We could
have told you about the exercise, but coconut oil is a little more surprising.
A new study from the
Biotechnology Center at the Federal University of Paraiba, in Brazil, has found
in rat models that regular exercise combined with coconut oil consumption can
help hypertension return to a state of healthy blood pressure.
As a
superfood, coconut oil is quickly rising as a contender. What began as a robust
list that included avocados, blueberries, and Greek yogurt, has recently
dwindled to a small fraction of healthy oils and seeds. Coconut oil in
particular has been revered for its cosmetic and health benefits, from teeth
whitening to Alzheimer’s prevention, and now earns accolades for the
medium-chain fatty acids that promote heart health.
“This is
an important finding as coconut oil is currently being considered a popular
‘superfood’ and it is being consumed by athletes and the general population who
seek a healthy lifestyle,” explained Dr. Valdir de Andrade Braga, co-author of
the study, in a statement.
At the
heart of the new research is a key mechanism that helps the body maintain its
blood pressure: the baroreflex. Riddled throughout the body, tucked away in
such places as the heart’s aortic arch and the throat’s carotid sinuses, are
baroreflex receptors, which tell the brainstem when pressure levels are either
too high or too low. Looking at this reflex, the research team was able to
discern the impact coconut oil and exercise were having on the rats’ health,
both individually and when applied together.
Rats who
exercised for five weeks lost weight when they consumed coconut oil and when
they exercised. Their blood pressure also went down in both cases. However, it
was the combination of treatments that ultimately caused blood pressure
to settle into healthy ranges. Those not forced to exercise and fed a simple
saline solution showed no improvements.
Braga and
his colleagues suspect the reductions in blood pressure can be traced back to
the coconut oil and exercise’s effects on the serum, heart, and aorta. When
they measured the baroreflex sensitivity before and after the five-week period,
the rats that had experienced both lifestyle changes showed a similar reduction
in baroreflex sensitivity. In other words, their bodies weren’t responding to
external fluctuations as frequently as the sedentary rats. They were able to
maintain homeostasis to a greater degree.
Another
mediating factor was oxidative stress. Upholding a wealth of prior research, the team
found elevated blood pressure coincided with the release of free fatty acids
into the blood and muscle fibers. The mice that hadn’t been taking coconut oil
and exercising showed greater oxidative stress, indicating the heart muscle was
working harder. This increase has also been deemed a common risk factor for
aging, as the body’s myriad processes begin to break down in the presence of
dangerous free radicals.
Braga
concedes the test hasn’t been run in humans yet. While rat physiology is
similar to humans in a variety of ways, our diets aren't always comparable. And
side effects may vary between species. But for the 67 million Americans who currently suffer from
high blood pressure, incorporating coconut oil into a smoothie or using it as
an ingredient in cooking or baking seems to be a decidedly low-risk lifestyle
change. One of the supreme benefits of superfoods is that eating too much of
them really isn’t a concern, especially if you currently don’t eat any at all.
Source: Applied
Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 2015.
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