Study shows virgin coconut oil's potential vs Covid-19

PROMISING. Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, executive director of DOST's Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, said the results of the study on virgin coconut oil (VCO) are very promising. He said not only does it show that the VCO, by itself, can destroy the virus, but it also has a key mechanism in upregulating the immune response against Covid-19. (Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash)
PROMISING. Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, executive director of DOST's Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, said the results of the study on virgin coconut oil (VCO) are very promising. He said not only does it show that the VCO, by itself, can destroy the virus, but it also has a key mechanism in upregulating the immune response against Covid-19. (Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash)

THE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced that after months of research, compounds from coconut oil and virgin coconut oil (VCO) have reduced the viral load of coronavirus count by 60 to 90 percent.

"The results are very promising, as not only does it show that the VCO, by itself, can destroy the virus, but it also has a key mechanism in upregulating the immune response against Covid-19. Indeed, we look forward to the results of clinical trials on the various uses of VCO as an adjunct for the treatment of Covid-19," Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, executive director of DOST's Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), said in a statement on October 5.

In a statement, DOST also said researchers discovered that the compounds in coconut oil and VCO were "observed to improve cell survival."

"More experiments, however, are needed to determine whether higher concentrations of these compounds will further reduce the replication rate of the virus," the agency said.

The research, funded by DOST-PCHRD, was led by Dr. Fabian Dayrit of Ateneo De Manila University. The research team "sought to investigate if coconut oil compounds are effective antiviral agents to prevent or reduce Covid-19 infection, following reports of previous research that VCO compounds are effective at killing other viruses."

DOST is currently supporting Filipino research and innovations as it "seeks to intensify the thrust for alternative solutions to the increasing cases of Covid-19."

"There are still alternative solutions against Covid-19 aside from vaccines. Although further investigation is needed before we develop a possible prevention or treatment option, we aim to give Filipinos hope through our ongoing local research initiatives," DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said.

At present, the agency is also is exploring the capability of VCO to upregulate the immune system.

"Results from these ongoing VCO clinical trials will determine whether VCO can be used as adjunct therapy for Covid-19 patients," the agency said.

This was initially announced in April by De la Peña.

"This research of the DOST on virgin coconut oil is planned to have two arms: one hospital-based and one community-based," De la Peña in a Facebook post on April 1.

He said the hospital-based study, entitled "Virgin Coconut Oil and Omega-3a Adjunctive Therapy for Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19," will be conducted at the Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and will be led by Dr. Marissa Alejandria.

"The VCO will serve as a supplement to the daily treatment regimen of the Covid-19 positive patients. The study aims to assess the possible benefits of VCO if given to patients with moderate to severe Covid-19 in addition to the drugs being assessed in the clinical trial," De la Peña said.

The hospital-based study is in cooperation with the UP-PGH Clinical Covod-19 Research Group and the Metro Manila Health Research and Development Consortium of the DOST-PCHRD.

On the other hand, the community-based study will be led by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute. The agency will incorporate VCO in the meals of probable Covid-19 patients. The study will be done in cooperation with the DOST-PCHRD and the Philippine Coconut Authority.

"The study aims to assess the possible benefits provided by VCO for patients with Covid-19 as well as contacts and other high-risk groups," De la Peña said.

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