Claim 11: Improve your digestive system
- Helps prevent Irritable bowel syndrome
- Helps to improve the digestive system
- Helps absorption of other nutrients
Whilst I could locate numerous websites extolling the virtues of coconut oil in the relief of IBS I struggled to find research to support this. Prevention of IBS can be achieved by altering the diet with advice from a medical Doctor. Similarly with the next two assertions, there are many websites telling you that it improves digestion and helps with absorption of other nutrients but no scientific research is forthcoming to back these claims up.
Conclusion: The scientific jury is out on this.
General Conclusion
The aim of this article was to show our readers how information can be taken from the web and made into a very convincing argument for a new “wonder something”. I have not set out to debunk the use of coconut oil. I hope what I have done is shown our readers that there are plenty of websites out there stating claims but not necessarily backing them up with any hard scientific data. If a website does not detail where it gets all its information from then be dubious about the claims made.
Do your research, before you buy into the next “wonder something” claim. Don’t just read blogs stating how wonderful something is, locate proper scientific papers that will help you make your own mind up about whether the claims about this new “wonder something” stand up to scrutiny. Some will, many will not. Some of the benefits stated can be proven, others are in the process of being researched and others still are just plain wrong or at the very least misleading.
Before you change the way you eat or how you structure your diet, check the facts. Facts will not be found on websites that actively promote the new “wonder something”, facts will be found in scientific journals.
