Coconut oil vs olive oil: same calories, a different LDL record

A meta-analysis of 16 trials found coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL (95% CI 3.01 to 17.94) compared with nontropical vegetable oils, and raised HDL by 4.00 mg/dL. The trials disagreed a lot with each other and some were not randomized, although the authors report the LDL rise held without them. The direct comparison with olive oil is less clear. In a UK trial, 94 adults aged 50 to 75 ate 1.8 oz (50 g) of one oil a day for 4 weeks, and LDL changed no differently on coconut than on olive oil (-1.5 mg/dL (95% CI -10 to 7.3; metric: -0.04 mmol/L, -0.27 to 0.19)), while HDL rose 6.2 mg/dL (0.16 mmol/L) more on coconut. That trial was short, open and recruited through the BBC, so it cannot outweigh 16 trials. A WHO-commissioned review of cohort studies advises getting fat mostly from liquid oils such as olive or canola rather than coconut oil. Energy is the same for both: 899 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), about 126 calories in a 14 g tablespoon.

How much is actually in it

• Coconut oil is mostly saturated fat: lauric acid alone is 41.8 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), with myristic 16.7 g and palmitic 8.64 g, measured across 6 samples. — Oil, coconut, 6 analyzed samples (n = 6 samples) Evidence E source
  SFA 12:0 41.8 g/100 g (range 41.1 to 42.4), SFA 14:0 16.7 g (16.3 to 17.0), SFA 16:0 8.64 g (8.36 to 9.41)
• Both oils carry the same energy, 899 calories and 99.9 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), but olive oil has about 8 times more vitamin E (5.10 mg against 0.66 mg). — CoFID codes 17-031 (Oil, coconut) and 17-038 (Oil, olive) (n = -) Evidence E source
  Vitamin E 5.10 mg/100 g olive oil vs 0.66 mg/100 g coconut oil
• In the same 4-week trial, coconut oil doubled blood lauric and myristic acid, while olive oil lowered them and raised oleic acid by about 1 mol%. — 96 healthy adults, 50 g/day extra-virgin coconut oil (n=30), olive oil (n=33) or butter (n=33) for 4 weeks (n = 96) Evidence B source
  C14:0 coconut vs olive +0.37 mol% (95% CI 0.29 to 0.45), C12:0 +0.05 (0.04 to 0.06)

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey a tablespoon of either oil is 14 g, which at 899 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g) comes to about 126 calories. — FNDDS food codes 82101500 (Coconut oil) and 82104000 (Olive oil) (n = -) Evidence E source
  1 tablespoon = 14 g, 1 cup = 224 g for both oils

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover RCT in 16 adults, a salad eaten with 28 g olive oil gave 55.2% more total carotenoid absorption than the same salad with coconut oil. — 16 adults, single test meals in random order, 10 h follow-up (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Bioaccessibility 24.0% olive oil vs 14.9% coconut oil, plasma iAUC of total carotenoids +55.2% with olive oil

What cooking and storage change

• A systematic review of 23 studies found no general link between frying and heart disease, and noted that a large randomized trial advised virgin olive oil also for frying. — 23 publications on vegetable oil and fried food intake (n = 23 studies) Evidence C source
  Frying not generally associated with higher CVD risk, fried food probably linked to weight gain

What it does to your health

• In an RCT of 94 adults aged 50 to 75 eating 1.8 oz (50 g) a day for 4 weeks, LDL change did not differ between coconut and olive oil, while coconut oil raised HDL by 6.2 mg/dL (0.16 mmol/L) more. — Healthy men and women aged 50-75 years, Cambridgeshire UK, 50 g/day for 4 weeks (n = 94) Evidence B source
  LDL-C coconut vs olive -1.5 mg/dL (95% CI -10 to 7.3; metric: -0.04 mmol/L, -0.27 to 0.19), HDL-C +0.16 (0.03 to 0.28)
• A network meta-analysis of 54 trials ranked olive and coconut oil among the oils that lower LDL by 8.9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L) against butter, with coconut oil ranked highest for raising HDL. — 54 randomized trials of at least 3 weeks comparing oils and solid fats (n = 54 trials) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -16 to -8.9 mg/dL (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/L) vs butter per 10% isocaloric exchange, coconut oil SUCRA 88% for HDL-C
• Across 51 RCTs with 4334 adults, olive oil did not change fasting glucose, insulin or HbA1c overall. — 51 RCTs, 4334 adults (n = 4334) Evidence A source
  Glucose WMD -0.04 mg/dL (95% CI -0.1 to 0.02), HbA1c WMD 0.02% (-0.01 to 0.06)

Safety, limits and interactions

• A meta-analysis of 16 trials found coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL compared with nontropical vegetable oils. — 16 clinical trials lasting at least 2 weeks, searched to June 2019 (n = 16 trials) Evidence A source
  LDL-C +10.47 mg/dL (95% CI 3.01 to 17.94), HDL-C +4.00 mg/dL (2.26 to 5.73)
• A WHO-commissioned review advises that dietary fats come mostly from liquid vegetable oils such as olive or canola rather than coconut oil. — 128 prospective cohort studies pooled for WHO guideline development (n = -) Evidence E source
  Position statement, no effect size

What people believe that the data does not support

• In a crossover RCT of 20 men, 25 g coconut oil or olive oil at breakfast was followed by lunch energy intakes that did not differ significantly in normal-weight or obese men. — 20 metabolically healthy men aged 19-40 (10 normal weight, 10 obese), single meals (n = 20) Evidence B source
  Ad libitum lunch 924 vs 845 calories (p = 0.272) normal weight, 859 vs 994 calories (p = 0.069) obese
• In an online survey of 3160 people in Brazil, 82.5% of coconut oil users thought it healthy, and 73.5% kept that view after reading meta-analysis findings. — 3160 valid online survey responses, southern Brazil (n = 3160) Evidence C source
  82.5% considered coconut oil healthy, 81.2% saw no health improvement, 73.5% unchanged opinion
• The EU did not authorize the label claim that olive oil promotes heart health. — EU health claims register (n = -) Evidence E source
  Non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• In an RCT of 63 adults aged 50 and over given 20 ug vitamin D3 daily for 4 weeks, those already sufficient raised their 25(OH)D significantly only with the coconut oil dairy drink and the supplement. — 63 healthy adults aged 50+ years, 4 weeks (n = 63) Evidence B source
  All insufficient participants rose on any D3 form, sufficient participants rose significantly only with coconut oil drink and supplement

What is still unknown

• A 2022 meta-analysis of 7 RCTs (515 adults) found coconut oil gave a small HDL rise of 3.28 mg/dL, with high risk of bias and very low certainty. — 7 RCTs, 515 adults, 4 weeks to 2 years (n = 515) Evidence A source
  HDL-C MD +3.28 mg/dL (95% CI 0.66 to 5.90)

The bottom line

What sits inside the bottle differs. Coconut oil is mostly saturated fat, with 1.5 oz (41.8 g) of lauric acid per 3.5 oz (100 g) across 6 USDA samples (range 41.1 to 42.4), plus 16.7 g myristic and 8.64 g palmitic acid. Olive oil carries 5.10 mg vitamin E per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 0.66 mg in coconut oil, from single UK table values. In a 4-week trial, coconut oil doubled the lauric and myristic acid in blood, olive oil lowered them and raised oleic acid by about 1 mol percent. That is a marker of what was eaten, not a health outcome. Olive oil helped a salad more. In a crossover trial of 16 adults, single salad meals eaten with olive oil gave 55.2 percent more carotenoids in blood over 10 hours than the same salad with coconut oil. In a network meta-analysis of 54 trials, both olive and coconut oil were among the fats that lowered LDL by 8.9 to 16 mg/dL (0.23 to 0.42 mmol/L) compared with butter, and coconut oil ranked first for raising HDL. Across 51 trials in 4334 adults, olive oil did not change fasting glucose (-0.04 mg/dL, 95% CI -0.1 to 0.02) or HbA1c. A 2022 meta-analysis of 7 trials found a small HDL rise of 3.28 mg/dL with coconut oil, at very low certainty and high risk of bias. Coconut oil at breakfast did not change lunch by a significant margin. In 20 men given 0.88 oz (25 g) of coconut or olive oil at breakfast, the energy they ate at lunch did not differ significantly in either the normal weight group (924 against 845 calories) or the obese group (859 against 994 calories). Belief runs ahead of this. In an online survey of 3160 people in Brazil, 82.5 percent of coconut oil users thought it healthy, and 73.5 percent kept that view after reading a meta-analysis that found no advantage. The EU also refused the label claim that olive oil promotes heart health, which means the evidence fell short of the bar when assessed. For frying, a review of 23 mostly observational studies found no general link between frying and heart disease, and the large trial it cites advised virgin olive oil for frying too. Coconut oil for frying was not assessed. In a trial of 63 adults over 50 taking 20 ug vitamin D3 a day for 4 weeks, those who already had enough vitamin D raised their blood level significantly only with the coconut oil dairy drink and the supplement. The abstract gives no size and the groups were small. Who should be careful. If your LDL is high, the pooled trials point to coconut oil raising it relative to liquid vegetable oils, and that is where the WHO advice comes from. We have no studies on allergy, pregnancy or drug interactions for either oil.

Sources

1. cxo-daily-r4-01 · food composition dataset
   Oil, coconut | SFA 12:0 41.8 G | range 41.1-42.4 | samples 6 ; SFA 14:0 16.7 G | range 16.3-17.0 | samples 6 ; SFA 16:0 8.64 G | range 8.36-9.41 | samples 6
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 (Oil, coconut) · checked 2026-10-02
2. cxo-daily-r4-02 · food composition dataset
   17-031 Oil, coconut | Energy 899 kcal | Fat 99.9 g | Vitamin E 0.66 mg ; 17-038 Oil, olive | Energy 899 kcal | Fat 99.9 g | Vitamin E 5.10 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, OGL v3.0, codes 17-031 and 17-038 · checked 2026-10-02
3. cxo-daily-r4-08 · Randomized controlled trial
   Coconut oil doubled lauric acid (C12:0) and myristic acid (C14:0), butter increased those to a lesser extent, and olive oil reduced those. β (95% confidence interval) for changes in C12:0 comparing coconut oil to butter and olive oil were +0.04 (0.03-0.05) and +0.05 (0.04-0.06) mol%, respectively; for C14:0, +0.24 (0.17-0.32) and +0.37 (0.29-0.45), respectively. Olive oil increased oleic acid (OA) approximately by 1 mol%, while coconut oil and butter had little effect on OA.
   J Lipid Res, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02
4. cxo-daily-r4-03 · food portion dataset
   82101500 Coconut oil | 1 tablespoon | 14 g ; 82104000 Olive oil | 1 tablespoon | 14 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food codes 82101500 and 82104000 · checked 2026-10-02
5. cxo-daily-r4-04 · Randomized crossover trial
   The bioaccessibility of TC was greater with olive oil (24.0%) than with coconut oil (14.9%), and with the oil being emulsified (23.5%) rather than that being nonemulsified (15.4%). Similarly, the positive iAUC1-10h of TC, α-carotene, and lycopene were 55.2%, 110.8%, and 45.8%, respectively, higher with olive oil than with coconut oil.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
6. cxo-daily-r4-13 · Systematic review
   we conclude that (1) the myth that frying foods is generally associated with a higher risk of CVD is not supported by the available evidence; (2) virgin olive oil significantly reduces the risk of CVD clinical events, based on the results of a large randomised trial that included as part of the intervention the recommendation to use high amounts of virgin olive oil, also for frying foods
   Br J Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-10-02
7. cxo-daily-r4-07 · Randomized controlled trial
   LDL-C concentrations were significantly increased on butter compared with coconut oil (+0.42, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.65 mmol/L, P<0.0001) and with olive oil (+0.38, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.60 mmol/L, P<0.0001), with no differences in change of LDL-C in coconut oil compared with olive oil (-0.04, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.19 mmol/L, P=0.74). Coconut oil significantly increased HDL-C compared with butter (+0.18, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.30 mmol/L) or olive oil (+0.16, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.28 mmol/L).
   BMJ Open, 2018 · checked 2026-10-02
8. cxo-daily-r4-09 · Network meta-analysis
   Safflower oil had the highest SUCRA value for LDL-C (82%) and TC (90%), followed by rapeseed oil (76% for LDL-C, 85% for TC); whereas, palm oil (74%) had the highest SUCRA value for TG, and coconut oil (88%) for HDL-C. Safflower, sunflower, rapeseed, flaxseed, corn, olive, soybean, palm, and coconut oil as well beef fat were more effective in reducing LDL-C (-0.42 to -0.23 mmol/l) as compared with butter.
   J Lipid Res, 2018 · checked 2026-10-02
9. cxo-daily-r4-11 · Meta-analysis
   We found the consumption of olive oil was not associated with statistically significant changes in blood glucose (WMD = -0.04 mg dL-1; 95% CI, -0.1 to 0.02; P = .18; I2 = 27.05%), insulin (WMD = -0.3 µIU mL-1; 95% CI, -0.99 to 0.38; P = .39; I2 = 91.49%), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (WMD = 0.02%, 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.06; P = .21; I2 = 0%)
   Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
10. cxo-daily-r4-06 · Meta-analysis
    Coconut oil consumption significantly increased LDL-cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL (95% CI: 3.01, 17.94; I2 = 84%, N=16) and HDL-cholesterol by 4.00 mg/dL (95% CI: 2.26, 5.73; I2 = 72%, N=16) as compared with nontropical vegetable oils.
    Circulation, 2020 · checked 2026-10-02
11. cxo-daily-r4-16 · Agency review
    Our findings strongly reinforce the guidance that, when replacement energy is required, it should be provided by PUFA, plant sources of MUFA and slowly digested carbohydrates. Thus, dietary fats should come largely from seeds, nuts or liquid vegetable oil (olive, canola) rather than hydrogenated vegetable fats or land animal fats and coconut oil.
    WHO, 2022, Saturated fat and trans-fat intakes and their replacement with other macronutrients · checked 2026-10-02
12. cxo-daily-r4-12 · Randomized crossover trial
    Ad libitum energy intakes after EVCO and EVOO consumption in normal weight subjects were 924 ± 302; 845 ± 158 kcal (p = 0.272), respectively whereas in obese subjects were 859 ± 238; 994 ± 265 kcal (p = 0.069) respectively.
    PLoS One, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
13. cxo-daily-r4-14 · Before-and-after survey
    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.
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
14. cxo-daily-r4-15 · Regulatory decision
    POL-HC-7679 Olive Oil Olive Oil promotes your heart health Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7679, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-02
15. cxo-daily-r4-05 · Randomized controlled trial
    25(OH)D concentrations increased significantly for all insufficient participants receiving vitamin D3 in any form. However, for vitamin D-sufficient participants at baseline, 25(OH)D concentrations only increased significantly with the coconut oil dairy drink and supplement.
    Br J Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
16. cxo-daily-r4-10 · Meta-analysis
    However, coconut oil intake was associated with a small increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (MD 3.28 mg/dL, 95% CI 0.66 to 5.90 mg/dL). Overall risk of bias was high, and certainty of evidence was very-low.
    Lipids Health Dis, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02