Coconut oil can be summed up in one word: powerful.
Lipids have the highest kcal content of all macronutrients at 9 kcal/gram, employing the laws of toxicology to emphasize that moderation is key. As lack of moderation is a critical problem in national nutrition, it does not seem that coconut oil is an effective solution to overeating issues, but may have value for other problems in healthcare.
It seems that lipids are overlooked in the Biological sciences and that more research needs to be done on this class of nutrients. Broadly categorized into structural lipids (glycophospholipids; phospholipids; sphingolipids including ceramides, sphingomyelin, glycolipids, gangliosides; and waxes), signaling lipids( cholesterol, steroids), and storage lipids (triglycerides and the soaps derived from them); Lipids are an enigma. Their hydrophobic nature serves as a great barrier and thus insulator for electrolytic conductivity, hence a majority of the Central Nervous System's biomass deriving from lipids. Also, every membrane and endomembrane of the ~40 trillion cells in the body are composed of lipids. Many view them as the grand counterbalance to water, with soap and colloids representing a "marriage" of the two.
While these facts may seem irrelevant to the assignment at first glance, it is important to emphasize that our body efficiently replenishes all of these components from the food we intake: coconut oil among them. Studying regeneration of neurons from Spinal Cord Injured patients, I, personally, am curious to investigate the diets of those that regained walking functionality, for example.
Coconut oil does indeed have fascinating properties. Human breast milk, is one of the healthiest (though the link is Wikipedia, cited sources on the benefits section appear very trustworthy) substances in existence, given its role in human developmental biology and lifelong effects on both genetics and epigenetics. A tremendous amount can be learned, nutrition wise, from its programmed composition. Among the 3-5% fat content of human milk are medium chained fatty acids such as capracylic, capric, and lauric acid; with the latter substance shown to disrupt and destroy multitudes of microbes including HIV. These substances are not the most common on earth, however all are in coconut oil and lauric acid does comprises nearly half of its fatty acids. Hence, its commercial appeal as a saponified soap bar.
It does make one want to hypothesize about coconuts. Coconuts are extremely dense in calories (159 kcal/piece/1.6oz) and thrive in tropical environments, supplying food to large amounts of animals and people. What else thrives in these humid environments? Microbes. Coconuts may just be the "pharmacy" for many of the animals living in such a hostile environment.
But herein lies the problem of power: it can be abused. Reading all of these health benefits could make one want to guzzle down coconut oil, but it is important to go back to the programmed amount in breast milk, which contains only 3-5% TOTAL fats. Fighting microbes is moot if one dies of a heart attack from too much LDL.
Coconut oil will not solve the glutinous appetite, but still remains a powerful enigma of nutrition and should be treated with cautious respect.
