Coconut against COVID-19?

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FAT SOURCE WITH A DIFFERENCE: Coconut oil is 100% fat. But it’s fat with a difference. Coconut oils, consumed in most tropical countries for centuries, are known as key sources of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). The main medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in fractionated coconut oil (C8, or caprylic acid or octanoic acid, and C10, or capric acid or decanoic acid) are metabolized differently than other fats. They're transported directly to the liver from the digestive tract, where they may be used as a quick source of energy. Image Credit: Gulf News / Jay Hilotin [Source: NIH]

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Image Credit: Gulf News/Jay Hilotin [Source: NIH]

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2013 STUDY: A 2013 study published by PubMed (US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) confirmed the smack-down effect on bacterial cell membrane by virgin coconut oil (VCO) and select fatty acids. Using a method known as “live/dead staining”, the study showed the VCO’S “growth inhibition effect” on C. difficile (an antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired bacteria seen as the leading cause of diarrhea globally) mediated by medium-chain fatty acids. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24328700 Image Credit: Getty Images

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COCONUT MILK: STAPH KILLER: Coconut oil is up to 49% lauric acid, making it one of the best natural sources of this fatty acid. The Journal of Bacteriology published in 2000 a study showing that at certain concentration in vitro (test-tube) glycerol monolaurate (GML), coupled with lauric acid, inhibit the expression of virulence factors in Staphylococus aureus and the crushes the resistance in Enterococcus faecalis. Staphylococcus aureus causes a common source of yeast infections in humans. A conclusion of this study states: "...lauric acid and GML have identical effects on the production of staphylococcal exoproteins: some proteins are inhibited, while others are overproduced compared to those of untreated cells." Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC111339/ Image Credit: Gulf News/File

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LAURIC ACID IN FOCUS, 2009 STUDY: Photo shows nutrition facts in a virgin coconut oil bottle. Note the FDA (Philippines) license of the manufacturer. The results of a 2009 study published by Elsevier (Journal of Investigative Dermatology) also found that lauric acid (predominant substance found in coconut oil) helps reduce inflammation and bacterial growth. Lauric acid was found to have worked even better than benzoyl peroxide, a common acne treatment. Furthermore, a 2016 study also reconfirmed the acne-fighting properties of lauric acid. At that time, the researchers used pure lauric acid and suggested that it could be developed into an antibiotic therapy for acne in the future. (Sources: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022202X15340859; https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/8/9/321/htm) Image Credit: Jay Hilotin / Gulf News

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FRACTIONATED COCONUT OIL: Fractionated coconut oil is tasteless, odorless, and usually more expensive than regular coconut oil. It's very similar or identical to medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil. Due to their shorter chain length, MCT oils are more rapidly broken down and absorbed into the body. This makes them a quick energy source and less likely to be stored as fat. Souce: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mct-oil-101#what-it-is Image Credit: Jay Hilotin / Gulf News

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WHAT IS “VIRGIN COCONUT OIL” (VCO)?: Coconut oil is made by pressing fresh coconut meat or dried coconut meat, called “copra”. Virgin coconut oil, on the other hand, uses fresh meat, while refined coconut oil typically uses copra. If using a “dry” method, the fresh coconut meat of mature coconuts is dried quickly with a small amount of heat, and then pressed with a machine to remove the oil. If using a “wet” method, a machine presses fresh coconut meat to yield milk and oil. The milk is separated from the oil by fermentation, enzymes, or centrifuge machines. Image Credit: Supplied

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LAURIC ACID: Coconut oil contains mostly lauric acid (known as LAH). In November 2019, the Journal of Animal Science Biotechnology investigated coconut oil as anti-microbial agent. In particular, researchers saw the efficacy of medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) salts distilled from coconut oil with a lauric acid content against two pathogens — Salmonella and Escherichia (E) coli. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31728192 Image Credit: Pexels

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LIPOLISED COCONUT OIL: Researchers have found that the proliferation of Clostridium difficile bacteria was inhibited when bacterial cells were exposed to 0.15-1.2% lipolyzed coconut oil. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24328700 Image Credit: Supplied

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ANTI-MICROBIAL EFFECTS:A man climbs up a coconut tree. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food on December 13, 2013 shows the anti-microbial effects of virgin coconut oil. In particular, scientists using transmission electron microcopy (TEM) have seen an interesting result: lipolysed coconut oil had “disrupted” the integrity both of the cell membrane (semipermeable “shell” of a cell) and cytoplasm (the material within a living cell) of Clostridium difficile (an antibiotic-resistant, hospital acquired strain of diarrhea). Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24328700 Image Credit: AP

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COCONUT OIL TRASHED. Coconut oil has been trashed in many studies, especially in the US, funded by powerful vegetable oil lobbies. For the last 50 years, palm oils had been branded by non-palm oil industry as “unhealthy sources of highly saturated fats,” vilified as “atherogenic” agent (promoting the formation of fatty deposits in the arteries). Detractors dismiss palm oils as supposed trigger for coronary heart disease. The result: A massive drop in coconut prices. Followers of fad ketogenic and Paleo diets, however, think nothing of it. They have made it popular once more. The global virgin coconut oil (VCO) market is projected to reach approximately $5 billion by 2024, according to Market Research Future. [Source: https://bit.ly/3e1XX9I] Image Credit: File

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CAUSING SPIKE IN BLOOD CHOLESTEROL?: In recent years, coconut oil has been branded as “unhealthy sources of highly saturated fats.” A common trashing of coconut oil is that its consumption purportedly raises the risk of coronary heart disease. The result: a massive drop in coconut prices and a spike in consumption of vegetable oils. Now, a study concludes blaming coconut oil consumption in the West is misplaced. An abstract from a 1991 study published by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information and the National Institutes of Health states: “The tropical oils and palm oil in particular, have been cast as major villains in the U.S.A., despite the fact that palm oil consumption there is negligible.” Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1836037 Image Credit: Agency

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WHY IT'S WRONG TO BLAME COCONUT OR TROPICAL OIL ALONE FOR BAD CHOLESTEROL BUILD-UP: Moreover, a 1992 study stated there’s no proof consuming coconut oil, or tropical oils in general, make people bulk up bad cholesterol, especially among Western consumers. It stated: “The saturated fatty acid-rich tropical oils, coconut oil, hydrogenated coconut oil, and palm kernel oil, raise cholesterol levels; studies demonstrating this effect are often confounded by a developing essential fatty acid deficiency.” The study concluded: “This review does not support claims that foods containing palm oil have no place in a prudent diet.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1345319 Image Credit: Agency

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PATHOGEN ZAPPER: A study published by the NIH explains that when our body digests lauric acid (a chemical present in virgin coconut oil), it forms a substance called monolaurin. Both lauric acid and monolaurin are known to kill harmful pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC444260/). Image Credit: Getty Images

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Image Credit: Gulf News/Jay Hilotin https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5320583/

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Image Credit: Gulf News/Jay Hilotin [Source: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/4/360/htm]

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COCONUT OIL TESTED AGAINST COVID-19: The main facade of the state-funded Philippine General Hospital (PGH). There are at least two separate research teams conducting a study on the efficacy of VCO against COVID-19. Image Credit: Courtesy: UP-PGH website

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Image Credit: Jay Hilotin/Gulf News [Photo courtesy: Ateneo, Duke-NUS website]

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Image Credit: Jay Hilotin/Gulf News File [Photo courtesy: PGH website]

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