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Coconut Cures by Bruce Fife
Book Review

Does the title of Coconut Cures sound too sensational? In fact, coconut oil is a unique superfood and its coconut oil benefits are, well, sensational.

This 2005 book by naturopathic doctor Bruce Fife is more detailed than his earlier book, The Coconut Oil Miracle. There are more topics and more about specific health effects, and it's abundant in scientific references.

It includes personal stories of Fife's patients, Fife himself, and others. The book opens with the appealing story of Paul Sorse, a Filipino cook with a small business selling his homemade coconut oil in Rhode Island. He lived to 102, while helping others to heal with traditional food.

There's also information about the coconut: what the coconut palm is and how coconuts are grown.

Coconut Oil

Coconut Cures includes more detail and more references on the benefits of coconut oil noted in the earlier book.

How the unique medium chain fatty acids of coconut oil are used by the body; how they improve the absorption of other nutrients.

The medium chain fatty acids are used as energy rather than stored as fat; this speeds up metabolism in a healthy way.

Coconut oil normalizes weight. The overweight lose weight, the underweight gain healthy weight.

It supplies nutrients for increased metabolism and improves thyroid function.

It nourishes at a cellular level.

It kills bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites in the body without harm to tissues.

Detailed lists of 14 bacteria and kinds of bacteria and 18 viruses and retroviruses killed by medium chain fatty acids.

Coconut oil's use for ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, gallbladder disease, and other intestinal disorders.

Coconut oil as an antioxidant.

How it is anticarcinogenic.

It acts as an antioxidant in the liver and promotes liver health and regeneration.

It protects the kidneys in animal studies.

Its anti-toxin qualities and use in detoxification.

It improves assimilation of Vitamin D.

Coconut oil and whole coconuts are alkalinizing.

Coconut Oil And The Heart

Armed with scientific studies, Fife answers the accusation that coconut oil is unhealthy for the heart.

Coconut oil is known to be heart-healthy, because coconut-consuming populations have very low heart disease. And as shown in studies, the more coconut they eat, the less heart disease they have.

Coconut oil does not cause atherosclerosis. Coconut oil does not affect blood cholesterol level, platelets, or prostaglandins. Its medium chain fatty acids do not go into the blood but are used in the liver for energy.

(What does cause atherosclerosis? Consuming trans fats--hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils--and the deficiency of healthy essential fatty acids.)

But coconut oil:

Improves nutrient status to lower homocysteine
Improves weight loss, insulin resistance, and blood sugar
Improves the arterial inflammation seen in atherosclerosis, because it addresses oxidative stress and chronic infection