Coconut meat: a fatty flesh that raised LDL in a trial

In a randomized trial on 58 healthy adults, 3.5 oz (100 g) of fresh coconut a day for 90 days raised both LDL and HDL cholesterol compared with groundnuts and groundnut oil. The abstract gives no size for either change, and the trial ran in one setting, a yoga university where everyone ate a standardized diet. Raw coconut meat has 354 calories, 33.5 g of fat and 29.7 g of saturated fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA data, from a single record with no spread across samples. A cup of fresh pieces weighs 3 oz (85 g). Drying takes water from about 47 g to 3 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), so unsweetened desiccated coconut carries 660 calories and 64.5 g of fat per 3.5 oz (100 g). Those two figures come from separate records, not paired samples. The coconut products that looked good for cholesterol and blood sugar were something else, the defatted residue left after the fat is pressed out.

Every statement here is tied to a source. The badge says what kind of evidence stands behind it: A is a meta-analysis or systematic review, E is the position of an expert body without its own analysis. How we verify →

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

USDA entry	kcal	Protein	Fat	Carbs	Fiber
Coconut meat, dried, not sweetened	660	6.88 g	64.5 g	23.6 g	16.3 g
Coconut meat, dried, sweetened, flaked	456	3.13 g	28 g	51.9 g	9.9 g
Coconut meat, dried, sweetened, shredded	501	2.88 g	35.5 g	47.7 g	4.5 g
Coconut meat, raw	354	3.33 g	33.5 g	15.2 g	9 g
Nuts, coconut meat, dried (desiccated), creamed	684	5.3 g	69.1 g	21.5 g	— g
Nuts, coconut meat, dried (desiccated), sweetened, flaked, canned	443	3.35 g	31.7 g	40.9 g	4.5 g
Nuts, coconut meat, dried (desiccated), toasted	592	5.3 g	47 g	44.4 g	— g

These are the USDA entries that are coconut meat, not foods made from it; they differ in cut, part, pack or preparation. Linked names have a page with the full profile and per-portion figures.

How much is actually in it

Raw coconut meat has 354 calories, 33.5 g fat (29.7 g saturated) and 9 g fiber per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA data. — — Evidence C source
Per 100 g: 354 calories; fat 33.49 g; saturated fat 29.698 g; fiber 9.0 g; copper 0.435 mg; potassium 356 mg

What a real portion looks like

In USDA survey portion data, one cup of fresh coconut meat weighs 3 oz (85 g) and an unspecified eating occasion 28 g. — — Evidence C source
1 cup = 85 g; quantity not specified = 28 g

What your body absorbs

In a crossover study on 20 people, bakery foods with 200 to 250 g coconut flour per kg had a low glycemic index (46 to 52). — ten normal and ten diabetic subjects (n = 20) Evidence B source
Macaroons GI 45.7, carrot cake GI 51.8

What cooking and storage change

Drying coconut meat removes most of its water, so unsweetened desiccated coconut has 660 calories and 64.5 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) versus 354 calories and 33.5 g raw. — — Evidence C source
Water 46.99 g raw vs 3.0 g desiccated; energy 354 vs 660 calories; fat 33.49 vs 64.53 g; fiber 9.0 vs 16.3 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What it does to your health

In an RCT on 58 healthy adults, adding 3.5 oz (100 g) of fresh coconut a day for 90 days raised both LDL and HDL cholesterol compared with groundnuts. — healthy volunteers on a standardized diet in a Yoga University, 90 days (n = 58) Evidence B source
LDL and HDL increased significantly with coconut; effect sizes not given in abstract
In a crossover RCT on 21 adults with raised cholesterol, cereal with 25% coconut flakes cut total cholesterol by 10.8% over 2-week periods. — humans with moderately raised serum cholesterol (259 to 283 mg/dL), 2-week periods (n = 21) Evidence B source
Total cholesterol -10.8 +/- 1.3%, LDL -9.2 +/- 5.4% with 25% coconut flakes; oat bran flakes -8.4%

Safety, limits and interactions

A German Salmonella outbreak of 301 cases in 2020-2021 was traced to dried coconut pieces, eaten far more often by cases than controls. — patients with S. Muenchen infection and matched controls, Germany (n = 301 cases) Evidence C source
Dried coconut eaten by 22/30 cases vs 2/116 controls; aOR 176 (95% CI 32-954)
FDA says coconut is no longer listed in its Tree Nut List of major food allergens in the 5th edition of its allergen labeling guidance, but coconut used as an ingredient must still appear in the ingredient list unless an exemption applies. — people with coconut allergy in the United States Evidence E source
Coconut removed from the FDA Tree Nut List, still declared in the ingredient list

Who this works differently for

About 0.39% of the US population, roughly 1 in 260, report symptoms of a convincing IgE-mediated coconut allergy, more adults than children. — nationally representative US household survey, 2015-2016 (n = 78,851) Evidence C source
0.39% (95% CI 0.33-0.45); children 0.22%, adults 0.43%

The bottom line

Coconut flakes and coconut flour are made from that residue. In a small double-blind crossover trial in people with raised cholesterol, cereal with 25% coconut flakes was reported to lower total cholesterol by 10.8% and LDL by 9.2% over 2-week periods. In ten healthy and ten diabetic people, macaroons and carrot cake made with 7.1 to 8.8 oz (200 to 250 g) of coconut flour per kg had a low glycemic index of 45.7 and 51.8, measured one meal at a time. Neither result tells you what whole coconut meat does. We found no study of how the body handles the fresh or dried flesh itself. The caution with a documented case is dried coconut. A German Salmonella outbreak of 301 cases in 2020 and 2021 was traced to dried coconut pieces. In its case-control study 22 of 30 cases had eaten them against 2 of 116 controls, an adjusted odds ratio of 176 with a 95% interval of 32 to 954, from a single outbreak. Coconut allergy is uncommon. A US household survey of 78,851 people put convincing coconut allergy at 0.39%, 0.22% in children and 0.43% in adults, based on self-reported symptoms with fewer than half confirmed by a doctor. We found no data on coconut meat in pregnancy or with medicines. We also hold no card on who is most at risk from Salmonella or on whether heating dried coconut removes that risk, so this page cannot answer either question. A single outbreak is not evidence that dried coconut is safe for any group.

Related foods

Coconut: almost every trial poured the oil

Sources

cmeat-daily-r8-01 · dataset
Nuts, coconut meat, raw (FDC 170169, SR Legacy, Nut and Seed Products): energy 354 kcal per 100 g; fat 33.49 g; saturated fat 29.698 g; fiber 9.0 g; sugars 6.23 g; water 46.99 g; copper 0.435 mg; potassium 356 mg
USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 170169 · checked 2026-09-29
cmeat-daily-r8-03 · dataset
Coconut, fresh (FNDDS 42106000, fdc_id 2707500, WWEIA Nuts and seeds): 1 cup 85 g; Quantity not specified 28 g
USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 42106000, FDC 2707500 · checked 2026-09-29
cmeat-daily-r8-06 · RCT (crossover)
The glycaemic index (GI) of commonly consumed bakery products supplemented with increasing levels of coconut (Cocos nucifera) flour was determined in ten normal and ten diabetic subjects. ... The significantly low-GI (<60) foods investigated were: macaroons (GI 45.7 (sem 3.0)) and carrot cake (GI 51.8 (sem 3.3)), with 200-250 g coconut flour/kg (P<0.05).
Br J Nutr, 2003 · checked 2026-09-29
cmeat-daily-r8-02 · dataset
Nuts, coconut meat, dried (desiccated), not sweetened (FDC 170170, SR Legacy): energy 660 kcal per 100 g; fat 64.53 g; saturated fat 57.218 g; fiber 16.3 g; water 3.0 g; versus Nuts, coconut meat, raw (FDC 170169): 354 kcal; fat 33.49 g; fiber 9.0 g; water 46.99 g
USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 170169 and FDC 170170 · checked 2026-09-29
cmeat-daily-r8-04 · RCT
Fifty-eight healthy volunteers, randomized into 2 groups, were provided standardized diet along with 100 g fresh coconut or groundnuts and groundnut oil combination for 90 days in a Yoga University. ... Coconut diet increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels significantly.
J Am Coll Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
cmeat-daily-r8-05 · RCT (crossover)
The study was conducted in a double-blind randomized crossover design on a 14-week period, consisting of four 2-week experimental periods, with each experimental period separated by a 2-week washout period. ... 25% coconut flakes, 10.8 +/- 1.3 and 9.2 +/- 5.4, respectively.
J Med Food, 2004 · checked 2026-09-29
cmeat-daily-r8-08 · case-control
We identified 301 cases in eight federal states in Germany. ... Cases included in the case-control study more often consumed dried coconut pieces (22/30) than controls (2/116) (aOR: 176 (95% confidence interval: 32-954)).
Epidemiol Infect, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
sf-allerg-r4-4 · agency advice
No, coconut is no longer listed in the Tree Nut List (Table 1) in the 5th edition of the Food Allergen Q&A Guidance. ... However, if coconut is an ingredient in a food, it is still required to be listed in the ingredient list (21 CFR 101.4), unless an exemption applies
US FDA, Frequently Asked Questions: Food Allergen Labeling Guidance for Industry · checked 2026-10-08
cmeat-daily-r8-07 · prevalence survey
Using survey responses from 78,851 individuals, 0.39% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-0.45) of the US general population were categorized as having convincing coconut allergy. Among children, 0.22% (95% CI, 0.16-0.30) were estimated to have coconut allergy compared with 0.43% (95% CI, 0.37-0.51) of adults
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29

Review. Reviewed on 2026-09-29 for evidence level, dose and population context, and claims a reader could misread. Bioma Learn has no human medical reviewer at this time, and we say so rather than invent one. Methodology. This is information, not medical advice.