Auckland shoppers divided over coconut oil being 'pure poison'

Some Auckland shoppers agree with a Harvard professor who considers coconut oil to be "one of the worst foods you can eat", while others are standing by their use of the product.

A lecture given by Dr Karin Michels, who also heads up the tumour research centre at the University of Freiburg, has amassed more than 400,000 hits since it was published online on July 10..

She told her audience that "coconut oil is pure poison", it is "one of the worst foods you can eat" and is more dangerous than lard.

Her remarks have added fuel to the fiery debate over the oil's nutritional properties - an oil which has soared in popularity in New Zealand over the past five years.

The Herald spoke to a number of shoppers in Grey Lynn on Thursday morning, many of whom had heard about Dr Michels' view.

Faith said she assumes Michels has done her research and "kind of" agrees with the doctor.

"I think we are overusing coconut oil and coconut products. Definitely."

She says it comes down to balance and listening to your body.

"Everything in moderation and everything in balance."

Nina said it was a bit of a shock to hear coconut oil is considered worse than lard by an expert.

"It's a darn shame because it's very beneficial. My son has just turned vegan, he's going to be 17 tomorrow. It's a big deal in our house."

She said she doesn't plan to stop using coconut oil anytime soon.

"We use it for cooking and we use it on ourselves."

Gareth Leaf is on a Keto diet, which is mostly coconut and fat based.

He was quick to say he didn't agree with Dr Michels.

"A lot of coconut-based products are quite healthy in my opinion," he said.

"I think further studies will be needed for me to even consider that a fact."

Jared Cannons said if it really is poison then "we wouldn't be able to buy it".

"I'm pretty sure there are many other bad oils out there that are doing the same damage," he said.

The ascent of coconut oil sales began in the early 2000s, on the heels of two studies by Columbia University which looked at medium-chain fatty acids, a type of fat present in coconuts.

The study participants who ate the medium-chain fatty acid diet burned fat quicker than the controls.

Once the findings emerged, it was gobbled up: Could this product, which is so easy to incorporate into daily life, be the Holy Grail of fat burning?

Consumers decided it could. Sales of coconut oil rocketed.

The medical industry, however, was not convinced - not even the author of the study, nutrition professor Marie-Pierre St-Onge, who explained in her study that, coconuts are only 14 per cent medium-chain fatty acids. The study participants were fed 100 per cent.