Coconut Oil vs Olive Oil: What the Research Actually Says

If you've found yourself standing in the grocery store aisle, staring at a jar of coconut oil and a bottle of olive oil, genuinely unsure which one belongs in your cart—you're not alone. Over the past decade, coconut oil went from obscure tropical ingredient to wellness darling, praised by influencers and health blogs as everything from a metabolism booster to a brain food. Meanwhile, olive oil has been quietly doing its thing for thousands of years, backed by more cardiovascular research than perhaps any other food on the planet.

So which one should actually be your go-to cooking oil?

The answer matters more than you might think. The fat you use most often in your kitchen—whether that's for sautéing vegetables, roasting chicken, or drizzling over salads—adds up to a significant portion of your daily calorie and nutrient intake. Over months and years, that choice has real implications for your heart health, inflammation levels, and overall longevity.

Here's what we're going to do: look at what peer-reviewed research actually shows about coconut oil versus olive oil, address the wellness claims you've probably heard, and give you the information you need to make an evidence-based decision. This isn't about vilifying coconut oil or pretending it's poison—it's about understanding what decades of scientific research tell us about these two very different fats.

The Fundamental Fat Difference

Before we can understand why these oils affect your health differently, we need to talk about their fat composition—because this is where everything starts.

Coconut oil is 82-92% saturated fat. That's the highest saturated fat content of any common cooking oil. The predominant fatty acids in coconut oil are lauric acid (about 45-50% of the total fat), myristic acid (16-20%), and palmitic acid (8-10%). About 55-65% of coconut oil's fats are what we call medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs)—more on those in a bit. What coconut oil doesn't have much of: monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats.

Olive oil, by contrast, is 55-83% monounsaturated fat, primarily in the form of oleic acid. It contains only about 14% saturated fat and 9-15% polyunsaturated fat. Extra virgin olive oil also contains polyphenols—plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties—in varying amounts depending on how it's processed and how fresh it is.

These aren't trivial differences. These are fundamentally different fats that your body processes in fundamentally different ways.

When you consume saturated fat regularly, it affects how your liver handles cholesterol. Specifically, saturated fats reduce the activity of LDL receptors in your liver, which means your liver becomes less efficient at clearing LDL cholesterol from your bloodstream. The result? Higher circulating LDL levels. This has been demonstrated in controlled feeding studies over and over again.

Monounsaturated fats, on the other hand, actually improve LDL receptor function. Your liver gets better at pulling LDL cholesterol out of circulation. The result is lower LDL levels and typically a better ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (the "good" cholesterol).

Now, here's an important nuance that coconut oil advocates correctly point out: not all saturated fats are identical. Lauric acid, which makes up about half of coconut oil, does behave somewhat differently than other saturated fats like palmitic acid. It raises HDL cholesterol more than some other saturated fats do. But—and this is crucial—it still raises LDL cholesterol. And when we look at the totality of evidence, that LDL increase matters for cardiovascular health.

The medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil are metabolized differently than the long-chain fatty acids that make up most dietary fats. MCTs go directly to your liver rather than through your lymphatic system, which means they're absorbed and used more quickly. This has led to some interesting research and a lot of marketing claims—which we'll address in detail shortly.

But first, let's talk about what really matters for most people choosing between these oils: heart health.

Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Your Heart: What 50 Years of Research Reveals

This is where the rubber meets the road. If you're using one of these oils daily, what's it doing to your cardiovascular system over time?

The Coconut Oil Cardiovascular Evidence

Let's start with what the research actually shows about coconut oil and heart health, because there's been a lot of confusion here.

A 2020 meta-analysis published in Circulation, one of the most respected cardiovascular journals, looked at the effects of coconut oil on blood lipids. The researchers found that coconut oil consumption raised LDL cholesterol by an average of 10.5 mg/dL compared to oils rich in unsaturated fats. It also raised HDL cholesterol, but the LDL increase was larger and, from a cardiovascular risk standpoint, more clinically significant.

A 2016 study compared the effects of coconut oil, butter, and olive oil on blood lipids. Coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol similarly to butter—both substantially more than olive oil.

In 2017, the American Heart Association released a presidential advisory that specifically addressed coconut oil. Their recommendation? They advised against using coconut oil for cardiovascular health, citing its high saturated fat content and its effects on LDL cholesterol. The advisory reviewed existing evidence and concluded that replacing saturated fats (including coconut oil) with unsaturated fats reduces cardiovascular disease risk.

Now, here's what we don't have for coconut oil: long-term cardiovascular outcome trials. We don't have a study that followed thousands of people using coconut oil daily for years and measured actual heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac deaths. We have cholesterol studies and short-term metabolic studies, but we don't have the kind of gold-standard, long-term outcome data that would definitively tell us whether daily coconut oil consumption affects actual cardiovascular events.

The Olive Oil Cardiovascular Evidence

The contrast here is stark.

The PREDIMED trial—one of the largest and most rigorous dietary intervention studies ever conducted—followed nearly 7,500 people at high cardiovascular risk for almost five years. Participants were randomized to either a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil (about 4 tablespoons daily), a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts, or a control low-fat diet.

Results: The extra virgin olive oil group experienced a 30% reduction in major cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular death) compared to the control group. That's not a cholesterol marker improvement—that's actual heart attacks and strokes prevented.

The Lyon Heart Study showed even more dramatic results: a 70% reduction in cardiac death when following a Mediterranean diet high in olive oil after a first heart attack.

Multiple meta-analyses have demonstrated that olive oil consumption lowers LDL cholesterol in a dose-dependent manner while maintaining or even slightly increasing HDL cholesterol. The typical finding is that replacing saturated fat with olive oil's monounsaturated fat reduces LDL by about 6% per 10 grams substituted.

Beyond cholesterol, olive oil has been shown to:

• Improve endothelial function (how well your blood vessels dilate)
• Reduce oxidative stress
• Lower inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein
• Improve insulin sensitivity
• Reduce blood pressure

We also have 40+ years of Mediterranean diet research showing consistent cardiovascular benefits in populations that consume olive oil as their primary fat. The Seven Countries Study, Greek island studies, and numerous cohort studies have all found associations between olive oil consumption and reduced heart disease risk.

The Evidence Gap That Matters

Here's what this comes down to: We have decades of cardiovascular outcome data—real heart attacks, real strokes, real lives extended—for olive oil as part of a Mediterranean dietary pattern. We don't have that for coconut oil. We have evidence that coconut oil raises LDL cholesterol, which is a strong predictor of cardiovascular risk. But we don't know with certainty what happens to heart disease rates if populations switch to coconut oil as their primary cooking fat for twenty years.

That evidence gap should inform your decision. When choosing a daily cooking oil—something you'll use nearly every day for decades—it makes sense to choose the one where we actually know the long-term cardiovascular outcomes.

This isn't about demonizing coconut oil. It's about recognizing that one of these oils has been extensively studied in long-term trials with cardiovascular outcomes, and the other simply hasn't.

MCTs vs. Polyphenols: Different Benefits, Different Impact

One of coconut oil's primary selling points in wellness circles has been its medium-chain triglyceride content. Let's look at what MCTs actually are, what research shows about them, and how they compare to olive oil's polyphenols.

Medium-Chain Triglycerides in Coconut Oil

Medium-chain triglycerides are fatty acids with 6-12 carbon atoms, as opposed to the long-chain fatty acids (14-22 carbons) that make up most dietary fats. The main MCTs in coconut oil are caprylic acid (C8), capric acid (C10), and lauric acid (C12). Technically, lauric acid is a borderline case—it's sometimes classified as a medium-chain fatty acid and sometimes as a long-chain one because it behaves a bit like both.

MCTs are metabolized differently than long-chain fats. They're absorbed directly into the bloodstream from your intestines and go straight to your liver, rather than being packaged into chylomicrons and traveling through your lymphatic system first. This means they're available for energy more quickly.

So what does research show about MCTs?

Some studies have found that MCTs may increase energy expenditure slightly—in the range of about 5% in controlled settings. The theory is that because they're metabolized differently, they might boost your metabolic rate modestly. However, this effect is small, short-term, and doesn't translate into meaningful weight loss in real-world conditions.

Research on MCTs and cognitive function exists, but it's important to understand the context. Most studies showing potential cognitive benefits have used pure MCT oil (usually concentrated C8 and C10 fatty acids), not coconut oil. There's some preliminary research suggesting that in certain populations—particularly people with mild cognitive impairment or certain forms of epilepsy—supplemental MCTs might provide an alternative fuel source for the brain. But this research is early-stage, and it doesn't support the broad claim that coconut oil prevents Alzheimer's disease.

Here's the crucial distinction: Pure MCT oil, which is usually derived from coconut or palm kernel oil and contains concentrated C8 and C10 fatty acids, is not the same thing as coconut oil. Most MCT research uses pure MCT oil. Coconut oil contains some MCTs, but it's also about 40-45% long-chain saturated fats. The health effects aren't interchangeable.

And critically, whatever modest metabolic effects MCTs might have don't negate the fact that coconut oil still raises LDL cholesterol. You can't boost your metabolism by 5% and simultaneously increase your cardiovascular disease risk and call it a win.

Polyphenols in Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil contains 100-800 mg/kg of polyphenols, depending on factors like olive variety, harvest time, processing method, and freshness. These aren't just theoretical compounds—they're bioactive substances that have been extensively studied.

The major polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil include oleocanthal (which has anti-inflammatory properties similar to ibuprofen), oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, and tyrosol.

What does research show about olive oil's polyphenols?

Multiple randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that polyphenol-rich olive oil:

• Reduces oxidative stress (measured through various biomarkers)
• Decreases inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein and interleukin-6
• Improves endothelial function (how well your blood vessels respond)
• Reduces LDL oxidation (oxidized LDL is particularly dangerous for arterial health)
• May improve cognitive function and reduce dementia risk

The PREDIMED-Plus study found associations between olive oil polyphenol intake and reduced cognitive decline. A sub-analysis of PREDIMED showed that participants with higher polyphenol intake had lower rates of cognitive impairment.

Unlike MCTs, which offer some interesting metabolic quirks, polyphenols provide documented anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular protection with substantial research backing. These compounds work synergistically with olive oil's oleic acid to provide cardiovascular benefits.

The Comparison That Isn't Really a Comparison

Here's the thing: comparing MCTs to polyphenols is like comparing a sports car's acceleration to a minivan's cargo space. They're different categories of benefits entirely.

MCTs might provide marginally quicker energy availability. Polyphenols provide anti-inflammatory effects and cardiovascular protection that show up in clinical outcomes data.

If you're following a therapeutic ketogenic diet under medical supervision, or if you're using MCT oil for specific purposes (like managing certain forms of epilepsy), that's a specialized use case. But for the average person choosing a daily cooking oil for long-term health, the question isn't whether MCTs are interesting—it's whether they outweigh the cardiovascular concerns about saturated fat. The evidence suggests they don't.

Olive oil's polyphenols, on the other hand, are part of why we see actual cardiovascular outcomes improvements in long-term trials. They're not a metabolic curiosity—they're a functional part of why olive oil protects your heart.

Which Oil for Which Job: Smoke Points, Stability, and Flavor

Let's get practical. How do these oils actually perform in the kitchen?

Smoke Points and Cooking Performance

Refined coconut oil has a smoke point of about 400-450°F (204-232°C). Virgin coconut oil, which retains its coconut flavor, has a lower smoke point around 350°F (177°C). Extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point between 375-410°F (190-210°C), while light or refined olive oil goes up to 465-470°F (240-243°C).

Here's what this means practically: both coconut oil and olive oil handle normal home cooking just fine. Unless you're doing high-temperature wok cooking or deep-frying (which most people aren't doing regularly at home), smoke point differences are largely academic for everyday use. Sautéing, roasting, and even shallow pan-frying all happen well below these temperatures.

The internet has made a bigger deal out of smoke points than they deserve for typical cooking. Yes, it matters if you're heating oil until it literally smokes. But for normal stovetop and oven use, both oils are perfectly stable.

Oxidative Stability

Olive oil's monounsaturated fats are more resistant to oxidation than polyunsaturated fats (like those in many seed oils) but less resistant than saturated fats. However, extra virgin olive oil's polyphenols provide additional protection against oxidation, which is why high-quality EVOO is actually quite stable for cooking despite not being fully saturated.

Coconut oil, being predominantly saturated fat, is highly resistant to oxidation. This is one area where its saturated fat content is actually an advantage—it doesn't go rancid easily.

For practical purposes, both oils store well at room temperature and maintain quality during normal cooking. Store olive oil away from light and heat to preserve polyphenols, and both oils will serve you well.

Flavor Considerations

This is where personal preference and culinary context matter.

Virgin coconut oil has a distinct tropical, coconut flavor. It works beautifully in Southeast Asian cuisine, certain curries, tropical-themed desserts, and dishes where that flavor complements the recipe. Refined coconut oil is essentially neutral in flavor, which makes it more versatile but also removes one of virgin coconut oil's actual advantages—its taste.

Olive oil ranges from mild and buttery to robust and peppery, depending on the variety and processing. High-quality extra virgin olive oil adds dimension to dishes. It's ideal for Mediterranean cuisine, salad dressings, finishing vegetables, drizzling over soups, and basically any application where you want its flavor to shine through.

Daily Use Recommendations

For coconut oil:

• Use occasionally in recipes where its flavor authentically belongs (Thai curry, certain baked goods, tropical dishes)
• Small amounts are fine if you genuinely enjoy the taste and your cholesterol levels are healthy
• Not recommended as your primary, everyday cooking oil if heart health is a priority

For olive oil:

• Excellent choice for daily cooking—sautéing, roasting, moderate-heat cooking
• Ideal for salad dressings, finishing dishes, dipping bread
• Use extra virgin for maximum health benefits and flavor
• Research suggests 2-4 tablespoons daily as part of a Mediterranean-style eating pattern

Can you use both? Of course. But be strategic about it: let olive oil be your workhorse, the oil you reach for most days. Use coconut oil when its specific properties or flavor genuinely add something to a particular recipe.

Trend vs. Evidence: What Wellness Influencers Get Wrong About Coconut Oil

Coconut oil's rise to superfood status didn't happen in a vacuum. It came from somewhere—a combination of legitimate biochemical properties, promising preliminary research, and aggressive marketing. Let's address the most common claims you've probably heard.

Claim 1: "Coconut oil boosts metabolism and helps with weight loss"

This claim usually references the fact that MCTs can slightly increase energy expenditure in controlled studies—about 5% in some cases. The theory is that because MCTs are metabolized differently, they might boost your metabolic rate and lead to weight loss.

What research actually shows: Yes, some studies have found a small, temporary increase in energy expenditure with MCT consumption. But these effects are modest, inconsistent, and haven't translated into meaningful real-world weight loss.

Most importantly, the studies showing any metabolic effects used pure MCT oil (concentrated C8 and C10), not whole coconut oil. And even with pure MCT oil, the effect is small enough that it doesn't compensate for other factors—like the fact that all oil is calorie-dense at 120 calories per tablespoon.

No long-term studies show that using coconut oil as your primary cooking fat leads to better weight management than using olive oil. Both oils have identical calorie density. If weight management is your goal, the type of oil you use matters far less than your overall calorie intake and dietary pattern.

Verdict: Coconut oil is not a weight loss food. Any oil can fit into healthy eating, but coconut oil has no special fat-burning properties.

Claim 2: "Coconut oil is good for brain health and prevents Alzheimer's"

This claim emerged from the hypothesis that ketones produced from MCT metabolism might provide an alternative fuel source for the brain, potentially helping in conditions where glucose metabolism is impaired (like Alzheimer's disease).

What research actually shows: The hypothesis is scientifically plausible and has generated some preliminary research. However, most of this research has used purified MCT oil (not coconut oil) in controlled, short-term studies or animal models.

There are currently no clinical trials showing that consuming coconut oil prevents or treats dementia in humans. The research that does exist is interesting but early-stage and insufficient to support broad claims about brain health.

Meanwhile, olive oil actually has randomized controlled trial data showing benefits for cognitive function. The PREDIMED trial found that participants following a Mediterranean diet high in olive oil had better cognitive outcomes and lower rates of cognitive decline than those on a low-fat diet.

Verdict: Interesting hypothesis, insufficient evidence for coconut oil. If brain health is genuinely your concern, olive oil has actual data.

Claim 3: "It's a natural, traditional food, so it must be healthy"

This argument goes something like: "Pacific Island populations have eaten coconut for thousands of years and had low rates of heart disease, so coconut oil must be healthy."

The context that matters: Traditional Pacific Island populations consumed whole coconut—coconut meat, coconut water, coconut cream in the context of a traditional diet that was also high in fish, root vegetables, and other whole foods. They also had high levels of physical activity and essentially zero processed food intake.

Extracted coconut oil concentrates the saturated fat from coconut while removing the fiber, protein, and broader dietary context. Eating whole coconut occasionally as part of a traditional diet is very different from using refined coconut oil as your primary cooking fat in a modern Western dietary pattern.

By the same logic, butter and lard are also "traditional" foods consumed by many populations. That doesn't automatically make them optimal choices for cardiovascular health in 2024.

Verdict: Naturalness doesn't equal healthiness, and traditional use in one context doesn't justify modern use in a completely different context.

Claim 4: "The saturated fat guidelines are outdated—the science has changed"

This is probably the most sophisticated argument for coconut oil. Some advocates claim that old dietary recommendations about saturated fat were based on flawed science and that more recent research has exonerated saturated fat.

What current science actually says: It's true that our understanding of saturated fat has evolved. We now know it's more nuanced than "saturated fat = bad, period." However, the current scientific consensus from major health organizations hasn't shifted toward embracing high saturated fat intake.

The American Heart Association's 2017 advisory (which specifically addressed coconut oil) reviewed the evidence and maintained that limiting saturated fat to less than 10% of calories and replacing it with unsaturated fats reduces cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organization maintains similar guidance.

The key finding that has held up across decades of research: replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fats—particularly monounsaturated fats like those in olive oil—consistently improves cardiovascular outcomes. It's not that saturated fat is poison; it's that unsaturated fat is better for your heart.

Verdict: Scientific guidelines have evolved with the evidence, and current recommendations still advise limiting saturated fat and emphasizing unsaturated fats for cardiovascular health.

When Coconut Oil Actually Makes Sense

To be fair and maintain credibility: coconut oil isn't evil, and there are legitimate contexts where it makes sense.

Specific dietary approaches under medical supervision: If you're following a therapeutic ketogenic diet for epilepsy management or another medical condition under a doctor's guidance, coconut oil or MCT oil might be part of your protocol. That's a specialized use case with specific goals.

Culinary applications where flavor matters: If you're making Thai curry, certain Southeast Asian dishes, or specific baked goods where coconut flavor is authentic and desired, use virgin coconut oil. That's what it's for. Authenticity and enjoyment are legitimate values in cooking.

Vegan baking: Coconut oil's texture properties make it a reasonable butter substitute in certain vegan recipes. It provides structure and moisture in ways that liquid oils don't always achieve.

Non-dietary uses: Coconut oil has legitimate uses for hair care and skincare for some individuals. These aren't health claims we're evaluating here, but they're valid reasons people buy coconut oil.

Personal preference with awareness: If you genuinely love the flavor of coconut oil, use small amounts occasionally, monitor your cholesterol levels, and understand the tradeoffs you're making, that's an informed adult decision.

The bottom line: Coconut oil isn't poison. But it's also not the health miracle it was marketed as during the 2010s wellness boom. For daily cooking and long-term cardiovascular health, olive oil is the evidence-based choice. Coconut oil can have a place in your kitchen for specific uses, but it probably shouldn't be your go-to, everyday cooking oil.

If you have existing cardiovascular risk factors—high cholesterol, family history of heart disease, hypertension—this choice matters more. Talk to your healthcare provider about your saturated fat intake, and consider prioritizing olive oil.

Thousands of Years vs. Ten Years: The Longevity of Evidence

Let's zoom out for a moment and look at the broader context.

The Mediterranean diet, with olive oil as its cornerstone fat, has been studied for more than 50 years. We have large-scale randomized controlled trials like PREDIMED and the Lyon Heart Study. We have decades of observational data from Mediterranean populations showing consistently lower rates of heart disease, better cognitive function in aging, reduced rates of type 2 diabetes, and lower all-cause mortality.

Olive oil consumption in these populations correlates with these health outcomes. And when researchers have tried to replicate Mediterranean dietary patterns in intervention studies—actually giving people olive oil and tracking what happens—they see reduced cardiovascular events. Not just better cholesterol numbers. Actual heart attacks and strokes prevented.

Coconut oil, as a wellness trend, emerged around 2010-2012. It lacks the long-term population health data that olive oil has. Traditional coconut-consuming populations ate whole coconut in a completely different dietary and lifestyle context than modern Americans cooking with extracted coconut oil. And there's no coconut-based dietary pattern with anything approaching the research backing of the Mediterranean diet.

This isn't just about individual ingredients. It's about dietary patterns that have been tested over time—both in traditional populations and in modern clinical trials.

To be clear: diet is complex, and it's not just the oil. The Mediterranean diet includes vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, moderate wine, social meals, and plenty of olive oil. But olive oil is the fat that's been central to this pattern for millennia, and it's the fat used in all the successful Mediterranean diet trials.

Here's the question worth asking yourself: Do you want to base your daily cooking oil choice on a ten-year wellness trend with preliminary research and aggressive marketing, or on a five-thousand-year-old eating pattern with decades of modern scientific validation?

The Bottom Line: Choose Based on Evidence, Not Trends

We've covered a lot of ground here, so let's bring it together.

Coconut oil's popularity wasn't entirely baseless. MCTs are biochemically interesting. Some preliminary research is intriguing. And the wellness community's interest in natural, traditional foods comes from a genuinely good place. But marketing and influencer enthusiasm outpaced what evidence actually supports.

The core differences matter:

• Fat composition: 90% saturated fat vs. 14% saturated fat
• Cholesterol effects: Raises LDL vs. lowers LDL
• Cardiovascular research: Limited short-term studies vs. decades of outcome data
• Unique compounds: MCTs with modest metabolic effects vs. polyphenols with documented anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits

For daily cooking and long-term health, the evidence points clearly toward olive oil—particularly extra virgin olive oil. For occasional culinary use where coconut flavor genuinely enhances a dish, coconut oil is fine in moderation. For therapeutic purposes involving MCTs, discuss with your healthcare provider, and consider that pure MCT oil (not coconut oil) is typically used in clinical contexts.

You don't need to throw out your coconut oil or feel bad if you bought into the trend. A lot of smart, health-conscious people did. But for your go-to, everyday cooking oil—the one you use for most of your meals, the one that adds up over years—the evidence is clear. Hoji offers just that- especially in their new glass bottle format.

Choose the oil that has decades of cardiovascular outcome research. Choose the oil that's been central to the healthiest, longest-lived populations we've studied. Choose the oil with both tradition and science on its side.

Heart health is a long game, not a quick fix. When you're making decisions that affect your health over decades, it makes sense to go with what decades of evidence actually support.