Coconut palm sugar, made from the sap of the tree, is poised to be the next big coconut thing, according to Stephanie Mattucci, from consumer research group Mintel. Although Diabetes UK and the American Diabetes Association stress it's just another form of sugar, many of us don't believe them. "In the U.S., 20 per cent of consumers think coconut sugar is good for health," Mattucci says.
And there's the rub. Coconut's purported health benefits range from fighting infection and aiding weight loss to curing dementia and cancer. Some websites claim coconut water can be injected to fight dehydration (nope, sorry), while Paltrow even cleans her teeth with the oil.
But are any of the health claims true? The evidence is sparse, according to food scientists. Coconut oil is almost pure saturated fat, a much more concentrated source than either butter or lard. While saturated fat is no longer the dietary demon we once thought it was, coconut oil is no health food and should be consumed in moderation.
"There is nothing special about coconut fat and it should be treated like all other saturated fats when consumed in the diet," says Dr Scott Harding, lecturer in diabetes and nutritional science at King's College London. "From a strictly cooking perspective, as long as total calorie intake is healthy and people are eating a balanced diet with good variety, there is no reason to fear any cooking fat or oil." Coconut water, the juice inside young coconuts, has also been hyped as a miracle drink. But again, experts say there's no evidence to support the health claims.
