When I search on the internet for trans fats I see a website (mercola.com) which says that coconut oil is much healthier than olive oil because olive oil contains trans fats. Its written by a doctor and he wrote a book. Is this true?
Extra virgin olive oil does not contain trans fats and is safe for cooking. Most natural plant oils, including Canola Safflower Sunflower Corn Olive Soybean Peanut Rice Bran Palm and Coconut oil, do not contain trans fats. When these same oils are hydrogenated to make a more shelf stable fat for prepared foods, then trans fats are created. Olive oil is never hydrogenated into trans fats; mainly because its bulk price is many times more expensive than coconut or seed oils.
The vast majority of dieticians, doctors and public health researchers agree that you should aggressively avoid trans and saturated fats (including coconut oil). People have been cooking with olive oil for 4000 years with no evidence of ill effects.
Why would a website make this claim? Well they are trying to sell something and it looks like they are trying to do it by being deliberately misleading. I advise people to view internet information with skepticism. It only costs about $10 a month to set up a website where any kind of claim can be made with impunity. Consider that there are websites that claim that Elvis was abducted by aliens. I would advise readers on the internet to be skeptical and take the consensus of the experts, not self-serving information to sell a product
The USDA and National Institutes of Health sites have trustworthy information. If you eschew government sites, then look for sites which have passed the review of the independent Health on the Net Foundation The Quackwatch website has examples of websites with truly ridiculous information. Do some research. If a site says something that seems to be at odds with the consensus of the experts, examine with care.
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