Much maligned for years as a saturated fat, we’ll bring you truth regarding the incredible health properties of coconut oil.
Study: Coconut Oil Effective in Treating Antibiotic Resistant Pathogens
A bacterial pathogen that’s difficult to treat, which often breeds in hospitals, and also easily infects those using antibiotics or other pharmaceutical medications for gastrointestinal issues is Clostridium difficile (klos-TRID-e-um dif-uh-SEEL). This pathogenic bacterium also goes by C. difficile or C. diff, or even just CDF. As we enter the age of antibiotic resistant bacteria, which are usually developed in hospitals, causing increased death by medicine (iatrogenic), an awareness of the medicinal aspects of coconut oil has arisen through anecdotal experiences and several independent studies indicating coconut oil could be a solution for failing pharmaceutical antibiotics. A new study shows that the primary fatty acid chain in coconut oil, lauric acid, is effective in inhibiting antibiotic resistant Clostridium difficile. A combination in vitro and in vivo study was performed by researchers in Taiwan during 2017 and published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology in January 2018 with the title: Lauric Acid Is an Inhibitor of Clostridium difficile Growth in Vitro and Reduces Inflammation in a Mouse Infection Model. The researchers noted in their full study text: “As the primary FA [fatty acid] of coconut oil is lauric acid (45–53%), it is of great interest to utilize coconut oil as a source of lauric acid. In a mouse infection model, lauric acid consumption decreased CDF-induced colon inflammation and diarrhea, supporting the hypothesis that lauric acid is a potential compound for CDF treatment.”
Study: Antioxidants in Virgin Coconut Oil Counteract Environmental Pollutants and Improve Cardiovascular Health
A new study published in Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine sheds further light on how coconut oil, virgin coconut oil in particular, enhances cardiovascular health, in direct contradiction to the U.S. government claims that coconut oil leads to heart disease. As is to be expected, much of the research published in peer-reviewed journals showing that coconut oil enhances heart health in recent years has been conducted outside the U.S., in tropical cultures where coconuts grow. These countries are finding out for themselves that they have been misled by U.S. policy that condemns their native diets which includes coconuts and coconut oil. This current study conducted in Nigeria looked at the pathogenic role of cadmium (Cd) and its exposure in the induction of dyslipidemia implicated in the development and increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases, and explored whether polyphenolics isolated from virgin coconut oil (VCO) could prevent Cd-induced dyslipidemia. The researchers concluded: "The co-administration of VCO polyphenol with Cd remarkably restored lipid profile and cardiovascular risk ratios and stabilized antioxidant defense systems comparable to control group. This is the first study presenting that polyphenols isolated from VCO prevent Cd-induced lipid abnormalities and cardiovascular risk ratios by improving antioxidant defense systems."
How Coconut Oil and Natural Remedies Can Help Control Candida Yeast Infections
Candida overgrowth or yeast infections have been on the rise over the past few decades. Mainstream medicine offers little or nothing toward resolving candida or yeast infections that have been internalized. Although mostly written about and publicized by women for women, it occurs in both men and women. Candida yeast colonies are known to sequester pollutants, heavy metals, and even cancers that develop into tumors. Controversial Italian oncologist, Dr. Tulio Simoncini, even declared that cancer is yeast. However, others maintain the candida yeast is simply an environmental symbiotic support for cancer. Perhaps over 40 million Americans suffer from various candida ailments that are discomforting precursors to worsening health. Many who are afflicted are not that aware that candida is the source of their problems. If it gets into the blood and spreads throughout the body it can become debilitating and possibly life-threatening candidosis or candidiasis. There is good research showing that coconut oil can kill Candida yeast and help prevent Candida infections.
Champion Dog Sledders Adding Coconut Oil to Dogs’ Diet to Boost Performance – Keep Dogs Healthy
Once upon a time dog sledding was a common mode of rural overland travel and transporting goods among the colder regions of North America from upper Midwest states and New England throughout Canada and into Alaska. Now those regions feature races among dog sled teams. Dog team sleds are handled by one person, known as a musher. Dog sledding races range from “sprints” of 12 miles to the grueling 1,000 mile Alaskan Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. These long distance dogs need an easy to digest high density nutrient food supplement to assist their needs. Jim Blair, an ethical musher, mushing teacher, and owner of Eden Mountain Lodge in Vermont, feeds his dogs a tablespoon of coconut oil daily and has noticed great results in their performance and overall health! One of Jim's concerns for his dogs was their paws. Pulling a heavy sled at running speeds with other dogs in the snow and ice is hard on their paws. Their paws collect ice and get skinned up, becoming too tender to run on as well as leading to potential infections. Jim became dissatisfied with using zinc oxide salves externally on the dogs’ paws. Dogs licking zinc oxide creams off their paws can harm them and they would become ill. He also thought it would be better if their paws didn’t become skinned up and inflamed in the first place. Jim found that using coconut oil internally with his dogs solved that external problem. Jim is now spreading the news of how coconut oil improves dogs’ stamina running through snow and ice while also protecting their paws from painful inflammation. Jim’s ethically run dog sledding teams have been winning dog sledding races in Quebec’s Sled Dog Club competitions recently, and he’s spreading the word to other sled dog owners and mushers about coconut oil.
Big Pharma’s Continued Failure to Develop an Effective Alzheimer’s Drug: Are Alzheimer’s Vaccines Next?
Coconut oil and the high-fact ketogenic diet have proven effective and safe at treating dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry’s continued effort at finding drugs to ameliorate Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s have been a complete failure. There’s too much potential profit in the baby-boomer-turning-seniors market for them to stop; Big Pharma’s boom with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs proved that. There are still way too many who have put their faith in modern mainstream medicine, especially among baby boomers. The next blockbuster drug revenue with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may be with a new Alzheimer vaccine, since vaccines introduced into the market do not need to be effective, and drug companies cannot be sued for any damages resulting from vaccines.
Study: Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil Improves Dental Health
More conventional dentists and medical professionals are now understanding the merits of "oil pulling." Not only are there numerous testimonies that have motivated many to urge others into the practice of oil pulling, there is empirical scientific evidence from clinical studies that show one's health may benefit from oil pulling. You’ll find information and demonstrations of oil pulling for oral and dental health mostly on internet websites and YouTube channels. They’re part of the renaissance of an ancient health practice from India, swishing a dietary oil around one’s mouth and sucking it through the spaces between one’s teeth, thus the term “oil pulling.” The most recent study was done in India. Study: Comparative Evaluation of Antiplaque Efficacy of Coconut Oil Pulling and a Placebo, Among Dental College Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
New Coconut Oil Studies: Antioxidant Effects Protect Liver and Kidneys – Reverses Effects of Chemotherapy
New research from Nigeria shows how virgin coconut oil can have protective health benefits due to its high amounts of antioxidants. One study looked at the effect of virgin coconut oil when supplemented in a diet high in consumption of heated vegetable oils, and how virgin coconut oil protected the liver and kidneys, and the other study looked at how virgin coconut oil can reverse the free radical damage done by cancer chemotherapy drugs. Virgin coconut oil, depending on how it is processed, is much higher in antioxidants than refined mass-produced coconut oils. It is not surprising that scientists and researchers in Africa are exploring the benefits of coconut oil, which is native to many tropical African countries, after being deceived for many years by western thinking that coconut oil is harmful due to it being a highly saturated fat.
War on Coconut Oil: California Companies Attacked to try and Prevent the Sale of Coconut Oil
Companies selling coconut oil in California are finding out the hard way that they cannot claim that coconut oil is "healthy" because the FDA does not allow such a claim, even if scientific studies back up this claim, along with hundreds of thousands of customer testimonials about the health benefits of coconut oil. Several companies are now fighting class action lawsuits for the sale of their brand of coconut oil in California, including Nutiva, Nature’s Way, BetterBody, Carrington Farms, All Market’s (Vita brand), Costco (Kirkland label), and others. The people who are bringing these lawsuits are stating that these companies are violating FDA regulations by indicating that coconut oil is healthy when the FDA says this claim cannot be made. The foundational premise upon which the cases have been built, rests on the belief that coconut oil is saturated fat, and therefore it is unhealthy. Their attorneys are claiming that their clients were misled and deceived by the information on coconut oil labels. The belief that saturated fats are not healthy is based on the now debunked lipid theory of heart disease, which states that consumption of saturated fats leads to elevated levels of cholesterol, which leads to an increase in heart disease. Ancel Keyes was the original researcher to put forward this theory, which was later adopted by Congress as part of USDA dietary advice, and his research has been completely discredited. In fact, the science actually points to the opposite, that people with high levels of cholesterol actually live longer than those with low cholesterol. However, If the FDA believes that saturated fat is unhealthy, then it will not allow a product that contains more than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving to be called healthy. Will the sale of coconut oil soon be illegal in the United States?
Research Continues to Confirm Coconut Oil’s Healing Properties for Diabetes
When we published our book on Virgin Coconut Oil back in 2004, we devoted a whole chapter to diabetes, based on research and testimonials from coconut oil consumers. That chapter also exists as an article on the CoconutOil.com website. The article has testimonials for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Peer-reviewed published research here in 2017 continues to confirm that coconut oil is the dietary oil of choice for those who suffer from diabetes.
Study: High Fat Ketogenic Diet Enhances Gut Microbiota in Healing Epilepsy
Health Impact News has reported on many of the disease reversing results of the ketogenic (high fat-moderate protein-low carb) diet. Now, a new study is looking at the positive effects of gut bacteria among those following a ketogenic diet for epilepsy. Even though Johns Hopkins used a ketogenic diet for curing epilepsy over 80 years ago, when medical drugs did not help epilepsy effectively, mainstream medicine continues to rely on new and expensive toxic drugs for epileptic children. The “cocktail” combinations of pharmaceutical drugs prescribed often worsens childhood epilepsy. Health Impact News previously published a report on how a four year old child with refractory epilepsy (not treatable with pharmaceutical medications), was treated at the Rochester, Minnesota Mayo Clinic using a ketogenic diet. At first, the child was also kept on pharmaceuticals. The results were poor until he was taken off the medications; then he began healing completely. A new Chinese study on pediatric epileptic cases may even draw the attention of mainstream medical professionals, due to the results seen in children's gut microbiota structure when following a high-fat ketogenic diet.
Study: Lauric Acid from Coconut Oil Inhibits Cancer Cell Growth Without Affecting Healthy Cells
A study published September 2017 by researchers from the Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, at the University of Calabria in Rende, Italy, and from the Department of Health Sciences at the University Magna Graecia in Catanzaro, Italy, looked at the anti-cancer activity of lauric acid, the main fatty acid found in coconut oil. While coconut oil continues to get slandered in the U.S. by those with close ties to the pharmaceutical industry, research mainly outside the U.S. continues to show how healthy coconut oil can be, dispelling the common saturated-fat-is-bad myth still being promoted in the U.S. The study title is: "The lauric acid-activated signaling prompts apoptosis in cancer cells," and it was published in the journal "Cell Death Recovery." The study looked at the effects of lauric acid in both breast cancer and colon cancer: "The saturated medium-chain fatty-acid lauric acid (LA) has been associated to certain health-promoting benefits of coconut oil intake, including the improvement of the quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemotherapy. As it concerns the potential to hamper tumor growth, LA was shown to elicit inhibitory effects only in colon cancer cells. Here, we provide novel insights regarding the molecular mechanisms through which LA triggers antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in both breast and endometrial cancer cells." Coconut oil is nature's richest source of lauric acid, by far, comprising almost 50% of the fatty acids in coconut oil. Human breast milk comes in a distant second at around 6% lauric acid. Lauric acid has a rich and long history of fighting pathogens, and has been a popular food preservative for many decades. Perhaps the most significant observation documented in this study was the ability of lauric acid to target cancer cells but not affect healthy cells, unlike most chemotherapy drugs: "Lauric Acid inhibited the viability of both cancer cell types without altering the growth of MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cells, thus suggesting its specific potential to trigger antiproliferative effects in malignant cells."
Study: Coconut Oil Reverses Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is defined medically as macrovesicular steatosis, or abnormal retention of lipids (fats) sufficient and large enough to distort or replace the nuclei of liver cells among those who consume less than 20 grams (.7 ounces) of alcohol per day. NAFLD, unknown prior to 1980, has become our largest liver health issue nationally and throughout most industrialized nations. Fatty liver disease affects metabolism and usually manifests as obesity and insulin resistance, which are direct co-factors for type 2 diabetes. It can also progress to inflammation of the liver, or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), leading to cirrhosis. Ironically, a saturated fat (virgin coconut oil) may prove to be the safest and most effective treatment for NAFLD according to a study published recently (September 2017) in the Journal of the Science and Agriculture of Food. The study, “Virgin coconut oil reverses hepatic steatosis by restoring redox homeostasis and lipid metabolism in male Wistar rats,” noted in its background statement that more nutraceutical offerings are being sought for reversing fatty liver disease. The researchers also noted that earlier studies had demonstrated virgin coconut oil could help prevent NAFLD. This new study intended to see if virgin coconut oil could also reverse existing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Another Study Showing Virgin Coconut Oil Heart Healthy Contradicting AHA Propaganda
Another peer-reviewed study was published this month (August 2017) showing dietary virgin coconut oil has beneficial heart-health effects regarding lipid profile, renal status, hepatic antioxidant defense system, and cardiovascular risks. The study was conducted by researchers in Nigeria in the Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, at Federal University. The title of the study is: Dietary Supplementation with Virgin Coconut Oil Improves Lipid Profile and Hepatic Antioxidant Status and Has Potential Benefits on Cardiovascular Risk Indices in Normal Rats. This new study and many other previous studies clearly contradict the propaganda espoused by Big Pharma and the U.S. Government dietary advice, which has been waging a war against saturated fats since the 1970s and the McGovern Report that promoted the false hypothesis that saturated fats led to an increase in lipid cholesterol levels and an increased risk for heart disease. This theory, the lipid theory of heart disease, has been shown to be false repeatedly by the published medical literature, yet it still remains the official USDA dietary advice.
Medical Cannabis Infused in Coconut Oil Maximizes Health Benefits
Among medical marijuana proponents there has been a lot of discussion about the various ways of combining coconut oil and cannabis as an ideal carrier for combining cannabis' external cannabinoids with the body’s internal cannabinoid system for healing. At first this combination was used to facilitate suppositories that when inserted rectally would somehow allow those who are THC intolerant to absorb full spectrum plant cannabis' benefits to be absorbed without the high. Then the coconut oil with cannabis was contained in capsules to create standardized cannabis edibles for medical consumption. This is what 77 year old Stan Rutner used to cure his terminal lung and brain cancer during hospice under his daughter Corrine’s and son-in-law John Malanca’s custody in California.
Study: Coconut Oil Offers Protection Against Inflammation and Diabetes
Forty percent of women today are obese. Many believe obesity is a precursor to diabetes, which if not reversed will lead to further health complications, and even be life threatening. However, a recent study looking at the effects of coconut oil on glycemia and inflammation demonstrated that obesity alone may not be the culprit. What the researchers discovered indicates that inflammation has a greater impact on insulin resistance and high blood sugar than excess fat. This could be argued, since adipose fats do release toxins over time that do create inflammation. But there are diabetes 2 patients who are not obese. Obesity in women has also been considered a factor in infertility, which this study also attempted to determine. Inadvertently, the study’s findings disclosed even more about the health protective qualities of coconut oil.
Study: High Saturated Fat Diet with Coconut Oil Reduces Gut Bacteria in Crohn’s Disease
A recent 2017 study has determined that pure dietary saturated fats, especially coconut oil, can ease the suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease. This study was conducted at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, a private institution well known for independent research. The study was reported in Science Daily June 22, 2017. Mice were fed only plant based fats such as cocoa butter and coconut oil. The mice fed coconut oil or cocoa butter had fewer kinds of gut bacteria. Their gut microbiome content had been positively altered to a healthier balance by 30 percent.
Study: Vegetable Oils Contribute to Fatty Liver Disease – Saturated Fats Do Not
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly becoming an international epidemic. The mainstream medical mantra for its underlying cause is "fat consumption." However, "fat" is a very general term and does not distinguish between traditional healthy fats and unhealthy modern processed fats and oils. The common belief is that saturated fat is the culprit in fatty liver disease, but a new study published in the July 4, 2017 European Journal of Nutrition comes to a different conclusion. This peer reviewed study, "Chronic consumption of fructose in combination with trans fatty acids but not with saturated fatty acids induces nonalcoholic steatohepatitis with fibrosis in rats," examined more closely the effects of trans fatty acids (from vegetable oils derived from corn and soybeans) versus saturated fats, found in traditional fats such as butter, coconut oil, and palm oil. The study’s title gives away their conclusion: fructose is bad for the liver, but it is worse with trans fats than it is with saturated fats.
Big Pharma and Mainstream Media Attack Coconut Oil with Mis-information
In what appears to be a coordinated attack against the rising popularity of coconut oil, the American Heart Association (AHA) has just published a "Presidential Advisory" on "Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease" in which it condemned coconut oil, and recommended that people not consume it. The AHA's recommendation clearly contradicts research that exists on not only coconut oil but saturated fats in general, which debunks the old lipid theory of heart disease that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease. Yet, the mainstream corporate-funded media published its recommendations with no critical analysis or journalistic investigations into the AHA's claims. Are these attacks against coconut oil part of an effort by Big Pharma to protect its $100 billion a year cholesterol lowering statin drug industry?
Study: Antioxidant Activities of Virgin Coconut Oil Useful in Reducing Harm of Chemotherapy
The health ramifications of virgin coconut oil keep surfacing from international studies without much coverage from mainstream media health or food sections. Fortunately, Health Impact News and their CoconutOil.com website is the leading authority today on the health benefits of coconut oil, keeping you up-to-date on all the published research about coconut oil you will never read in the mainstream corporate media. There has been a lot of text and talk about the wonders of coconut oil’s medium chain fatty acids and how they benefit the brain by producing ketones for brain cells’ functional nutrition. Ketones can even reverse Alzheimer’s disease. Of course, the pharmaceutical industry and their support of the mainstream media would like to keep that information from being known. There are even folks losing weight with high-fat ketogenic dieting, which includes the saturated fat coconut oil and other whole unadulterated healthy fats, to debunk the unscientific dogma of saturated fats as responsible for obesity. Many studies have demonstrated coconut oil’s antifungal and antibacterial capabilities as well. Now we have coconut oil demonstrating powerful antioxidant potential, even powerful enough for reducing the biological stress of chemotherapy. Here are two new studies that point this out.
Is Virgin Coconut Oil the Future in Natural Medicine for Skin Conditions?
There are several testimonials by people using virgin coconut oil (VCO) for improving scalp conditions, hair, and skin issues. But it’s doubtful that a certified dermatologist would recommend that for most skin issues. It’s more likely that an external skin condition known as atopic dermatitis (AD), which causes excess dryness, inflammation, and pruritus (itching) will be prescribed a corticosteroid cream to apply topically. The University of Central Florida Medical School offered a paper published early in 2017 titled “Coconut oil: The future of atopic dermatitis treatment?” Overall, VCO appears to be an emerging treatment for AD due to its safety and ability to both combat the suggested pathogenesis of AD and provide clinical improvement. More extensive trials that comprehensively examine the positive and negative effects of treating AD with VCO are indicated.