The majority of cannabis aficionados who bake edibles at home use butter. But coconut oil is gaining popularity in the cannabis kitchen because of its fat profile.

The American Heart Association gave Gwyneth Paltrow and health freaks — and even cannabis lovers — heart palpitations this week when it released a  study saying coconut oil was an unhealthy fat.

What the hell? Nutritionists, diet gurus, holistic healers and a host of others seeking a healthier lifestyle have considered coconut oil a “super food” and have been pushing the glories of the trendy exotic fat. You can cook with it. Wash your face with it. Shave with it. Brush your teeth with it. Remove your makeup with it. Have better sex with it.

Oh, yeah. It is also a go-to staple for cannabis chefs who use it for infused edibles.

But before everybody gets in a tizzy, let’s chill out a minute, ignore the sensational headlines and assess what the American Heart Association really said. After we’ve calmed down, we’ll discuss coconut oils and marijuana edibles.

What The American Heart Association Actually Said

The AHA did not come out with a brand new study demonstrating the health harms of coconut oil. What made headlines was merely an analysis of existing research on saturated, unsaturated and trans fats. As anybody who has ever gone on a diet before knows, unsaturated fats (found in fish, avocados, olives, walnuts and liquid vegetable oils) are much better for you than  trans fats (found in deep-fried foods, pizza dough, cookies and crackers) and saturated fats (found in meat from animals, dairy products and, yes, coconut oil.)

“There’s a disconnect between people’s general beliefs and what the data actually show,” Donald Hensrud, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program, told USA Today.

What Should You Do?

The bottom line from the AHA: Coconut oil is a saturated fat. It’s not a health food. We’ve known this for a long time. Should you keep that jar of coconut oil? Definitely. Just don’t drink the stuff. Use it in moderation. Enjoy the awesome taste.

And enjoy it as a topical cream or sexual lubricant or whatever you do with it. Just don’t freak out.

Do you know what will kill you before coconut oil does? Freaking out about coconut oil.

What’s The Cannabis Connection?

Now for the cannabis part. The majority of cannabis aficionados who bake edibles at home use butter. But coconut oil is gaining popularity in the cannabis kitchen because of its fat profile.

Cannabis contains fat soluble compounds, which means they break down more effectively in fat instead of water. This is why most edibles are high in fat: Cookies, brownies, fudge, etc. Coconut oil has been demonstrated to be one of the best fats for absorbing THC molecules.

Coconut oil, as the AHA points out is made up of 90% saturated fat. The higher the saturation levels, the easier it is for the fat to absorb the cannabinoids found in cannabis.

So if you are using coconut oil for your edibles, don’t stop. Just eat in moderation. And, again, do not get paranoid that your thighs are fatter.