Harvard professor calls coconut oil 'pure poison'
A Harvard professor says consuming coconut oil has health risks, labeling the popular superfood as "pure poison."
In a recent lecture, Karin Michels said coconut oil is "one of the worst foods you can eat." Michels is a professor in the department of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
She said coconut oil is made up almost exclusively of saturated fatty acids and can pose a greater risk to heart health than lard.
In her , Michels said coconut oil contains no fiber or cholesterol and contains only traces of vitamins, minerals and plant substances that are "too low to have a positive effect on health."
Michels' report isn't the first time the the food's status has been contested.
The warned people not to consume too much coconut oil.
The nonprofit health organization cited more than 100 published reports dating to the 1950s that suggest coconut oil increases so-called "bad" cholesterol.