Post-graduate Program in Medical Sciences: Endocrinology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Post-graduate Program in Medical Sciences: Endocrinology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2022 Jun;32(6):1375-1384. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2022.02.002. Epub 2022 Feb 10.
Despite recent scientific evidence indicating absence of cardiometabolic benefit resulting from coconut oil intake, its consumption has increased in recent years, which can be attributed to a promotion of its use on social networks. We evaluated the patterns, reasons and beliefs related to coconut oil consumption and its perceived benefits in an online survey of a population in southern Brazil.
We conducted a before-and-after study using an 11-item online questionnaire that evaluated coconut oil consumption. In the same survey, participants who consumed coconut oil received an intervention to increase literacy about the health effects of coconut oil intake. We obtained 3160 valid responses. Among participants who consumed coconut oil (59.1%), 82.5% considered it healthy and 65.4% used it at least once a month. 81.2% coconut oil consumers did not observe any health improvements. After being exposed to the conclusions of a meta-analysis showing that coconut oil does not show superior health benefits when compared to other oils and fats, 73.5% of those who considered coconut oil healthy did not change their opinion. Among individuals who did not consume coconut oil, 47.6% considered it expensive and 11.6% deemed it unhealthy.
Coconut oil consumption is motivated by the responders' own beliefs in its supposed health benefits, despite what scientific research demonstrates. This highlights the difficulty in deconstructing inappropriate concepts of healthy diets that are disseminated in society.
尽管最近的科学证据表明，摄入椰子油不会带来心血管代谢益处，但近年来其消费却有所增加，这可能归因于社交网络对其使用的推广。我们评估了巴西南部人口在一项在线调查中与椰子油消费相关的模式、原因和信念，以及对其益处的认知。
我们使用了一个 11 项在线问卷进行了前后研究，该问卷评估了椰子油的消费情况。在同一项调查中，食用椰子油的参与者收到了一项关于增加椰子油摄入对健康影响的教育干预。我们获得了 3160 份有效回复。在食用椰子油的参与者中（59.1%），82.5%认为它是健康的，65.4%每月至少使用一次。81.2%的椰子油消费者没有观察到任何健康改善。在接触到一项荟萃分析的结论后，即椰子油在健康益处方面并不优于其他油和脂肪，81.2%认为椰子油健康的消费者没有改变他们的观点。在不食用椰子油的个体中，47.6%认为它昂贵，11.6%认为它不健康。
尽管科学研究表明，椰子油的消费是基于消费者自身对其所谓健康益处的信念，这突显了在社会中传播的健康饮食不当概念难以被解构。
