Mexico - According to many holistic practitioners, coconut oil aids in stress management, weight loss, dementia prevention, boosting the immune system, and treating heart disease, among many other health benefits (some even claiming prevention of cancer and HIV). You can use it topically or add it to your recipes, and that’ll be enough to open the doors to better health.

But not so fast!

There is just one little detail. Coconut oil, according to CTV News, is more than 90 percent saturated fat – that’s about 27 percent more than pure butter.

What’s the big deal? Saturated fat consists of triglycerides and can increase the level of cholesterol in the blood – high cholesterol, in turn, increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

However, supporters of coconut oil say the type of saturated fat in this oil is medium-chain fatty acids, instead of long-chain fatty acids found in butter, reports CTV News. The medium-chain fatty acids, found in man-made processed oils, seem to be digested easier by the body and have been linked to the production of some chemicals that might help fight Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, medium-chain fatty acids are used as medication for some digestive conditions.

Despite this, the World Health Organization warns against consumption of coconut oil because of the potential risks for heart health that its high content of saturated fat poses.

"I don’t think any health professional, including myself, is going to tell you to increase the level of saturated fat in your diet," Len Piche, a nutritional scientist and registered dietitian in London told CTV News. He recommends caution and moderation.

"The truth about coconut oil is obvious to anyone who has studied the health of those who live in traditional tropical cultures, where coconut has been a nutritious diet staple for thousands of years," explains Dr. Mercola. "In fact, no evidence exists that the naturally occurring high saturated fat intake had any kind of harmful effect in these populations!"

Indeed, studies on Pacific Island communities show that despite their high consumption of coconut oil, rates of cardiovascular disease are extremely low. This is the main argument in support of this oil. However, can this be attributed to coconut oil only? What about the other components of their diet? Genetics? Research is not so absolute about these questions. In addition, not all coconut oils are created equal. Experts suggest you should stay away from processed refined coconut oil and stick with the virgin option, especially if it’s organic.

"Most of the studies involving coconut oil were done with partially hydrogenated coconut oil, which researchers used because they needed to raise the cholesterol levels of their rabbits in order to collect certain data," Dr. Thomas Brenna told the New York Times. "Virgin coconut oil, which has not been chemically treated, is a different thing in terms of a health risk perspective. And maybe it isn’t so bad for you after all."

The benefits of coconut oil may come from its high lauric acid content. Lauric acid is a type of saturated fat and other than coconuts, the only other source you find it in high concentrations is breast milk. Lauric acid, when metabolized by the body, has been found to be an effective antimicrobial and antiviral.

Some scientists, however, still doubt the health benefits of coconut oil. "There are a lot of claims that coconut oil may have health benefits, but there is no concrete scientific data yet to support this," Dr. Daniel Hwang, a research molecular biologist specializing in lauric acid at the University of California, Davis, told the New York Times. As with anything else, maybe the key is moderation.