Coconut Oil Increases Gut Bacteria Diversity And Improves Immunity And Insulin Sensitivity

[Hans]

In this study, they fed one group of pigs coconut oil with their normal feed, and the other group not. They also used specific pigs* that were bred to get fat. They then looked at how it affected their glucose levels, immune function and gut microbe. They specifically used pigs, because they claimed that "rodents are a common animal model used to study obesity; however these animals may not mimic the pathogenesis of obesity observed in humans."

*"Ossabaw pigs have a loss of function mutation in the Val199→ Ile region of the PRKAG3 gene, which is the γ3 isoform of AMP-activated protein kinase. Upon activation, this kinase phosphorylates enzymes involved in insulin signaling and cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism, and is therefore associated with accumulation of increased subcutaneous, visceral, and intramuscular fat and a ‘thrifty’ phenotype"

From this study:
Effects of coconut oil on glycemia, inflammation, and urogenital microbial parameters in female Ossabaw mini-pigs

What they ate:

"The obese diet utilized in this study was comprised of a base pelleted pig feed (5L1G; custom formulated by Purina TestDiet, Inc., Richmond, IN, USA) supplemented with hydrogenated soybean oil (8.4%), coconut oil (4.7%), high fructose corn syrup (5.0%), cholesterol (2.0%), and sodium cholate (0.7%) by weight. The lean diet fed in this study was the Rund Diet (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA) comprised of corn (57.5%) and soy (40.0%) supplemented with vitamins and minerals. During the six-month study period, lean pigs (n = 2) were fed approximately 2000 kcal of the pelleted lean diet per pig per day, and obese pigs (n = 3) were fed approximately 4570 kcal of obese diet per pig per day."​

Glucose levels:

"No differences were detected in glucose concentrations between the two treatment groups (Table 2). Obese pigs developed lower plasma insulin concentrations while on diet compared with lean pigs, which developed higher plasma insulin concentrations while on diet." ​

This just shows that the obese pigs were actually more insulin sensitive and had lower circulating free fatty acids, and that's why their insulin were lower.

"There was a trend for obese pigs to develop increased levels of cis-vaccenic acid (P = 0.10) while on the obese diet as compared to lean pigs"​

Vaccenic acid is a trans fatty acid, and may have a beneficial role in reducing risk factors of cardiovascular disease. The obese pigs also had higher behenic acid (C22) and lower linoleic and arachidonic acid levels.

Immunity:

"When compared to lean pigs, obese pigs tended to show lower levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10"​

"Obese pigs also had lower concentrations of IFN- α and IFN- γ, and higher levels of IL-8 than lean pigs, however this did not reach significance criteria"​

"Based on our results we hypothesize that the obese pigs fed at high fat diet with coconut oil are in a state of immune homeostasis and have more conferred immune protection from pro-inflammatory events than lean pigs fed a control diet."​

Gut bacteria:

"obese animals had greater diversity in both induction and maintenance phases of the diet compared to lean animals"
"Low microbial diversity is associated with conditions such as obesity and inflammatory bowel disease."​

"Lachnospiraceaand Incertae are the genera with the highest increase in copy number in obese pigs, with a 22.47 and 18.92 fold increase compared to lean pigs, respectively. Both of these genera are associated with protective or anti-inflammatory properties [23, 24]. Lactococcus, Paraprevotella, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonasbacterial genera all have a reduced abundance in obese pigs (0.46, 0.34, 0.33, and 0.30 fold decrease, respectively). Of these, species within the genera Paraprevotella, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonas are associated with either inflammatory or disease states"​

"Lachnospiracea species are decreased in the gut microbiome in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [44], and have also been shown to exhibit colonization resistance against pathogenic C. difficile [23]. Incertae species within the gut are associated with reduced intestinal inflammation in patients with Crohn’s disease [45]. Furthermore, Bajaj et al. observed a lower abundance of Incertae species within the gut in patients with cirrhosis, and also that a less robust immune response is initiated against these species, concluding that the presence of these bacteria are associated with decreased inflammation [24]."​

"Conversely, Paraprevotella, Streptococcus and Pseudomonas, which have reduced abundance in the urogenital tract of obese pigs when compared to lean pigs, contain species that are linked to inflammatory and/or disease states. Paraprevotella is closely related to Prevotella species, which are associated with the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis [46]. The inflammatory pathway induced by Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, the causative agent for bacterial meningitis, is well known [47]. The genus Pseudomonas contains the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the established infectious agent in cystic fibrosis patients that results in a strong inflammatory response"​

"Additionally, several studies have described the effects of coconut oil on methanogenesis in rumen fermentation, and also on volatile fatty acid production by bacterial species within the rumen [60, 61]."
​

Coconut oil suppresses fermentation in the gut, and can help against bloating, flatulence, etc.

"It has also been shown that supplementation of coconut oil in the diet increases overall bacterial counts in the rumen [60]. More interesting, perhaps, are the antimicrobial properties of lauric acid, which is present in high amounts in coconut oil. Wang et al. described how the antimicrobial properties of lauric acid inhibited several pathogenic bacterial species such as Listeria monocytogenes [62]."​

 

[raypeatclips]

Coconut oil at almost 5 percent of the diets calories would only be about 1 tbsp per day on a 2500 Cal diet. Have I got that right? Very achieveable if so!

 

[Hans]

The coconut oil was supplemented by weight of food eaten. A pig will eat an average of 6 to 8 pounds of feed per day. But these pigs were fed to become obese, so they probably ate more than 8lbs. But lets take 8lbs for now. 5% would be 197.5g.
That's a big amount of coconut oil, but I'm sure a smaller amount will have the same effect in human, as we don't eat 8lbs of food a day :)
And the dose of coconut oil to achieve this effect might be even lower, the less PUFAs someone consumes.

 

[lvysaur]

It seems like they tested a whole bunch of variables at once in order to save money: high calorie, high fat, and high saturates

 

[raypeatclips]

The coconut oil was supplemented by weight of food eaten. A pig will eat an average of 6 to 8 pounds of feed per day. But these pigs were fed to become obese, so they probably ate more than 8lbs. But lets take 8lbs for now. 5% would be 197.5g.
That's a big amount of coconut oil, but I'm sure a smaller amount will have the same effect in human, as we don't eat 8lbs of food a day :)
And the dose of coconut oil to achieve this effect might be even lower, the less PUFAs someone consumes.

Thanks! I've seen Peat say even a teaspoon a day of coconut oil can bring benefits so that much is huge.

So is the coconut oil figure 5 percent of weight of food, not 5 percent of calories?

Great studies your posting recently, really enjoying them.

 

[vulture]

Looks like a good idea to take at night, when you'll be 8 hours without defecation.

 

[Hans]

Thanks! I've seen Peat say even a teaspoon a day of coconut oil can bring benefits so that much is huge.

So is the coconut oil figure 5 percent of weight of food, not 5 percent of calories?

Great studies your posting recently, really enjoying them.

"supplemented with hydrogenated soybean oil (8.4%), coconut oil (4.7%), high fructose corn syrup (5.0%), cholesterol (2.0%), and sodium cholate (0.7%) by weight"
So yeah it was a lot. Like you say, lower dose would still be very beneficial.

 

[Hans]

Looks like a good idea to take at night, when you'll be 8 hours without defecation.

Coconut oil will be absorbed before it reaches the colon, so taking it with activated charcoal or a carrot salad would be best to help it down there.
But apart from that, I don't think it matters much when you take it.

 

[Peater Piper]

"The obese diet utilized in this study was comprised of a base pelleted pig feed (5L1G; custom formulated by Purina TestDiet, Inc., Richmond, IN, USA) supplemented with hydrogenated soybean oil (8.4%), coconut oil (4.7%), high fructose corn syrup (5.0%), cholesterol (2.0%), and sodium cholate (0.7%) by weight. The lean diet fed in this study was the Rund Diet (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA) comprised of corn (57.5%) and soy (40.0%) supplemented with vitamins and minerals. During the six-month study period, lean pigs (n = 2) were fed approximately 2000 kcal of the pelleted lean diet per pig per day, and obese pigs (n = 3) were fed approximately 4570 kcal of obese diet per pig per day."

So they fed the two groups completely different diets with many different variables, and then hypothesize about only one of the changes? That doesn't seem very useful for extrapolating anything from it. They also seem all over the place with some of their ideas. Obesity is associated with reduced bacterial diversity, yet the obese group had greater bacterial diversity?

 

[Hans]

So they fed the two groups completely different diets with many different variables, and then hypothesize about only one of the changes? That doesn't seem very useful for extrapolating anything from it. They also seem all over the place with some of their ideas. Obesity is associated with reduced bacterial diversity, yet the obese group had greater bacterial diversity?

What ideas are all over the place?
Yes obesity is associated with reduced gut bacteria, but a shift to fermentation bacteria, thus getting more calories from food eaten.
They proved that obesity and overfeeding on coconut oil and fructose doesn't cause diabetes or metabolic syndrome (in pigs), if a large amount of it comes from coconut oil.
You say obesity is associated with reduced bacterial count, yet these pigs were obese and had a greater diversity. Obesity is associated with inflammation and insulin resistance, yet these pig were not.
Associated =/= causation.
Yes this study isn't perfect, but I think it still has some merrits to it.

 

[Peater Piper]

You say obesity is associated with reduced bacterial count, yet these pigs were obese and had a greater diversity.

That was actually stated in the article. I should have used quotation marks. It just struck me as funny because they seemed to immediately contradict themselves.

It's like they didn't know what they wanted to test, so they added many different variables, which makes it impossible to draw any conclusions about a single variable. I don't understand why they used completely different base diets for both groups instead of using the same diet while adding or subtracting one or two ingredients. What would have happened if the obese group was overfed the Rund Diet (mainly soy and corn) with the other ingredients added, or the lean group was fed the Purina diet (they don't even mention what's in it)? Also, each group was supposed to serve as their own control, but many of the baseline measurements aren't listed even though they were apparently doing frequent blood draws. Finally, despite the reduction in insulin, the obese group actually had an increase in HOMA (though only slightly, which is impressive considering how much weight they gained), whereas the lean group had a decrease in HOMA despite a rise in insulin. That means the lean group was actually a little more insulin sensitive. I like coconut oil, but I just don't see how many conclusions can be drawn regarding it when so many other things were also different in this study.

 

[tankasnowgod]

Coconut oil will be absorbed before it reaches the colon, so taking it with activated charcoal or a carrot salad would be best to help it down there.

You know, I never thought of taking Coconut Oil with activated charcoal. That's a good idea, thanks Hans!

 

[Alex Jaramillo]

In this study, they fed one group of pigs coconut oil with their normal feed, and the other group not. They also used specific pigs* that were bred to get fat. They then looked at how it affected their glucose levels, immune function and gut microbe. They specifically used pigs, because they claimed that "rodents are a common animal model used to study obesity; however these animals may not mimic the pathogenesis of obesity observed in humans."

*"Ossabaw pigs have a loss of function mutation in the Val199→ Ile region of the PRKAG3 gene, which is the γ3 isoform of AMP-activated protein kinase. Upon activation, this kinase phosphorylates enzymes involved in insulin signaling and cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism, and is therefore associated with accumulation of increased subcutaneous, visceral, and intramuscular fat and a ‘thrifty’ phenotype"

From this study:
Effects of coconut oil on glycemia, inflammation, and urogenital microbial parameters in female Ossabaw mini-pigs

What they ate:

"The obese diet utilized in this study was comprised of a base pelleted pig feed (5L1G; custom formulated by Purina TestDiet, Inc., Richmond, IN, USA) supplemented with hydrogenated soybean oil (8.4%), coconut oil (4.7%), high fructose corn syrup (5.0%), cholesterol (2.0%), and sodium cholate (0.7%) by weight. The lean diet fed in this study was the Rund Diet (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA) comprised of corn (57.5%) and soy (40.0%) supplemented with vitamins and minerals. During the six-month study period, lean pigs (n = 2) were fed approximately 2000 kcal of the pelleted lean diet per pig per day, and obese pigs (n = 3) were fed approximately 4570 kcal of obese diet per pig per day."​

Glucose levels:

"No differences were detected in glucose concentrations between the two treatment groups (Table 2). Obese pigs developed lower plasma insulin concentrations while on diet compared with lean pigs, which developed higher plasma insulin concentrations while on diet." ​

This just shows that the obese pigs were actually more insulin sensitive and had lower circulating free fatty acids, and that's why their insulin were lower.

"There was a trend for obese pigs to develop increased levels of cis-vaccenic acid (P = 0.10) while on the obese diet as compared to lean pigs"​

Vaccenic acid is a trans fatty acid, and may have a beneficial role in reducing risk factors of cardiovascular disease. The obese pigs also had higher behenic acid (C22) and lower linoleic and arachidonic acid levels.

Immunity:

"When compared to lean pigs, obese pigs tended to show lower levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-10"​

"Obese pigs also had lower concentrations of IFN- α and IFN- γ, and higher levels of IL-8 than lean pigs, however this did not reach significance criteria"​

"Based on our results we hypothesize that the obese pigs fed at high fat diet with coconut oil are in a state of immune homeostasis and have more conferred immune protection from pro-inflammatory events than lean pigs fed a control diet."​

Gut bacteria:

"obese animals had greater diversity in both induction and maintenance phases of the diet compared to lean animals"
"Low microbial diversity is associated with conditions such as obesity and inflammatory bowel disease."​

"Lachnospiraceaand Incertae are the genera with the highest increase in copy number in obese pigs, with a 22.47 and 18.92 fold increase compared to lean pigs, respectively. Both of these genera are associated with protective or anti-inflammatory properties [23, 24]. Lactococcus, Paraprevotella, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonasbacterial genera all have a reduced abundance in obese pigs (0.46, 0.34, 0.33, and 0.30 fold decrease, respectively). Of these, species within the genera Paraprevotella, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonas are associated with either inflammatory or disease states"​

"Lachnospiracea species are decreased in the gut microbiome in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [44], and have also been shown to exhibit colonization resistance against pathogenic C. difficile [23]. Incertae species within the gut are associated with reduced intestinal inflammation in patients with Crohn’s disease [45]. Furthermore, Bajaj et al. observed a lower abundance of Incertae species within the gut in patients with cirrhosis, and also that a less robust immune response is initiated against these species, concluding that the presence of these bacteria are associated with decreased inflammation [24]."​

"Conversely, Paraprevotella, Streptococcus and Pseudomonas, which have reduced abundance in the urogenital tract of obese pigs when compared to lean pigs, contain species that are linked to inflammatory and/or disease states. Paraprevotella is closely related to Prevotella species, which are associated with the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis [46]. The inflammatory pathway induced by Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, the causative agent for bacterial meningitis, is well known [47]. The genus Pseudomonas contains the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the established infectious agent in cystic fibrosis patients that results in a strong inflammatory response"​

"Additionally, several studies have described the effects of coconut oil on methanogenesis in rumen fermentation, and also on volatile fatty acid production by bacterial species within the rumen [60, 61]."
​

Coconut oil suppresses fermentation in the gut, and can help against bloating, flatulence, etc.

"It has also been shown that supplementation of coconut oil in the diet increases overall bacterial counts in the rumen [60]. More interesting, perhaps, are the antimicrobial properties of lauric acid, which is present in high amounts in coconut oil. Wang et al. described how the antimicrobial properties of lauric acid inhibited several pathogenic bacterial species such as Listeria monocytogenes [62]."​

Coconut oil also helps to optimize pregnenolone levels