Did you know that Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) has antiviral properties that can help lower inflammation among some suspect and probable cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines? This was shown in a recent study headed by Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa, Ph.D. from DOST-FNRI which was published last August 2020. In their study, they added Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) into the meals of participants from two isolation facilities in Santa Rosa City, Laguna for 28 days. Half of the participants received a meal with VCO while half of the participants received a normal meal with no VCO. The results showed that the participants who received VCO had a significant decline in their C-reactive protein levels which is a laboratory measure for inflammation. This means that VCO supplementation has helped reduce inflammation and helped hasten recovery time. However, the limitation of this study is that their participants are > 20 y.o., had no other comorbidities such as uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes and VCO was only tested on suspected or mild COVID cases. Thus, more studies are needed for the application of VCO to other age groups and for moderate and severe COVID cases.
How does VCO work against COVID-19?
Based on an interview with Dr. Agdeppa in ExperTalk online last 2020, she mentioned that VCO contains anti-viral properties such as laurine and monolaurin. Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit, another expert, explained that these substances can destroy the coating or envelope of the virus which makes it easier to be destroyed by the immune cells and prevents it from infecting healthy cells based on a test tube study. Although the exact mechanism in humans is not yet fully understood, VCO has been associated to reduce inflammation and speed recovery. Thus, Dr. Agdeppa mentioned in her talk last May 26, 2021 that they are currently doing a replication study to learn more about the potential of VCO as part of COVID-19 management.
How can you try using VCO as a dietary supplement in the prevention or management of COVID-19?
VCO can only be used as a dietary supplement together with nutritious food and proper medication for COVID-19. In the above-mentioned study, they included participants that are more than 20 years old and with no other comorbidities or with controlled hypertension. Patients who have Diabetes, High Cholesterol, Liver disease and other comorbidities were excluded so if you have these comorbidities, consult your doctor before adding VCO into your diet.
Here are the steps that you can try if you want to add VCO in your diet for general health or as dietary supplement against COVID-19:
1. Choose VCO products with FDA or with PCA (Philippine Coconut Authority) approval to ensure the quality and pureness of the VCO.
2. Compute for your personalized dose (this dosing regimen is based on the study by Angeles-Agdeppa et al, 2020):
● First 3 days: 0.6 mL VCO/kg Body Weight x Your Current Body Weight (kg)
Example: 0.6 mL VCO/kg Body Weight x 50 kg = 30 mL of VCO per day or 5 teaspoons of VCO per day
● Day 4 - 28: 1.2 mL VCO/kg Body Weight x Your Current Body Weight (kg)
Example: 1.2 mL VCO/kg Body Weight x 50 kg = 60 mL of VCO per day or 4 Tbsp of VCO per day
The amount of VCO on the first 3 days is lower to allow your body to adjust to the oil and to lessen side effects due to the natural laxative effect of VCO. Afterwards, you may increase your dose on days 4 - 28.
3. You may ingest VCO directly or add it into your dishes AFTER cooking. Heating VCO destroys its active compounds and decreases its antiviral activity.
Currently, the Philippine COVID-19 Living Recommendations still hasn’t approved VCO as an adjunct treatment for patients with COVID-19 patients as of May 28, 2021 due to the lack of studies on using VCO to any age and COVID severity. Thus, VCO can only be used as a dietary supplement for general health and speeding recovery together with proper medical management.
/AET
References:
ABS-CBN News. Fabian Dayrit, PhD, delves into the benefits of virgin coconut oil | Salamat Dok. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAQfVrtSoa4
Angeles-Agdeppa, I., Nacis, J. S., Capanzana, M. V., Dayrit, F. M., & Tanda, K. V. (2021). Virgin Coconut Oil is Effective in Lowering C-Reactive Protein Levels among Suspect and Probable Cases of COVID-19. Journal of Functional Foods, 104557.
DOSTv: Science For The People. Expertalk Online: Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO). YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8mFI__aGW4
Health Revolution Ph EP46. Virgin Coconut Oil’s Anti-COVID 19 Properties with Dr. Agdeppa. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAy85AMZIws.
Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (2021). Philippine COVID-19 Living Recommendations. Retrieved from https://www.psmid.org/philippine-covid-19-living-recommendations/.
