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oils. Components of coconut oil are increasingly being shown to be beneficial. Increasingly, lauric acid and even capric acid have been the subject of favourable scientific reports on health mat: oils. Components of coconut oil are increasingly being shown to The antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal properties of lauric be beneficial. Increasingly, lauric acid and even capric acid have _acid and monolaurin have been recognised by a small number of been the subject of favourable scientific reports on health researchers for nearly four decades. This knowledge has resulted parameters. in more than 20 research papers and several US patents, and last year it resulted in a comprehensive book chapter which reviewed Il. FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF LAURIC FATS AS the important aspects of lauric oils as antimicrobial agents (Enig, ANTIMICROBIALS 1998). In the past, the larger group of clinicians and food and Earlier this year, at a special conference entitled "Functional nutrition scientists has been unaware of the potential benefits of Foods For Health Promotion: Physiologic Considerations" consuming foods containing coconut and coconut oil, but this is (Experimental Biology '99, Renaissance Washington Hotel, now starting to change. Washington, DC, April 17, 1999), which was sponsored by the Kabara (1978) and others have reported that certain fatty acids International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) North America, (FAs) (e.g., medium-chain saturates) and their derivatives (e.g., Technical Committee on Food Components for Health Promotion, monoglycerides, MGs) can have adverse effects on various micro- it was defined that "a functional food provides a health benefit | organisms. Those micro-organisms that are inactivated include over and beyond the basic nutrients". bacteria, yeast, fungi and enveloped viruses. Additionally, it is This is exactly what coconut and its edible products such as reported that the antimicrobial effects of the FAs and MGs are desiccated coconut and coconut oil do. As a functional food, additive, and total concentration is critical for inactivating viruses coconut has fatty acids that provide both (Isaacs and Thormar, 1990). energy (nutrients) and raw material for The properties that determine the anti- antimicrobial fatty acids and monoglyc- infective action of lipids are related to erides (functional components) when it is their structure, e.g., monoglycerides, free eaten. Desiccated coconut is about 69% fatty acids. The monoglycerides are coconut fat, as is creamed coconut. Full active; diglycerides and triglycerides are coconut milk is approximately 24% fat. 7 Unfortunately in the inactive, of the saturated fatty acids, lau. pproximately 50% of the fatty acids in . . ric acid has greater antiviral activity than coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a United States, during caprylic acid (C-8), capric acid (C-10) or medium-chain fatty acid which has the the late 1930s and again myristic acid (C-14). additional beneficial function of being . In general, it is reported that the fatty formed into monolaurin in the human or during the 1980s and acids and monoglycerides produce their animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, ° killing/inactivating effect by lysing the antibacterial and antiprotozoal monoglyc- 1990s, the commercial plasma membrane lipid bilayer. “The eride used by the human (and animal) to interests of the domestic antiviral action attributed to monolaurin is destroy lipid-coated viruses such as we that of solubilising the lipids and HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, fats and oils industry phospholipids in the envelope of the influenza, various pathogenic bacteria were successful in virus, causing the disintegration of including Listeria monocytogenes and driving down usage the virus envelope. However, there of coconut oil. Helicobacter pylori, and protozoa is evidence from recent studies that such as Giardia lamblia. Some stud- one antimicrobial effect in bacteria ies have also shown some antimicro- is related to monolaurin's interfer- bial effects of the free lauric acid. ence with signal transduction (Projan Also, approximately 6-7% of the et al., 1994), and another antimicro- fatty acids in coconut fat are capric bial effect in viruses is due to lauric acid. Capric acid is another medium- acid's interference with virus assem- chain fatty acid which has a similar bly and viral maturation (Hornung et beneficial function when it is formed al., 1994). into monocaprin in the human or ani- Recognition of the antiviral mal body. Monocaprin has also been aspects of the antimicrobial activity shown to have antiviral effects against HIV and is being tested for of the monoglyceride of lauric acid (monolaurin) has been report- antiviral effects against herpes simplex and for antibacterial ed since 1966. Some of the early work by Hierholzer and Kabara effects against Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted bacteria (1982), which showed virucidal effects of monolaurin on (Reuters, London, June 29, 1999). enveloped RNA and DNA viruses, was done in conjunction with The food industry has, of course, long been aware that the func- the Centers for Disease Control of the US Public Health Service. tional properties of the lauric oils, and especially coconut oil, are © These studies were done with selected virus prototypes or recog- unsurpassed by other available commercial oils. Unfortunately in _nised representative strains of enveloped human viruses. The the United States, during the late 1930s and again during the envelope of these viruses is a lipid membrane, and the presence of 1980s and 1990s, the commercial interests of the domestic fats a lipid membrane on viruses makes them especially vulnerable to and oils industry were successful in driving down usage of _lauric acid and its derivative, monolaurin. coconut oil. As a result, in the US and in other countries where The medium-chain saturated fatty acids and their derivatives act the influence from the US is strong, the manufacturer has lost the by disrupting the lipid membranes of the viruses (Isaacs and benefit of the lauric oils in its food products. Thormar, 1991; Isaacs et al., 1992). Research has shown that As we will see from the data I will present in this talk, itis the | enveloped viruses are inactivated in both human and bovine milk consumer who has lost the many health benefits that can result by added fatty acids and monoglycerides (Isaacs et al., 1991) and from regular consumption of coconut products. also by endogenous fatty acids and monoglycerides of the parameters. Unfortunately in the United States, during the late 1930s and again during the 1980s and 1990s, the commercial interests of the domestic fats and oils industry were successful in driving down usage of coconut oil. 14 ¢ NEXUS WWW.NeXU smagazi ne.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2002