It turns out that coconut oil is not that healthy after all. It’s never been that healthy to eat. The American Heart Association released the Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease Advisory showing that coconut oil increases the LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Researchers noticed that it’s just as unhealthy as other oils that are high in saturated fat such as butter, beef fat, and palm oil, reports USA Today. At least 82 percent of the fat in coconut oil is saturated fat, according to the data. That’s comparative to the 63 percent of fat found in butter, 50 percent of fat found in beef fat, and 39 percent found in pork lard.

“Because coconut oil increases LDL cholesterol, a cause of CVD [cardiovascular disease], and has no known offsetting favorable effects, we advise against the use of coconut oil,” the American Heart Association said in the Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease Advisory.

Frank Sacks, the lead author of the report, exclaimed he doesn’t understand why there is a misconception with coconut oil being healthy. He blames the previous weight loss studies and diet trends. The AHA recommends consuming no more than six percent of saturated fat as part of your daily calories if you need to lower your cholesterol. You don’t have to get rid of that coconut oil just yet though. It’s excellent to use as a moisturizer on your hair or skin. Just don’t consume so much, Stacks said.

“You can put it on your body, but don’t put it in your body,” Sacks said.

This comes after Victoria’s Secret Angel Josephine Skriver suggested using coconut oil for everything. But, it doesn’t look like she consumes it. Instead, she mixes coconut oil with her favorite body lotion to achieve that glow and to hydrate her skin. She also uses it in her makeup.

“I use it for everything,” Skriver told W Magazine.

So, what are some healthier alternatives to consuming coconut oil? It would be best to swap it out for vegetable oils or olive oil, both of which help lower cholesterol.

Other healthy cooking oil alternatives include avocado oil, grape seed oil, pistachio oil, sesame oil, and hemp oil. Macadamia nut oil is another option that’s filled with monounsaturated fat, the good fat the reduces the size of fat cells within the body, according to Nutrition Rocks.

What are your thoughts on this report? Do you use coconut oil in everything you use and consume? What do you find is better and healthier than coconut oil? Sound off below in the comments section.

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