Much maligned for years as a saturated fat, we’ll bring you truth regarding the incredible health properties of coconut oil.

Coconut Oil’s History in Destroying Viruses, Including Coronaviruses

People living in the Philippines, a country of islands not very far off the coast of China, remember all too well the last time a deadly coronavirus epidemic broke out in China. It was 2003 when the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus broke out in China. It infected over 7000 people in China with over 600 recorded deaths. Even with its close proximity to China and large Chinese population in the Philippine nation of about 80 million people, only 14 cases of SARS was reported with two recorded deaths. Canada, many thousands of miles away, had far more cases and more deaths recorded due to SARS infection from China than neighboring Philippine Islands. One of the theories put forward at the time as to why the Filipino people had so few cases, was the country's predominant use of cooking oil: Coconut Oil. The Philippines is the world's largest producer of coconut oil, with about 70% of the world's coconut oil being exported from the country. The medium chain fatty acids of coconut oil, and primarily lauric acid, have been known to destroy enveloped viruses by researchers for many years. Dr. Fabian Dayrit, Ph.D. and Dr. Mary Newport, M.D. have just published a paper regarding coconut oil's potential to also combat the new coronavirus currently infecting people in China.

New Research on Coconut Oil Focuses on Replacing Antibiotics to Combat Antibiotic-resistant Pathogens

Coconut oil is nature's richest source of lauric acid, long known to be a powerful antimicrobial. As a saturated fat, coconut oil is almost 50% lauric acid. Nature's next most abundant source of lauric acid, human breast milk, comes in a distant second. For years now, research (primarily outside of the U.S.) on coconut oil has focused on the use of lauric acid as an adjunct or replacement for antibiotic drugs that have lost their effectiveness due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. 2019 has seen more studies published where coconut oil is studied in this context: how to deal with the emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens, and the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotic drugs. A Japanese study published in the journal Cell Transplant was especially promising, as it showed that lauric acid could potentially be used as a broad spectrum anti-microbiological agent without disrupting the "good bacteria" in the human gut microbiota.

Study: Lauric Acid from Coconut Oil Proves a Promising Weapon in the Fight Against Antibiotic Resistant Infection with Severe Burns

Lauric acid, found predominately in coconut oil, may be a powerful tool in the prevention of infection and promote wound regeneration in severe burn patients, according to a recent study. Along with research that has previously shown the effectiveness of the use of lauric acid in combatting barrier-disrupting issues, the future for the use of saturated fatty acid in inhibiting infectious Gram-positive microbial bacteria and in skin barrier restoration is promising. A mere thirty years ago patients who had sustained burns over 50% of their body were given little to no hope of survival, a history which stands in stark contrast to the current status where people who have sustained burns covering even ninety percent of their bodies are now capable of recovery, albeit often with serious disabilities.  The increase in survival rates is directly related to the advances made in specialized burn care by the medical community, with better fluid resuscitation, nutritional support, pulmonary care, wound care and infection control playing critical roles. Still, in patients whose burns cover over 40% of the entire body, approximately seventy-five percent of deaths are largely attributable to sepsis from infected wounds or complications derived from infection.  Because the damaged tissue, which in its healthy state would act as a protective barrier, is seriously compromised in burn victims, topical antibiotics are necessary in keeping the moist wounds from becoming hotbeds of infection. The increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains is creating a necessity for researchers to identify substances that are both antibacterial and regenerative. Lauric acid, with its anti-viral and anti-microbial properties, is one such substance that researchers are hopeful may fit the above criteria perfectly. 

Virgin Coconut Oil Supplementation Improves Diabetic Related Kidney Dysfunction

With Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) on the rise, and its clear relationship to unmanaged blood sugar and blood pressure unquestioned, virgin coconut oil is proving a valuable addition to the fight with ameliorate kidney function parameters in suffers of CKD and can even be protective for those at risk for the disease. Lowering your risk for kidney dysfunction rests largely on lifestyle changes, but for change to occur in something so entrenched as an individual’s lifestyle, there is a need for impetus, and despite the fact that over 37 million people in the US alone are estimated to have CKD, many of those are completely unaware of the slippery slope they are currently on or headed towards. It’s interesting that virgin coconut oil, which is often a prominent part of a healthy ketogenic diet, also shows promise in studies as a potential therapy in the treatment and prevention of kidney dysfunction. Perhaps the only thing standing in the way of discovering the full benefits of virgin coconut oil in the treatment of chronic kidney disease and fully embracing it, is our society's ingrained acceptance of long held and poorly supported nutritional doctrine. Luckily in the cases of kidney function and diabetes, science is confirming that there is hope to be found in change… and that a couple of tablespoons of virgin coconut oil consumed daily may be just the place to start.

The Health Benefits of Topical Virgin Coconut Oil for Preterm Infants – Studies Show Why You want to Massage Your Newborn Baby with Coconut Oil

Most of us who have reached maturity take our body's largest organ at face value, spending a staggering $300 billion on anti-aging globally and approximately $400 million U.S. dollars yearly on over-the counter acne solutions to put on a pretty face. But for the newest and most vulnerable among us, preterm and full-term infants, healthy skin is critical to their very survival, and here is where researchers think virgin coconut oil may be a major contributor in the fight to lower preterm infant mortality. Complications arising from preterm births are the leading cause of death globally for children under the age of five, according to the World Health Organization.

Ketogenic Diet Reduces Inflammation and Improves Metabolic Regulation Resulting in Healthier, Happier Brains

With the prevalence of conditions associated with dysfunctional energy metabolism, the use of the ketogenic diet and ketone bodies as an efficient energy source has shown a remarkable therapeutic potential for a wide range of disorders, from cognitive health and neurological diseases to cancer and autoimmune issues, all of which have inflammation and/or a form of metabolic dysregulation in common. In recent years, a significant amount of research done using the high-fat low-carb diet (HFLC) has centered around the neurological and brain-stabilizing benefits of using ketone bodies, rather than glucose, as fuel for the brain. The increasingly affirming results are leading researchers to wonder if burning ketones might lead to, not only a lighter population through the resulting weight loss, but also a happier and more productive one as well.

Study: Coconut Oil a Healthy Saturated Fat – But the FDA Prohibits the use of “Healthy” in Describing Coconut Oil

Recently we covered a study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition which compared peanut oil consumption with coconut oil consumption among healthy men in India, where those who consumed coconut oil had better health outcomes in terms of heart disease and diabetes. (See: Coconut oil consumption improves fat-free mass, plasma HDL-cholesterol and insulin sensitivity in healthy men with normal BMI compared to peanut oil.) A researcher at The University of Edinburgh Medical School wrote a Letter to the Editor of Clinical Nutrition commenting on this study, criticizing current government nutritional guidelines regarding saturated dietary fat restrictions. "The cross-over study by Korrapati et al. detailed the potential cardioprotective effect of coconut oil, and I would like to thank the authors for their insight. Whilst the sample size was small, it was well-designed to investigate its primary end-points. This study is particularly topical as, despite removal of the maximum dietary fat intake restriction from guidelines, a major resistance against saturated fats remains." Setting aside the issue of whether or not saturated fats should be restricted at all, given the abundance of contrary evidence in the medical literature, the Edinburgh Medical School researcher reported that such guidelines do not distinguish between different types of saturated fats. Saturated fats can be found in animal products, such as butter, as well as plant sources, such as coconuts and date palms. "The rise in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) with coconut oil consumption is certainly a compelling finding. Results from a recent and larger-scale randomised trial by Khaw et al. corroborate this... Evidence suggests that the saturated versus unsaturated distinction of fats is likely an oversimplification. Korrapati et al. should, therefore, be commended on their focus on the biological properties of coconut oil, particularly the medium chain triglyceride (MCT) dominated fatty acid profile, which may confer atheroprotective effects."

As Pharma Anti-fungal Drugs Fail, Is Coconut Oil Best Defense for New Deadly “Mystery Infection?”

Headlines in the corporate-sponsored "mainstream" media recently warned the public about a new "mysterious infection" that is drug-resistant. As a recent NY Times Health Section article reported, there is allegedly a hospital cover-up of an emerging candida fungus, Candida or C. auris. It is the latest antimicrobial drug-resistant "super-bug" to emerge in hospitals and nursing homes. This time it's not about bacteria, it's a virulent form of candida. And while the corporate media, sponsored in a large degree by Big Pharma, will almost never report on natural solutions, there is hope for fighting fungal infections like Candida where drugs have failed. One of the most beneficial natural products that fights and kills strains of Candida, according to peer-reviewed research over the past several years, is coconut oil.

Research in 2019 Continues to Show Healing Benefits of Coconut Oil

Research outside of the United States continues to show what the world is investigating and learning about coconut oil, while such information is censored in the U.S. corporate "mainstream" media since coconut oil presents a threat to Big Food and Big Pharma's financial interests. Recent studies confirm that coconut oil protects the heart, and also potentially protects other vital organs including the liver and kidneys of those suffering from diabetes. This research contradicts the propaganda against coconut oil by American organizations such as the American Heart Association which still promote the now failed theory of heart disease that blames saturated fats and cholesterol as causative factors in heart disease.

Study: Dietary Coconut Oil Leads to Healthy Skin – Reduces Skin Infection and Inflammation

A new study out of Japan and published in the European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology shows how switching the dietary oil of chow fed to mice from soybean oil to coconut oil reduced skin inflammation. The skin healing properties of coconut oil, especially virgin coconut oil, applied topically to the skin have been known for a long time. Even though coconut oil is sold as a dietary oil, people applying it topically are seeing tremendous results for their skin conditions such as acne, eczema, keratosis polaris, psoriasis, rosacea, and fungal infections. We have suspected for years that the reason people in tropical climates who eat their traditional diets which are high in the saturated fats of coconut oil had such beautiful skin, even though they are exposed to the sun to a greater degree than westerners, is because of the high amounts of coconut oil in their diet, which does not oxidize and cause free radical damage as polyunsaturated fats do. Skin cancer, for example, is almost unheard of in tropical climates like the Philippines, but common in western nations, even in colder climates with far less exposure to the sun. Researchers in Japan apparently wanted to test this theory of dietary coconut oil reducing allergic skin inflammation in the laboratory: "Coconut oil is used as a dietary oil worldwide, and its healthy effects are recognized by the fact that coconut oil is easy to digest, helps in weight management, increases healthy cholesterol and provides instant energy. Although topical application of coconut oil is known to reduce skin infection and inflammation, whether dietary coconut oil has any role in decreasing skin inflammation is unknown. In this study, we showed the impact of dietary coconut oil in allergic skin inflammation by using a mouse model of contact hypersensitivity (CHS)."