Coconut Oil=Antiviral

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http://www.coconut-info.com/

Welcome to Coconut-info.com!

"Never before in the history of man is it so important to emphasize the value of Lauric Oils. The medium-chain fats in coconut oil are similar to fats in mother's milk and have similar nutriceutical effects."Jon J. Kabara, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University

The purpose of this site is to provide information on the health benefits of coconut products, particularly virgin coconut oil. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral and antibacterial. Virgin coconut oil is also used for making natural soaps and other health products.

At one time coconut oil received negative press in the US because of its high level of saturated fat. However, modern research has shown that not all saturated fats are alike and that the fatty acids in coconut oil, the medium chain tryglycerides, do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease like the long chain tryglycerides found in seed oils. Also, most research done on coconut oil in the past was done on hydrogenated coconut oil, which has been altered from its original form.

Much research on the nutritional and medicinal benefits on coconut oil has surfaced in recent years. Much of that research has been done by Dr. Enig. Dr. Enig has classified coconuts as a "functional food," which provides health benefits over and beyond the basic nutrients. She has specifically identified lauric acid as a key ingredient in coconut products:

"Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid."

As a "functional food," coconut oil is now being recognized by the medical community as a powerful tool against immune diseases, like AIDS. Several studies have been done on its effectiveness, and much research is currently being done on the incredible nutritional value of pure coconut oil. Please browse the links page to read about these studies. To add pure virgin coconut oil to your diet, you can purchase it right off of this site directly from the manufacturer in the Philippines where it is made.

Coconut Oil In MedicineCoconut oil's potential uses in the field of medicine have been around for decades. In a paper entitled "Coconut Oil: An Anti-bacterial, Anti-viral Ingredient for Food, Nutrition, and Health" presented by Dr. G. Enig, a nutrition expert from land, at the AVOC (ASEAN Vegetable Oils Club) Lauric Oils Symposium in Manila in October 1997, the capability of coconut oil to fight some disease-causing microorganisms like bacteria and viruses have been discussed. Her review on the various studies done on the subject has attributed these coconut oil's properties to the medium chain fatty acids that it contains. It particularly singles out lauric acid and monolaurin as the most important and most effective component of coconut oil. Coconut oil contains as much as 46% lauric acid, which is why it is called lauric oil. When coconut oil is ingested, the report says, the digestive tract naturally manufactures from the lauric oil a monoglyceride called monolaurin. In the fields of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), Dr. Enig's paper discussed some documented reports, from an AIDS activist group called Keep Hope Alive, on the use of coconut in the treatment of HIV+AIDS. The report said that the intake of coconut meat, coconut oil and coconut milk have dramatically reduced the viral load count of HIV/AIDS patients from a very high level before the treatment. One of the several cases that was cited was a patient who included coconut in his daily diet (consumed as half a fresh coconut as cooked cereal every day) that resulted in the drastic lowering of his viral load count to non-detectable level from over 600,000 in two months and a half.