by Bruce Fife
Regardless of your age, your bones can benefit from coconut oil. Dietary fats play a role in the formation of our bones. Researchers at Purdue University found that free radicals from oxidized vegetable oils interfere with bone formation, thus contributing to osteoporosis. They also discovered that antioxidants such as vitamin E protect the bones from free radicals. In addition, they found that saturated fats, like those in coconut oil, also act as antioxidants and protect the bones from destructive free radicals.
Fresh coconut, and perhaps virgin coconut oil, contains fatlike substances called sterols that are very similar in structure to pregnenolone. Pregnenolone is a substance our bodies manufacture from sterols to make hormones such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and progesterone. When women’s bodies are in need of these hormones, pregnenolone is used as the starting material to make them. According to John Lee, M.D., the reason women are often plagued with osteoporosis as they get older is because they have an imbalance of progesterone to estrogen. Environmental estrogens from meat, milk, and pesticides dilute natural progesterone. In clinical practice Dr. Lee has had women use progesterone to increase their body’s reserves of this hormone. Bone density tests before and after treatment showed a clear reversal of osteoporosis. Dr. Lee has outlined his findings in his book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause. It is believed that pregnenolone, which is converted into progesterone in women, has the same bone-building effect. If this is true, the pregnenolonelike substances in coconut may also aid in maintaining hormone balance and promoting healthy bones.
This may be why populations that consume coconuts as a major part of their diets are rarely troubled by osteoporosis. For those who are concerned about developing osteoporosis as they get older, coconut oil may be useful in helping to slow down this degenerative process by improving mineral absorption, protecting the bones from free radicals, and maintaining hormone balance.
GALLBLADDER DISEASE
The purpose of the gallbladder is to store and regulate the use of bile. The function of bile in the digestive process is often given little notice, but it is essential. The liver produces bile at a relatively constant rate. As the bile is secreted, it drains into and is collected by the gallbladder. The gallbladder functions as a container to hold bile. Fats and oils in our foods stimulate the gallbladder to pump bile into the intestine. An adequate amount of bile is essential for the digestion of fats because it emulsifies or breaks the fat into small particles. Digestive enzymes from the pancreas can break the small particles of fat down into individual fatty acids, which can then be absorbed. Without bile, fat-digesting enzymes could not complete the job of digestion; this would lead to serious nutritional deficiencies and disease.
When the gallbladder is surgically removed, fat digestion is greatly hindered. Without the gallbladder, the bile, which is continually being secreted by the liver, slowly drains into the small intestine. The tiny amount of bile that drains directly from the liver into the intestine is not enough to function adequately in fat digestion when even moderate amounts of fat are consumed. This leads to malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins and to digestive problems. Bile must be present in the intestine to properly absorb fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K and beta-carotene). The consequence of not getting enough of these vitamins may not be immediately noticeable but over time will manifest itself in a variety of ways.
Metabolism of MCFAs does not require bile or pancreatic enzymes, so someone who has had his or her gallbladder removed or who has trouble digesting fats would greatly benefit from the use of coconut oil.
VIRAL INFECTIONS
One of the most amazing benefits of coconut oil is its ability to kill disease-causing viruses. Antibiotics are useless against viruses, and antiviral drugs have only limited effectiveness. Medications used to treat viral infections are often accompanied by undesirable side effects. Coconut oil is a natural, harmless product that is gaining notice as a means to help prevent and even treat viral infections.
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
Coconut oil may be one of the best solutions to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) currently available. Once considered an imaginary ailment, CFS is now recognized as a bona fide illness. While its cause is still pretty much a mystery, it has become a problem of growing concern. It is estimated that some 3 million Americans and 90 million people worldwide are affected by it.
This illness is characterized by a relatively sudden onset of extreme fatigue, often following an infectious illness. Symptoms may include any of the following: muscle weakness, headache, memory loss, mental confusion, recurring infections, low-grade fever, swollen lymph glands, severe exhaustion following moderate physical activity, depression, anxiety attacks, dizziness, rashes, allergies, and autoimmune reactions. Symptoms that persist for six months or more are a strong indication of CFS.
The degree and severity of symptoms often fluctuate. An afflicted person may temporarily “recover” and function normally for a while, only to relapse a short time later. Many people are affected without even realizing it. They assume their symptoms are due to age, stress, or seasonal illness, and they do nothing to solve the problem.
The exact cause of the illness is still unknown, and there is no standard medical test to detect it. Consequently, a cure has yet to be found. The current belief is that CFS does not have a single cause but is the result of many factors. Some believe it is the result of multiple chronic infections that depress the immune system and drain the body of energy. Poor nutrition, excessive stress, food and environmental toxins, and chronic infections all combine to lower immune function and drain energy. Many people believe that a depressed immune system is the primary cause of the problem.
Any number of viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites can contribute to chronic fatigue. The most likely causes are the herpes virus, the Epstein-Barr virus, candida, and giardia. Some infections, especially viruses such as herpes, can persist for a lifetime. For example, herpes can cause fever blisters and genital lesions. The blisters may disappear temporarily, only to reappear occasionally when the efficiency of the body’s immune system drops, especially as a result of stress.
The Epstein-Barr virus is a member of the herpes family that causes mononucleosis; it is often called the kissing disease because it can be transmitted this way. Once inside the body it attacks the white blood cells. Recovery takes four to six weeks with rest. The body needs this length of time to allow the immune system to overcome the virus. For two to three months afterward, patients often feel depressed, lack energy, and feel sleepy throughout the day. This condition may persist at a chronic level, giving rise to CFS.
Cold and flu viruses can cause chronic infections that may contribute to chronic fatigue. Often people with viral infections are given antibiotics. There is no antibiotic that can kill a virus. When we come down with a cold, flu, or other viral infection, the only thing we can do is take it easy and let our immune system handle the job. Doctors often give people who are suffering from viral infections antibiotics because there is nothing else they can do. The antibiotics have no more effect than a placebo—to make the patient feel he or she is doing something to hasten recovery. This has been the standard practice among doctors for years. The problem with this, besides wasting patients’ money and subjecting them to worthless medications, is that the antibiotics may do some harm. One of the side effects of antibiotic use is the development of candidiasis. Antibiotics kill friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract that compete for space with yeast, thus keeping candida numbers low and relatively harmless. If these bacteria are killed by antibiotic use, yeasts are able to multiply unrestrained, causing a systemic candida infection. Candida can become chronic, burdening the immune system, draining the body’s energy, and leading to prolonged feelings of fatigue and ill health.
As mentioned in chapter 4, giardia infections produce symptoms often diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome. Low-grade bacterial infections may also drain the body’s energy, causing chronic fatigue.
Low-grade infections can be nearly impossible to diagnose accurately. If a virus is part of the cause, little can be done, as there are no drugs that can cure viral illnesses. Giving the wrong type of medication can make matters worse, so experimenting with antibiotics and other drugs is not a good solution.
What’s the answer? Coconut oil may provide a vital solution to chronic fatigue syndrome. The fatty acids in coconut oil can kill herpes, Epstein-Barr viruses, candida, giardia, and a variety of other infectious organisms, any of which could contribute to chronic fatigue. Some doctors believe it is not the particular germ or organism that matters; any combination of factors or conditions that depress the immune system can lead to CFS. According to them, the key to overcoming CFS is strengthening the immune system. Again, coconut oil may be the solution. Coconut oil supports the immune system by ridding the body of harmful microorganisms, thus relieving stress on the body. With fewer harmful organisms taxing the body’s energy, the immune system can function better.
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“I never thought I was troubled with chronic fatigue syndrome. I was healthy. I ate what I considered a good diet—low in fat, lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But I noticed as I was approaching my mid-forties my level of energy was decreasing rapidly. Even modest amounts of yard work became a drudgery. After a couple of hours I came in exhausted, and it took me two days to recover. By 8 p.m. every day I was exhausted, even though I have a desk job. I found myself going to bed earlier and earlier. Life was slowing down, and I missed the energy I once had. I assumed that what I was experiencing was just the consequence of growing older and left it at that.
“But then I began to wonder. I saw other people, much older than me, who were more physically active and had much more energy. I then suspected something was wrong. I began to seek ways to improve my health. I learned about coconut and began to eat it in place of other oils. I did this not to cure any illness but simply to improve my overall health. It was several months later when I noticed that the energy I used to have began to return. I no longer wanted to go to sleep at 8 p.m. but stayed up till 11 without a problem. I got less sleep but had more energy. Improvement came so gradually that I didn’t notice the change until after several months. And it wasn’t until later that I even thought it might be related to coconut oil. Since I’ve been using coconut oil I have not been lethargic during the day, as I was in the past; I have more energy and accomplish more. I feel really good.”
—Brian M.
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Coconut oil also provides a quick source of energy and stimulates metabolism. This boost in energy not only lifts the spirit but promotes faster healing. The higher the body’s metabolism, the more efficient the immune system and the more quickly the body can heal and repair itself. It’s like a carpenter doing some repairs on your house. If he is tired and slow, it will take a long time to do the job, but if he is energetic and anxious to complete the task, it will take a fraction of the time. When metabolism is functioning at a higher level, our cells are like an energized carpenter anxious to complete the repairs, while depressed metabolism causes the cells to work more slowly, and consequently healing and repair proceed more slowly.
AIDS PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
After more than two decades of research, the AIDS epidemic is still going strong. Drugs have been developed to help slow down the progress of the disease, but, as is the case with other viruses, there is no cure. But there is hope. One of the most exciting and active areas of research with MCFAs is in the treatment of those infected with HIV, which, like many other microorganisms, has a lipid membrane that is vulnerable to MCFAs.
In the 1980s researchers discovered that the medium-chain fatty acids, specifically lauric and capric acids, were effective in killing HIV in lab cultures. This opened the door to a possible treatment for HIV/ AIDS that was far safer than the antiviral drugs currently being used.
One of the problems with the antiviral drugs used to fight HIV is that they have undesirable side effects, including muscle wasting, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, bone marrow suppression, ulcerations, hemorrhaging, skin rash, anemia, fatigue, and altered mental function. Another problem is that the AIDS virus can grow resistant to the drugs, often becoming invulnerable to them. The specific combination of viral resistance varies from patient to patient. To fight these resistant strains of superviruses, doctors use a hit-or-miss approach by brewing potent AIDS drug cocktails. The more drugs used, the greater the risk of undesirable side effects.
Unlike the standard drugs used to treat HIV, which attack the virus’s genetic material, medium-chain fatty acids simply break the virus apart. Much like the other fatty acids that make up the virus’s lipid membrane, the MCFAs are absorbed by the virus; this weakens the membrane until it breaks apart, killing the virus. It is unlikely that the virus can develop an immunity to this mechanism, so MCFAs can attack and kill any of the strains of HIV, even the genetically drug-resistant superviruses.
Over the years many HIV-infected individuals have reported a decrease in their viral load (the number of viruses in the blood) and an improvement in overall health after eating coconut or drinking coconut milk. Some have reported lowering their viral loads to nondetectable levels after eating coconut for only a few weeks.
The first clinical study on the effectiveness of coconut oil to treat HIV patients was reported by Cornrado Dayrit, M.D., emeritus professor of pharmacology at the University of the Philippines and former president of the National Academy of Science and Technology in the Philippines. In this study, 14 HIV patients, ages 22 to 38, were separated into three groups. None of the patients received any other anti-HIV treatment during the study. The treatment they were testing compared monolaurin (the monoglyceride of lauric acid found in coconut oil) and pure coconut oil. One group (four patients) was given 22 grams of monolaurin a day. The second group (five patients) was given 7.2 grams of monolaurin. The third group (five patients) was given 3½ tablespoons of coconut oil. The coconut oil given to the third group contained about the same quantity of lauric acid as was supplied by the monolaurin in the first group. After three months of treatment, the viral load had decreased in seven of the patients. After six months, when the study was completed, 9 out of the 14 patients had a decreased viral count (two in the first group, four in the second, and three in the third). Eleven of the patients had regained weight and appeared to be improving. This study confirmed the anecdotal reports that coconut oil has anti-HIV effects and has provided solid clinical evidence that both monolaurin and coconut oil are effective in fighting HIV. Additional research is currently underway to further study the use of monolaurin and coconut oil to treat HIV/AIDS.
Unfortunately, the ready availability and low cost of coconut oil and its derivative fatty acids are reasons why research into its use as a treatment for AIDS and other viral illnesses has been slow. There is little monetary incentive for pharmaceutical companies to fund research on a natural, readily available substance that they cannot protect with a patent and charge exorbitant prices for. Currently the cost of standard medications for one person to control HIV can reach over $15,000 a year. If all the hundreds of thousands of people who are infected by this virus spend anywhere near this amount, you can easily see the enormous amount of money the pharmaceutical companies pull in. It is no wonder they are reluctant to support a treatment that threatens to end this flood of cash.
Individuals with HIV often suffer from nutritional deficiencies and recurrent infections. Resistance to infectious illness decreases as the disease progresses. Opportunistic microorganisms such as cytomegalovirus, candida, cryptosporidium, and others quickly take root. In time, the body is devastated so greatly by infection that survival is impossible. The fatty acids in coconut oil not only offer the possibility of reducing the HIV load but kill other harmful organisms as well. Combined with the fact that lauric acid and other MCFAs improve digestion and energy production, the result is better overall health.
Current research suggests that
individuals infected with HIV progress more rapidly to AIDS when they have a higher viral load. Reducing the viral load to undetectable levels greatly increases the patient’s chances of avoiding the disease and reduces the chance of infecting others. A recent study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University showed that the number of individual viruses in the person determines the degree to which the virus can be passed on to others. The study found that someone with 200,000 virus copies (individual viruses per mm of blood) is 2.5 times more likely to spread HIV than someone with only 2,000 copies. The researchers found no transmission of the virus at all by infected people who carried less than 1,500 copies of the virus.
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In September 1996 AIDS patient Chris Dafoe of Cloverdale, Indiana, figured his time was running out. He’d lost a great deal of weight, lacked energy, and felt worse and worse with each passing day. The thing that drove the nail into his coffin was the lab results. The report showed he had a viral load of over 600,000—an indication of rampant HIV infection and a sign that he didn’t have too much time left to live. So he made arrangements for his funeral, paying all expenses up front. Before he died, however, and while he still had some strength left, he wanted to take one last vacation—a dream vacation to the jungles of South America. He flew to the tiny Republic of Surinam and wound his way into the jungle, where he stayed briefly among a group of Indians. While there, he ate the same foods as the natives. Every day he was served a dish of cooked coconut prepared by the natives.
“The Indian Chief told me,” says Dafoe, “that they use the coconut as the basis for all their medicines. They also use the milk from the inside of the coconut and also use other plants and herbs from the jungle to make medicines. They eat cooked coconut every morning to help prevent illness.” While there, Dafoe’s health took a turn for the better, his strength and energy increased, and he regained 32 pounds. Home again, six weeks later he went in for another lab test. This time the results showed his viral load had plummeted to undetectable levels. The HIV virus that had once flooded his body was no longer measurable.