Coconut Oil (as Food): Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Coconut oil is a fat pressed from the kernel of mature coconuts, the fruit of the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera. It is sold as virgin (unrefined) or refined coconut oil. [11] This page is about coconut oil as a food. Skin, hair and oil-pulling uses are covered in Natural Ingredients, and the fruit in coconut.

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• It is the most saturated common cooking oil. USDA lists 82.5 g of saturated fat in 100 g. One tablespoon (13.6 g) has about 11 g, which is 56% of the Daily Value for saturated fat. [1]
• Pooled trials show higher LDL ("bad") cholesterol than with non-tropical vegetable oils, and higher HDL too. [2] The American Heart Association (2017) advised against using coconut oil, according to Harvard's Nutrition Source. [13]
• Health claims are mostly unproven. For weight loss, blood sugar and Alzheimer's disease we found mixed or very low certainty evidence, and some of it concerns pure MCT oil, not coconut oil from the shop. [4] [8] [11] [13]
• Official US advice places coconut oil outside the "oils" group because of its saturated fat. [14]
• Allergy: coconut allergy is uncommon. The FDA removed coconut from its tree nut allergen list in 2025, but it must still appear in ingredient lists. [17] For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911 (or your local emergency number).

What is in it (USDA values)

The values below are for coconut oil (USDA FoodData Central item 171412, SR Legacy). [1] The serving column is the USDA household portion of 1 tablespoon, 13.6 g. [1]

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; the serving figures are the 100 g values multiplied by 0.136. USDA also lists a vitamin D figure for several oils; we could not confirm it from a second source, so we do not show it and do not treat oils as a vitamin D source. [1]

Fatty acids: lauric acid is the main fat in coconut oil. It has been described as acting both like a medium-chain and a long-chain fat in the body, and results for pure medium-chain fats cannot be applied to coconut oil. [11] Virgin coconut oil contains more vitamin E and polyphenols than copra (refined) oil. [11] We did not read a trial showing these compounds offset the saturated fat.

What research says

Eaten as food vs MCT oil. Harvard's Nutrition Source notes that many studies behind the benefit claims used 100% MCT oil, and that supermarket coconut oil is mostly lauric acid. [13] Populations often cited as healthy eaters of coconut, such as in the Philippines and Polynesia, eat whole coconut meat or cream, not processed oil, and differ in other ways. [13] See MCT oil.

How much is a normal serving

The USDA household portion is 1 tablespoon (13.6 g), about 121 kcal and 11 g of saturated fat. [1] This is information, not a prescription. Official limits on saturated fat from all foods:

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020 to 2025: less than 10% of calories a day from age 2, replacing it with unsaturated fats. Coconut, palm kernel and palm oil are not counted as "oils" because of their saturated fat, and the guidelines suggest cooking with vegetable oil in place of butter, lard or coconut oil. [14] The 2025 to 2030 edition keeps the 10% ceiling. [18]


• WHO (2023): no more than 10% of energy from saturated fat for people 2 and older. [15]


• AHA (as summarized by Harvard): 6% of calories, about 13 g on a 2,000-calorie diet, for people at risk of or living with heart disease. [13]


• NHS: men no more than 30 g and women no more than 20 g of saturated fat a day; coconut oil and coconut cream are on its high-saturated-fat list. [16]

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Saturated fat and cholesterol: see above. People with high LDL or heart disease should ask their clinician or dietitian about coconut oil. [12] [13]
• Allergy: in 2025 the FDA updated its guidance and removed coconut, with several other nuts, from the list of tree nuts that must be declared as an allergen; coconut must still be named in the ingredient list. [17] A 2023 study cited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests about 1 in 260 Americans may have a coconut allergy, and fewer than half have a doctor's diagnosis. [17] See food allergy basics.
• Diabetes: the trials did not show a blood sugar benefit, and long-term coconut fat raised an insulin resistance score. [8]
• Medicines: we did not find a source describing a direct interaction between coconut oil as food and a medicine. See foods and medicine interactions.
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children: we did not read official advice specific to coconut oil. The saturated fat limit starts at age 2 in US guidelines. [14] See foods in pregnancy.
• Kidney disease: USDA lists almost no minerals in the oil. [1] We read no kidney-diet advice about it; ask your clinician.
• Calories: 121 kcal per tablespoon. [1]
• Heating: a simulated-kitchen test compared palm, olive and soybean oils, not coconut oil. [19] We give no smoke-point number we did not read; see smoke points and cooking with oil.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Virgin vs refined: refined, bleached and deodorized copra oil had less effect on total and LDL cholesterol than butter fat, but not less than unsaturated plant oils. [11] A pooled analysis saw a better lipid profile with the virgin form, but the evidence was limited. [3]
• Storage: we read no official rule for coconut oil. Follow the label. Oil that smells off or looks moldy should not be eaten.
• Labels: "coconut oil" on an ingredient list means a coconut allergen is present. [17]

Related pages

• Which cooking fat to choose: what health bodies say
• Saturated, unsaturated and trans fats explained
• Coconut oil vs olive oil
• MCT oil
• Foods for cholesterol and heart health
• Added sugars, sodium and saturated fat on labels