Coconut Milk and Coconut Oil

Coconut milk and coconut oil are two different products. 

Coconut oil is extracted from the coconut "meat". It is an oil which, when cold, appears solid, but when warmed, either on the stove, or else in a warm place, such as un-airconditioned apartment in the summertime. It can be used in certain dishes as oil, or in the preparation of natural cosmetics. Some people use straight coconut oil to moisturize their body and facial skin. Coconut oil is usually found in natural food stores. 

The term "coconut milk" is often applied to a mixture of the liquid, or juice, from inside the coconut, blended with the "meat" of the coconut. It is whitish in color and has a similar texture to "milk". It can be used as a liquid/flavouring in cooking, drunk on its own as a beverage, or added to other beverages. Commercially, coconut milk is usually found in cans in Asian markets, as well as specialty stores and sometimes in the specialty aisles of larger supermarkets. Some Asian stores sell a powder which can be added to water to make coconut milk. Coconut milk can also be made by blending water with dried unsweetened coconut.

Effect of Coconut Oils on Hypothyroidism

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism such as cold hands and feet, low body temperature, sensitivity to cold, a feeling of always being chilled, headaches, insomnia, dry skin, puffy eyes, hair loss, brittle nails, joint aches, constipation, mental dullness, fatigue, frequent infections, hoarse voice, ringing in the ears, dizziness, loss of libido, and weight gain, which is sometimes uncontrollable. 

Refined sugars and grains have harmful effects on our health. These foods are very taxing on the thyroid gland and we consume them in large quantities.

Low iodine intake leads to low thyroid function and eventually to goiter. Iodized salt was intended to solve this problem but it has not been the answer. There are a number of foods known as goitrogens that block iodine. Two goitrogens are peanuts and peanut butter and soybeans used most often in prepared foods as textured vegetable protein (a refined soy food) and soybean oil.

Environmental stress such as chemical pollutants, pesticides, mercury, and fluoride also has harmful effect on the thyroid. Fluoride which is prevalent in toothpaste and water treatment may inhibit the functioning of the thyroid gland. Mercury can reduce thyroid function because it displaces the trace mineral selenium, and selenium is involved in conversion of thyroid hormones T4 to T3.

The polyunsaturated oils have their interference effect on the function of the thyroid gland. Unsaturated oils block thyroid hormone secretion, its movement in the circulatory system, and the response of tissues to the hormone. When the thyroid hormone is deficient, the body is generally exposed to increased levels of estrogen. The thyroid hormone is essential for making the ‘protective hormones’ progesterone and pregnenolone, so these hormones are lowered when anything interferes with the function of the thyroid. The thyroid hormone is required for using and eliminating cholesterol, so cholesterol is likely to be raised by anything which blocks the thyroid function.

The fattening effect of polyunsaturated oils is due to the presence of Linoleic and linolenic acids, long-chain fatty acids which have an anti-thyroid effect.

Coconut oil is a saturated fat made up primarily of medium chain fatty acids. The medium chain fatty acids (medium chain triglycerides or MCTs) are known to increase metabolism and promote weight loss. Coconut oil can also raise basal body temperatures while increasing metabolism. 

One of the reasons the long chain fatty acids in vegetable oils are so damaging to the thyroid is that they oxidize quickly and become rancid. Food manufacturers know about this tendency of vegetable oils towards rancidity and they highly refine their vegetable oils. The trans fatty acids, present when vegetable oils are highly refined (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated), are especially damaging to cell tissue and can have a negative affect on the thyroid as well as health in general. Because the longer chain fatty acids are deposited in cells more often as rancid and oxidizing fat, impairment of the conversion of thyroid hormone T4 to T3 occurs which is indicative of hypothyroidism. To create the enzymes needed to convert fats to energy, T4 must be converted to T3.

When the oils are stored in our tissues, they are much warmer and more directly exposed to oxygen and so their tendency to oxidize is very great. These oxidative processes can damage enzymes and other parts of cells, and especially their ability to produce energy. The enzymes which break down proteins are inhibited by unsaturated fats; these enzymes are needed not only for digestion, but also for production of thyroid hormones, clot removal, immunity, and the general adaptability of cells. 

Since the unsaturated oils block protein digestion in the stomach, we can be malnourished even while “eating well.” There are many changes in hormones caused by unsaturated fats. Unsaturated oils block thyroid hormone secretion, its movement in the circulatory system, and the response of tissues to the hormone. 

Coconut oil has ability to prevent weight-gain or cure obesity by stimulating metabolism. It is quickly metabolized and functions in some ways as an antioxidant.

Coconut oil is saturated and very stable. Coconut oil does not require the enzyme stress that vegetable oils do, preventing T4 to T3 hormone conversion, not only because it is stable oil, but also because it is processed differently in the body and does not need to be broken down by enzyme dependent processes as do long chain fatty acids. Also, since the liver is the main place where damage occurs from oxidized oils that cause cell membrane damage, and since the liver is where much of the conversion of T4 to T3 takes place, eliminating long chain fatty acids from the diet and replacing them with medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil can help in rebuilding cell membranes and increasing enzyme production that will assist in promoting the conversion of T4 to T3 hormones.