought to review clinical studies evaluating the use of natural ingredients in the treatment of CCCA. Systematic searches of the PubMed and SCOPUS databases were performed in March 2018 using various ingredient names and the terms , and . Specific ingredients included azelaic acid, peppermint oil, pumpkin seed oil, garlic supplements/shampoo, Black castor oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, olive oil, horsetail plant oil, lavender oil, coconut oil, chamomile oil, thyme oil, tea tree oil, sulfur oil, menthol, and rosemary oil. Two reviewers independently screened titles, leading to the selection of eight clinical studies. A review of the literature revealed no clinical trials that evaluated the treatment of CCCA with natural ingredients. Despite limited evidence-based research for CCCA, several natural ingredients showed efficacy in alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia, and psoriatic alopecia. Upon review of the literature, there were no randomized, controlled studies evaluating the use of natural ingredients or aromatherapy in the management of CCCA. Despite this, several botanical and natural ingredients do show promise in treating androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata. More clinical studies need to be performed to evaluate treatment options as a whole, including natural modalities, to better serve these patients.
PubMed: 33178378
DOI: No ID Found -
Heliyon Aug 2020Coconut oil is a cheap and accessible oil for many people around the world. There are numerous advocates for the practice of oil pulling to prevent common oral diseases....
OBJECTIVES
Coconut oil is a cheap and accessible oil for many people around the world. There are numerous advocates for the practice of oil pulling to prevent common oral diseases. Therefore determining the effectiveness of oil pulling with coconut oil could potentially have monumental benefits. This review aimed to assess the effect of oil pulling with coconut oil in improving oral health and dental hygiene.
DATA
We included randomized controlled trials comparing the effect of oil pulling with coconut oil on improving oral health and dental hygiene.No meta-analysis was performed due to the clinical heterogeneity and differences in the reporting of data among the included studies.
SOURCES
Six electronic databases were screened: PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, AMED, CENTRAL and CINAHL.
STUDY SELECTION
Electronic searches yielded 42 eligible studies, of which four RCTs including 182 participants were included. The studies lasted between 7 and 14 days. Significant differences were demonstrated for a reduction in salivary bacterial colony count ( = 0.03) and plaque index score (=<0.001). One study also demonstrated a significant difference in staining compared to using Chlorhexidine ( = 0.0002). However, data was insufficient for conclusive findings, the quality of studies was mixed and risk of bias was high.
CONCLUSION
The limited evidence suggests that oil pulling with coconut oil may have a beneficial effect on improving oral health and dental hygiene. Future clinical trials are of merit considering the universal availability of the intervention. Prospective research should have a robust design with rigorous execution to provide a higher quality of evidence.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Oil pulling with coconut oil could be used as a adjunct to normal preventative regimes to improve oral health and dental hygiene although further studies are needed to determine the level of effectiveness.
PubMed: 32923724
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04789