Is coconut oil harmless, even though its fat is 90 percent saturated? Researchers analyzed 14 randomized controlled trials that pitted coconut oil against non-tropical vegetable oils like soybean, canola, and olive. Compared with those oils, coconut oil raised LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 11 points. Coconut oil did raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol, but genetic studies and trials testing HDL-raising drugs have failed to show that HDL protects the heart, noted an editorial published with the new study.