Chemically, coconut oil is a saturated fat. However, unlike most saturated fats, coconut oil is actually a healthy food and should have a place in every bodybuilder’s diet. It is extracted from the kernel of mature coconuts and because of its excellent heat stability, it makes an ideal cooking oil and is resistant to rancidity.
Coconut oil is made up of medium chained fatty acids, mainly lauric acid, and hence does not rely on bile salts for digestion. It is easily digested and absorbed by the body, and quickly converted to energy. In 2003, a study conducted by C Beermann and colleagues found
that this oil helps to burn other fats and increases your metabolic rate, thus aiding in lowering your body fat levels, according to lipidworld.com. Thus, coconut oil is used by bodybuilders pre-contest, when they want to reduce body fat but retain muscle mass.
The bodybuilder’s post-workout drink or meal should contain the right nutrients to stimulate insulin secretion, as this is the hormone that will pump nutrients into the muscles. As reported in the "Journal of Surgical Research" by M Garfinkel and colleagues, coconut oil is highly insulinotropic, and hence a spoon of this oil makes a great addition to the bodybuilder’s post workout shake. Moreover, because it is easily digested, it does not slow down the absorption of other nutrients, as long-chained fatty acids would.
Strenuous training takes a toll on the body’s immune function, and you are especially vulnerable right after a workout. The lauric acid in coconut oil has been found to have antiviral and antibacterial properties, hence another reason for including it in the post workout shake. Mike Konlee, in “Immune Restoration Handbook”, reports that this oil might be able to disable the herpes and Epstein-Barr viruses, and it combat candida infections.
