Coconuts as a functional food in the prevention and treatment of AIDS

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  June, 2006  by Gina L. Nick

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Abstract

Coconuts play a unique role in the diets of mankind because they are the source of important physiologically functional components. These physiologically functional components are found in the fat part of whole coconut, in the fat part of desiccated coconut, and in the extracted coconut oil. Lauric acid, the major fatty acid from the fat of the coconut, has long been recognized for the unique properties that it lends to nonfood uses in the soaps and cosmetics industry. More recently, lauric acid has been recognized for its unique properties in food use, which are related to its antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal functions. Now, capric acid, another of coconut's fatty acids has been added to the list of coconut's antimicrobial components. These fatty acids are found in the largest amounts only in traditional lauric fats, especially from coconut. Also, recently published research has shown that natural coconut fat in the diet leads to a normalization of body lipids, protects against alcohol damage to the liver, and improves the immune system's anti-inflammatory response.

Clearly, there has been increasing recognition of the health-supporting functions of the fatty acids found in coconut. Recent reports from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about required labeling of the trans fatty acids will put coconut oil in a more competitive position and may help return to its use by the baking and snack food industry where it has continued to be recognized for its functionality. Now it can be recognized for another kind of functionality: the improvement of the health of mankind.

Introduction

Mr. Chairman and members of the Asian Pacific Coconut Community (APCC), I would like to thank you for inviting me to once again speak to this gathering of delegates on the occasion of your 36th session as you celebrate the 30th anniversary of APCC.

When I addressed the 32nd COCOTECH meeting in Cochin, India, I covered two areas of interest to the coconut community. In the first part, I reviewed the major health challenge facing coconut oil at that time, which was based on a supposed negative role played by saturated fat in heart disease. I hope that my talk was able to dispel any acceptance of that notion. In the second part of my talk, I suggested that there were some new positive health benefits from coconut that should be recognized. These benefits stemmed from coconut's use as a food with major functional properties for antimicrobial and anti-cancer effects.

In my presentation today, I will bring you up to date about the new recognition of functional foods as important components in the diet. Additionally, I would like to briefly review the state of the anti-saturated fat situation and bring you up to date on some of the research that compares the beneficial effects of saturated fats with those of omega-6 polyunsaturates, as well as the beneficial effects of the saturated fats relative to the detrimental effects of the partially hydrogenated fats and the trans fatty acids. In particular, I will review some of the surprising beneficial effects of the special saturates found in coconut oil as they compare with those of the unsaturates found in some of the other food oils. Components of coconut oil are increasingly being shown to be beneficial. Increasingly, lauric acid, and even capric acid, have been the subject of favorable scientific reports on health parameters.

Functional Properties of Lauric Fats as Antimicrobials

Earlier this year, at a special conference entitled, Functional Foods For Health Promotion: Physiologic Considerations (Renaissance Washington Hotel, Washington, DC; Saturday, April 17, 1999), which was sponsored by the International Life Sciences Institute, Technical Committee on Food Components for Health Promotion, the term "functional foods" was defined as "a functional food provides a health benefit over and beyond the basic nutrients."

This is exactly what coconut and its edible products, such as desiccated coconut and coconut oil, do. As a functional food, coconut has fatty acids that provide both energy (nutrients) and raw material for antimicrobial fatty acids and monoglycerides (functional components) when eaten. Desiccated coconut is about 69% coconut fat, as is creamed coconut. Full coconut milk is approximately 24% fat.

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 helicobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid.

Also, approximately six to seven percent of the fatty acids in coconut fat are capric acid. Capric acid is another medium-chain fatty acid that has a similar beneficial function when it is formed into monocaprin in the human or animal body. Monocaprin has also been shown to have antiviral effects against HIV and is being tested for antiviral effects against herpes simplex and antibacterial effects against chlamydia and other sexually transmitted bacteria.