Lauric acid
This saturated fatty acid makes up about 47 to 50 percent of coconut oil. It gives it that white, powdery solid texture when cooled. Some studies say lauric acid may be antiviral and antibacterial once digested in the body.
Myristic acid
Also a naturally occurring fatty acid, this is typically found in dairy and other animal sources of fat. Myristic acid may promote the increase of the body’s low-density lipoproteins (also called the ‘bad cholesterol’), but this fatty acid only occurs in small amounts in coco oil -- about 18 percent of it.
Palmitic acid
This is another fatty acid commonly found in animal sources, but makes up about 8 percent of coconut oil.
Plant sterols
These are like the plant versions of cholesterol. They potentially block the absorption of cholesterol in the body.
