Hi everybody this is Monica Reinagle the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty

tips for eating well and feeling fabulous. My one-year anniversary celebration continues, at the end of the month, I'll be drawing the names of eight nutrition

Diva listeners to receive some terrific gifts. More about that at the end of the show.

There's a lot of buzz about the

the benefits of coconut oil these days, especially online.

According to proponents, coconut oil can prevent heart disease,

balance your

metabolism, and kill germs, fine tune your immune system,

and melt off unwanted pounds.

Others warn that it's one of the most dangerous types of fat you can eat.

Several of you have written to ask me about the benefits of coconut oil

after coming across articles online and elsewhere.

To hear some tell it, coconut oil may have the power to save us from all that ails us.

They cite research showing that it protects against heart disease,

promotes weight loss, bolsters the immune system,

and contains valuable antioxidants as well as powerful antiviral agents.

Proponents suggest that you should replace your regular oil with extra virgin coconut oil

to harness all its tremendous benefits.

Don't do it!

Cried the folks at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

and the American Heart Association.

Coconut oil contains more saturated fat than any other food, almost twice as much as in butter.

...