People who eat more lauric and myristic acid—fats found in coconut oil and butter—tend to have higher cholesterol in their blood, and this link is really strong, so these fats might be a big reason why some populations have higher cholesterol than others.

People who eat more lauric and myristic acid—found in coconut oil and butter—tend to have higher cholesterol in their blood, and this link is really strong.

People who eat more lauric and myristic acid—fats found in coconut oil and butter—tend to have higher cholesterol in their blood, and this link is super strong across many countries.

People in places where folks eat more of these specific types of saturated fats tend to have more heart disease deaths over 25 years, and the link is really strong — so scientists think these fats might be one reason why some populations have more heart disease than others.

People in countries where folks eat more of these four types of fats tend to have more heart disease deaths over 25 years, and this link is really strong and shows up in data from 16 groups across seven countries.

Coconut oil (which has lauric acid) raises both good and bad cholesterol, but because it raises good cholesterol more, the overall ratio gets better.