Does virgin coconut oil really help ease COVID-19 symptoms?
Virgin coconut oil or VCO has been one of the most popular food supplements in the country for years. Lately, it has created buzz anew because it is said to be effective in treating COVID-19 patients, according to a study led by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) last year.
So now many people are asking if there's any truth to this claim and if there's a scientific explanation that can back this up? If you're interested to learn more about VCO, then read on to find out.
Virgin coconut oil in capsule form / Source: @GrowrichVCOCapsule (FB)
In a recent press briefing for Growrich VCO Capsule, president Dr. Edmundo Lalusis enumerated and discussed the six health benefits of VCO, and simultaneously explained why VCO is a great adjunct therapy for treating COVID-19.
Energy source
VCO contains fatty acids that are mostly lauric acid, which is a medium-chain fatty acid that is easily metabolized and directly absorbed by the liver. Plus, it is easily converted into energy and not stored as fat.
Modulates cholesterol
According to Dr. Lalusis, among fatty acids, lauric acid contributes the least to fat accumulations. Moreover, lauric acid is known to raise the level of good cholesterol.
Anticarcinogenic
VCO also contains phenolic compounds, which are basically dietary antioxidants that have antimutagenic, antiproliferative, and anticarcinogenic properties. Hence, VCO can help inhibit the development of cancer.
Antimicrobial
Lauric acid in VCO has also been found to have evident antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria and a number of viruses and fungi. It acts by destroying the lipid membranes of the microbes.
Antiviral
There are three ways in which lauric acid in VCO fights off viruses. First is by disintegrating the viral membrane, just like what it does to microbes. Second is by inhibiting virus maturation and third is by preventing viral protein binding to host cell membrane.
Moreover, another fatty acid in VCO called capric acid has also shown promising activity against viruses such as HIV-1 and influenza A.
And because of this scientific evidence of VCO's activity against viruses, it has been considered a potential aid in treating COVID-19, caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus.
VCO showed favorable results in treating COVID-19 symptoms, but it's not a cure. / Source: Growrich
What the DOST study revealed
The VCO study conducted in early 2020 in two isolation facilities in Santa Rosa, Laguna involving 57 patients reportedly yielded favorable results.
For 28 days, 29 patients were given standardized meals mixed with VCO, while the control group, which consists of 28 patients, received no VCO doses.
All-in-all 33 of the 57 participants in the study tested positive for COVID-19: 17 in the VCO group and 16 in the controlled group.
In a statement, DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña detailed the study's promising results by saying, "Results of the VCO study showed that five of the 29 patients in the VCO group manifested diminishing signs and symptoms as early as the second day (of the 28-day intervention), while only one from the controlled group showed similar improvement.”
Moreover, by Day 18, all participants in the VCO group showed no COVID-19-related symptoms, while some participants in the controlled group had COVID-19 symptoms until Day 23.
Study leader Imelda Agdeppa however reiterated that VCO is not a cure for COVID-19, but only an adjunct or supplemental therapy that can prevent COVID-19 from progressing or worsening.
So, therefore, it's completely okay to take VCO as supplement to boost your overall health and up your body's capacity to fight off viruses and bacteria.
However, if you suspect that you have COVID-19, aside from taking VCO, it's best to have yourself tested so you can be properly treated by health professionals.
Want more health-related lifestyle content like this? Head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.
And for updates on the Coronavirus Disease pandemic and the enhanced community quarantine, visit GMA's COVID-19 page.
You might also want to read about how steam therapy can potentially spread COVID-19.