I was going to just start a new thread for this, but maybe it's better in here. I read on
http://rawcoconutoil.org/ that
All coconut oils are exposed to some level of heat - even the ones marketed as 'raw coconut oil'. Coconuts grow in the tropics, where it is very hot on a day to day basis. I live in the tropics - I can tell you, standing in the sun on a typical hot summers day, it is damn hot. Even in winter, it is very warm. And winter in the tropics doesn't last for very long - maybe a few weeks. The tropics tend to be differentiated by 'wet' and 'dry' seasons, rather than the traditional 'winter and summer'. It is hot for most of the year. Coconuts growing on the tree are exposed to this, and they do just fine.
Coconut oil tends to be shipped to North America in bulk, and then repackaged under different brands. The shipping containers that transport the coconut oil get very hot - they can go over 130 degrees. And if coconut oil is transported by truck anywhere in America in summer, those trucks can reach 125 degrees. Because it is a heat stable product, not a perishable, they are not shipped in refrigerated trucks - they don't need to be.
Coconut oil solidifies when the weather gets cooler. So, any bulk drums that need to be decanted into retail sizes in winter have to be heated to do this - even so-called raw coconut oil.
So, all coconut oil is exposed to some heat, even if it isn't in the manufacturing process. Fortunately, this doesn't spoil the product. It doesn't become hydrogenated (your cooking is very unlikely to turn it into hydrogenated oil either), it doesn't reduce the effect of the beneficial lauric acid. It doesn't even reduce coconut oils' antioxidant qualities, as studies on virgin coconut oil have measured. The only thing it does is erode the false marketing of so-called raw coconut oil.
Although I've also read that unrefined coconut oil has anti-fungal properties that limit Candida. Can anyone verify this? Does is matter (much) whether I get virgin, or specifically raw/unrefined, if it's being heated in shipment anyway? Also, if I trying to reduce carb intake because of a yeast infection, wouldn't the medium chain fatty acids also be a good source of energy?
Thanks