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This case report showed that coconut oil supplementation reduced this man's insulin requirements (he's a type 2 diabetic by was given insulin as well) dramatically. And when we did use insulin at his normal dose, he often experienced hypoglycemia.
The shows that coconut either improves glucose uptake, reduces lipolysis, lowers endotoxins, inflammation (by offsetting PUFAs), promotes glucose oxidation and/or lowers stress and gluconeogenesis.
The man used just 1000mg coconut oil per day.
"A 66-year-old male presented to the endocrine clinic for consultation regarding new onset hypoglycemia. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus at age 42 and was initially managed with metformin. Subsequently, insulin was added due to worsening glycemic control. His insulin regimen, until recently, consisted of NPH insulin 20 units subcutaneously twice daily and regular insulin 15 units before each meal. A few weeks prior to presentation to the endocrine clinic, he started taking coconut oil supplements because he heard about some health benefits. Specifically, he started taking a dose of 1000 mg daily. Within 1-2 days of starting the supplement, he began experiencing hypoglycemia. He denied any changes in his appetite or caloric intake. There were no other factors that would have explained his onset of hypoglycemia. Specifically, his weight, which was 253 lbs at baseline (for a body mass index of 33.5), had not changed. He did not start taking any other new medications or supplements. Based on advice from his primary care provider, he reduced his insulin doses: initially, NPH down to 15 units twice daily and then to 10 units twice daily. He then started avoiding some of the regular insulin doses. When he took regular insulin, he would have hypoglycemia at bedtime.
During his visit to the endocrine clinic, he reported a stable weight. He was experiencing hypoglycemia (defined as blood glucose below 70 mg/dL [8]) about once weekly. These episodes tended to occur after he had supper, close to bedtime. His lowest glucose reading was 50 mg/dL in the past 2 weeks. His hemoglobin A1c, a long-term measure of glycemic control, was 6.2%. This was lower than his previous level of 6.4% checked 3 months prior to starting coconut oil, despite cutting the dose of his long-acting insulin in half and occasionally skipping his meal-time insulin. His lipid levels prior to coconut oil intake were as follows: total cholesterol of 116 mg/dL, LDL of 36 mg/dL, HDL of 34 mg/dL, and triglycerides of 232 mg/dL. He was taking a statin medication before and continued to take it after initiating coconut oil. By the time he was seen in the endocrine clinic, a lipid panel was not repeated, due to short-time duration since being on the new supplement. The patient was intending to raise his coconut oil dose to 2000 mg per day and had questions regarding the effects of coconut oil on his blood glucose and implications of taking coconut oil supplementation on his diabetes management. This prompted a review of the literature as detailed in the remainder of this report."
There are also animal studies showing that coconut alone or with fructose doesn't cause insulin resistance, despite weight gain.
"In an attempt to better mimic a human diet-induced obesity model, one study in female Ossabaw minipigs fed a high fat diet rich in hydrogenated fats, fructose, and coconut oil surprisingly showed that despite developing obesity, those pigs manifested similar glucose concentrations and lower systemic inflammatory cytokine levels compared with controls, as well as a shift of their urogenital microbiota towards a more anti-inflammatory phenotype. It was hypothesized that coconut oil in their diet conferred those benefits"
Another study found that it's also effective at lowering fasting glucose and Hb1Ac as well as appetite.
"More recently, a randomized trial on 75 adult obese women all following a hypocaloric lifestyle modification program divided the women into 4 groups of vegetable oil supplementation: coconut, safflower, chia, and soybean. Compared to baseline, all groups saw a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in weight, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c and an increase in HDL cholesterol. Addition of 6 grams of coconut oil supplementation to the diet resulted in the largest decrease amongst the 4 groups in average blood glucose (−25 mg/dL vs. baseline) and in glycated hemoglobin A1c (−0.86% vs baseline). The coconut oil group also saw the greatest reduction in weight (about 8% reduction vs. baseline), with a concomitant reduction in body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, and increase in % lean mass. The coconut oil consumed about 613 less Kcal/day at the end of the study compared to baseline, which was significantly lower than the calorie reduction in the other three groups."
The shows that coconut either improves glucose uptake, reduces lipolysis, lowers endotoxins, inflammation (by offsetting PUFAs), promotes glucose oxidation and/or lowers stress and gluconeogenesis.
The man used just 1000mg coconut oil per day.
The Glucose-Lowering Effects of Coconut Oil: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Coconut oil, a saturated fat comprised mostly of the medium-chain fatty acid, lauric acid, has become increasingly popular over the past few decades due to its touted anti-inflammatory, metabolic, and lipid-lowering properties. There have been many studies ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
During his visit to the endocrine clinic, he reported a stable weight. He was experiencing hypoglycemia (defined as blood glucose below 70 mg/dL [8]) about once weekly. These episodes tended to occur after he had supper, close to bedtime. His lowest glucose reading was 50 mg/dL in the past 2 weeks. His hemoglobin A1c, a long-term measure of glycemic control, was 6.2%. This was lower than his previous level of 6.4% checked 3 months prior to starting coconut oil, despite cutting the dose of his long-acting insulin in half and occasionally skipping his meal-time insulin. His lipid levels prior to coconut oil intake were as follows: total cholesterol of 116 mg/dL, LDL of 36 mg/dL, HDL of 34 mg/dL, and triglycerides of 232 mg/dL. He was taking a statin medication before and continued to take it after initiating coconut oil. By the time he was seen in the endocrine clinic, a lipid panel was not repeated, due to short-time duration since being on the new supplement. The patient was intending to raise his coconut oil dose to 2000 mg per day and had questions regarding the effects of coconut oil on his blood glucose and implications of taking coconut oil supplementation on his diabetes management. This prompted a review of the literature as detailed in the remainder of this report."
There are also animal studies showing that coconut alone or with fructose doesn't cause insulin resistance, despite weight gain.
"In an attempt to better mimic a human diet-induced obesity model, one study in female Ossabaw minipigs fed a high fat diet rich in hydrogenated fats, fructose, and coconut oil surprisingly showed that despite developing obesity, those pigs manifested similar glucose concentrations and lower systemic inflammatory cytokine levels compared with controls, as well as a shift of their urogenital microbiota towards a more anti-inflammatory phenotype. It was hypothesized that coconut oil in their diet conferred those benefits"
Another study found that it's also effective at lowering fasting glucose and Hb1Ac as well as appetite.
"More recently, a randomized trial on 75 adult obese women all following a hypocaloric lifestyle modification program divided the women into 4 groups of vegetable oil supplementation: coconut, safflower, chia, and soybean. Compared to baseline, all groups saw a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in weight, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c and an increase in HDL cholesterol. Addition of 6 grams of coconut oil supplementation to the diet resulted in the largest decrease amongst the 4 groups in average blood glucose (−25 mg/dL vs. baseline) and in glycated hemoglobin A1c (−0.86% vs baseline). The coconut oil group also saw the greatest reduction in weight (about 8% reduction vs. baseline), with a concomitant reduction in body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, and increase in % lean mass. The coconut oil consumed about 613 less Kcal/day at the end of the study compared to baseline, which was significantly lower than the calorie reduction in the other three groups."