[Brightcove:4784754937001] If you’ve been following the news about coconut oil , you might be a little confused: Is it a miracle food , capable of helping you lose weight and lower your cholesterol? Or is it an over-hyped fad, laden with saturated fat , that you should immediately cut from your diet? If you've got questions, you're not alone—lots of people are turning to Google to get the scoop on this highly-debated oil. Below, you'll find my answers to five of the top-searched topics: Does coconut oil help you lose weight? Maybe, but the research is very limited. One study, published in the journal Lipids , tested the effects of consuming about one ounce of either soybean oil or coconut oil over a 12-week period in women with abdominal obesity . The ladies were instructed to follow a balanced diet designed to maintain weight, and walk for 50 minutes a day. Both groups lost weight, but only the coconut oil eaters experienced a reduction in their waist measurements. An