Will coconut oil clog coronary arteries?

Q. My surgeon says that coconut oil is bad for me and will cause heart attacks. So many others recommend it. Is coconut oil good for you or not? I’ve been cooking with it for about a month and wonder if I should stop.

A. Coconut oil is rich in saturated fat, so it got a bad rap with respect to heart health. In a study published last year, patients with heart disease were randomly assigned to cook with either coconut oil or sunflower oil for two years (Indian Heart Journal, July-August 2016). At the end of that time, there were no differences in the impact on blood fats or cardiovascular events.

Epidemiological research does not show a connection between coconut-oil consumption and an increased risk of heart disease (Nutrition Reviews, April 2016). In fact, a study published last year found that people who ate a lot of saturated fat were no more likely to develop coronary-artery disease than those who shunned it (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, February 2016).

Q. I live on a vegan diet. I take vitamin B-12 pills, but would rather get this vitamin from my plant-based foods. I was told that seaweed has natural vitamin B-12, so I eat 0.6 ounces of organic roasted seaweed daily. Is there enough vitamin B-12 in seaweed?

A. Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., is the author of “Fortify Your Life: Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and More.” She notes, “No matter what you might read, you cannot get vitamin B-12 by eating nonfortified grains, nutritional yeast, algae, or seaweed.” Since you are a vegan, avoiding all animal products, you need a synthetic vitamin B supplement. The best form is methylcobalamin.

If you don’t get enough vitamin B-12, you could suffer nerve damage, heart palpitations, fatigue, dizziness, weakness, tingling in the hands and feet and a sore tongue.

Q. Where can I find persimmon tea? Is it good for acid reflux? Does it make you lose weight? (I am slim.)

A. Persimmon tea doesn’t cause weight loss, but it does appear to help ease heartburn. Here is the original story we got from a reader:

“My reflux became really bad after menopause. Acid-suppressing drugs worked great, but after two months, I couldn’t stop them without the heartburn recurring.

“One night, I took colleagues to dinner at a Korean restaurant. Someone ordered persimmon punch, a concentrated cinnamon-ginger drink, for dessert. A few sips later, I felt fantastic.

“After one month of adding about 3 tablespoons of the cinnamon-ginger drink to my tea morning and evening, my low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels had dropped 30 points, blood sugar dropped 10 points, and my heartburn was under control.”

Although you can buy canned persimmon punch in Asian specialty stores, it probably will be easier and cheaper to make it yourself. The recipe, along with other advice on conquering reflux, is in our Guide to Digestive Disorders. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (70 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. G-3, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

2017 King Features Syndicate, Inc.