Coconut Oil Acne

The reason for coconut oil's current low price is obvious, say market observers. The fortunes of the oil -- which at 92 percent has the highest saturated fat content of any vegetable oil -- have been bruised and battered by the health charges leveled against tropical oils last year. By way of contrast, butterfat has a saturated fat content of only 66 percent.

"The tropical oils issue has definitely affected demand," one trader laments. "Edible demand sucks," is another's terse assessment. On a brighter note, demand on the edible side has stabilized at about 30 percent of usage, though that is down from the nearly 50 percent consumed edibly in happier times.

Some sellers even speculate that overall domestic demand for the oil could rise slightly this year, as industrial users take advantage of low prices to stock up on supplies for next year. This should become clearer in the third and fourth quarters, one argues.

Nevertheless, most sources are pessimistic about the short term chances for the much-maligned coconut oil acne. One explains that the harvest should pick up over the next 30 to 60 days, driving down prices, while a second describes himself as "pretty bearish" about the market. "It's due for a correction sometime soon," he concludes.

Coconuts and coconut oil, concentrated sources of saturated fats, have gained a reputation as foods that health-conscious consumers should avoid. Scientists have learned, however, that not all saturated fat behaves the same way in the body.

As studies continue on the effects of the different fats, the "unhealthy" reputation of coconut oil is being reconsidered. Coconut oil, which is expensive compared with other food oils, makes up about 1 percent of the total fats and oils in the food supply.

Coconut oil is used in the food industry because it adds unusual baking and frying qualities to foods and helps extend shelf life. Concern about the presence of coconut oil began to emerge in the late 1950s and '60s, when research revealed that diets heavy in coconut oil raised blood cholesterol levels. After cholesterol was labeled a risk factor for heart disease, coconut oil and other saturated fats were classified as dietary villains. However, the conclusions of early studies that gave coconut oil its bad reputation are being disputed.

Scientists believe that health problems blamed on coconut oil were caused by a lack of essential fatty acids in the experimental diets.