All fats are not the same

Fats can be characterized as saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fats can be further divided into short-, medium- and long-chain fatty acids. These types of fats have different effects in the body. Unlike long-chain fatty acids, medium-chain fatty acids are absorbed directly into the bloodstream. They don't raise blood cholesterol as much as long-chain fatty acids do, and they don't appear to be stored in the body's fat tissue as readily as long-chain fatty acids are.

Coconut oil has been of interest because it contains both medium-chain and long-chain fatty acids. The primary component, however, is lauric acid. Based on its structure and function, lauric acid lands in the middle, behaving in some ways like a medium-chain fatty acid and in others like a long-chain fatty acid.

Many studies of medium-chain fatty acids and health benefits have been conducted with manufactured oils — derived in part from coconut oil or other plant oils — that don't contain lauric acid. Therefore, it's important not to draw conclusions about the benefits of coconut oil based on studies with oils called medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oils.