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Dose-dependent effect of coconut oil supplementation on obesity indices: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of clinical trials.

  • 2025-06-06
  • BMC nutrition 11(1)
    • Zahra Gaeini
    • Zahra Bahadoran
    • Hanieh Malmir
    • Parvin Mirmiran

Study Design

Type
Systematic Review
Sample size
n = 620
Population
620 participants
Methods
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 clinical trials; searched electronic databases; included parallel or cross-over design studies comparing coconut oil against coconut oil-free diet or other oils

Background

Coconut oil has been suggested as a potential dietary intervention for weight management. However, the evidence regarding the effects of coconut oil supplementation on anthropometric measures (body weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC)) remains inconclusive.

Objective

we aimed to assess the overall effect of coconut oil supplementation on these anthropometric parameters and explore potential sources of heterogeneity.

Methods

We comprehensively searched electronic databases using appropriate keywords. We included 15 studies with the following criteria: (1) clinical trials in adults, with parallel or cross-over design, (2) evaluated the effect of coconut oil on body weight, BMI or WC, (3) compared the effect of a specific dose of coconut oil against a coconut oil-free diet or other types of oils, (4) considered the change in anthropometric parameters as the primary or one of the secondary outcomes, (5) provided mean and standard deviation (SD) of change in anthropometric parameters across study arms, (6) reported the number of participants in each study arm.

Results

The trials included 620 participants and assessed the effects of coconut oil supplementation on body weight, BMI and WC. Our meta-analysis revealed statistically significant effects of coconut oil supplementation on weight and BMI, with mean differences of 0.04 kg (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.08 kg) and 0.01 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.02). However, the effects were not clinically meaningful. There was no significant effect of coconut oil on WC. Subgroup analyses suggested that the duration of the intervention may influence the effect of coconut oil on body weight. In the sensitivity analysis, we found that the result of one study influenced the associations between coconut oil supplementation and weight or BMI.

Conclusions

Overall, our findings suggest no clinically significant effects of coconut oil supplementation on weight loss. Further research is needed to clarify the issue.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD420251031291.

Research Insights

  • Coconut→Reduced Body Mass Index

    Our meta-analysis revealed statistically significant effects of coconut oil supplementation on weight and BMI, with mean differences of 0.04 kg (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.08 kg) and 0.01 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.02). However, the effects were not clinically meaningful.

    Effect
    Harmful
    Effect size
    Small
  • Coconut→Reduced Body Weight

    Our meta-analysis revealed statistically significant effects of coconut oil supplementation on weight and BMI, with mean differences of 0.04 kg (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.08 kg) and 0.01 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.02). However, the effects were not clinically meaningful.

    Effect
    Harmful
    Effect size
    Small
  • Coconut→Reduced Waist Circumference

    There was no significant effect of coconut oil on WC.

    Effect
    Neutral
    Effect size
    Small
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