Virgin Coconut Oil

Virgin coconut oilwins the war of oilsPosted:3:34 AM (Manila Time) Jun. 16, 2004By Cesar C. Villariba Jr.Inquirer News Service

AN AMERICAN health expert is amazed that more than 80 million people who live in a veritable coconut paradise planted to 300 million trees have not fully utilized the healthiest dietary oil on earth.For opening the eyes of many people, including nutritionists and skeptical medical professionals in the United States, to the scientific fact that virgin coconut oil's unique and abundant antimicrobial properties makes it superior to any other oil, naturopathic physician Bruce Fife has been dubbed "Dr. Coconut."When Fife, a certified nutritionist from Colorado Springs, first learned that coconut oil was being used in hospital formulas to feed critically ill patients and was a major component in baby formulas, he was intrigued.

The more he researched on the much maligned oil in the American diet, the more he unearthed a wealth of health-saving information dusting away in scientific journals since the turn of the century.He brought them to life in a readable book, "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil," that is creating ripples in the nutrition scene.And the ripples have reached these coconut shores. Upon the invitation of the Center for International Trade Exposition and Mission (CITEM), Fife stirred a country still hurting from years of coconut bashing by the US soybean and Malaysian palm oil lobbies to the fact that it had an oil find far better than any other.Twenty years ago, just when the discovery of its remarkable healing properties was pushing coconut oil forward, so was Filipino pharmacologist Dr. Conrado Dayrit testing the dietary oil on HIV-positive patients. It was the first clinical study that confirmed anecdotal reports on coconut oil having anti-HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) properties.The study excited the research world for its preventative possibilities, but it lay buried from public knowledge by the "war of oils" waged by Big Business -- until Fife came along.Fife corroborates Dayrit's findings by citing a recent TV interview of Earvin "Magic" Johnson. The former National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player, who now plays with the Globetrotters, attributed his rebound from being HIV-positive to a significantly reduced viral load to "the coconut diet."Dayrit's findings encouraged him to test the powerful antiviral properties of coconut oil on the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus which, he says, has the same lipid (fat)-coated membrane as the HIV.It was this bold initiative by Dayrit that drew the nation's interest and woke up a sleeping industry on the healing potential of virgin coconut oil.

The two coconut experts are one in telling health seekers and medical doctors that if virgin coconut oil can hold its own against deadly viruses, it can effectively protect against heart and infectious diseases.From his researches and naturopathy practice, Fife witnessed virgin coconut oil remove precancerous skin lesions, speed recovery from flu, stop bladder infections, protect from ulcers, lung infections, herpes and other diseases.Dayrit affirms that virgin coconut oil is better than antibiotics, which work only against bacteria. The wonder oil destroys both bacteria and viruses, including those associated with artherosclerosis.Its high antimicrobial content known as monolaurin is the same as that in human mother's milk that protects infants from infectious illnesses when their immune systems are still immature.Fife's visit has galvanized local physicians into pursuing more dynamic therapeutic applications.Dr. Arturo Ludan, a Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee in pediatrics, is looking into maximizing the immune booster properties in a palatable blend for children, and the amino acids content of young coconut water's effects on growth hormones.

Lowers cholesterol

In a recent symposium, Fife cited scientific data to debunk the saturated fat-heart disease link. "Natural coconut oil is heart-healthy," he said. In fact, it is one of only two dietary oils (the other is omega-3 oil) that reduces blood stickiness that leads to heart disease.Fife's researches reveal that plant-derived saturated coconut oil does not raise blood cholesterol. It actually helps lower cholesterol levels because of its ability to stimulate metabolism -- in effect, promoting weight loss.He validates traditional folk medicine: Applied topically, virgin coconut oil alleviates eczema and other skin ailments. As a moisturizer, it prevents premature aging and wrinkles, protects against skin cancer while keeping the skin soft and smooth. It is used to treat hair and scalp conditions.Doctors prescribe 3-4 tablespoonfuls of virgin coconut oil a day, taken straight, in salad dressing or blended in a fruit drink. The concentrated oil is equivalent to taking half a nut of fresh shredded coconut meat, or a glass of coconut milk. Taking more than the dose makes coconut oil a good detoxifying laxative.Virgin bestThe naturopath says that for food to work best as medicine, it has to be taken in its most natural state.When cold-pressed in low or no heat from freshly harvested mature coconut meats, the natural process retains vital nutrients and antioxidants that retard spoilage, producing clearer, more nutritious and potent virgin oil.Technically called white oil, it is transparent liquid in room temperature and solid in pure white butter in lower temperature. It is sold as coconut butter in US health food stores.If sealed properly to prevent moisture, oxidation and direct sunlight exposure, virgin coconut oil stays potent with a maximum shelf life of two years.Oil extracted from coconut milk using heat in the traditional kitchen process may no longer be as virgin, but the natural oil is a grade better than refined cooking oil.Commercial coconut cooking oil is mechanically processed from aged, dried copra and extracted at high temperatures. Losing its natural preservatives, it is further refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD). With essential antimicrobials retained, RBD coconut oil is a health product only if it is not chemically altered with hydrogenation and preservatives.The most important piece of information from Fife is the exclusive use of coconut oil for cooking, as it is the only oil that does not turn rancid in oxidation and heat, even when cooked up to 67 degrees Celsius (152.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Unlike cooked fats, such as butter, margarine, canola, corn and soybean oils, only coconut oil (aside from palm oil) does not form dangerous trans-fatty acids toxic to the body.In the war of oils, the consumer is the loser, according to Fife. By replacing the healthy tropical oil with hydrogenated soybean (or other unsaturated) oil, the processed food industry produced a health risk worse than its unfounded fear of heart disease because hydrogenated oil in any amount has been found to be toxic to the body.Regaining country's health With the renewed interest in coconut oil, Fife saw the Philippines, which used to be the world's top coconut oil exporter, regaining its health.He urged local producers to develop cold-pressing techniques, from community level to continuous production, to meet the challenge for "the health food of the 21st century."Local producers and traders have taken the initiative of setting a quality assurance scheme for virgin coconut oil that meets scientific standards. They have banded together to avoid the "nata de coco tragedy" that brought down the lucrative export to Japan because of unscrupulous short-cut methods employed by a few.Official certificationFife is lending a hand to the newly organized VCNO Philippines to ensure that the public gets the prescribed coconut oil, be it virgin or natural white oil.While official certification is under way, consumers are enjoined to read the label to match Doctor Coconut's prescription.

They may source direct from accredited producers (email: vcnophilippines@yahoo.com or call 751-3498, 826-7571, 727-3768 or 724-7987).