According to a latest lab study which was published recently, lauric acid was found to destroy more than 93 percent of colon cancer cells (Caco-2) in humans after treating for 48 hours. Coconut oil comprises of almost half of lauric acid. Fascinatingly, the lauric acid worked by poisoning the cancer cells though the simultaneous release of strong oxidative stress and reduction of glutathione levels (glutathione was required by cancer cells for protecting against enhanced oxidative stress).
The cancer-fighting benefits of coconut oil have been discovered more recently, but its other health benefits have been known for a long time because of earlier medical research. It has the natural ability to destroy many bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. It also helps with liver metabolism and digestion. It helps in promoting healthier skin and reducing inflammation. It also helps speed up the healing of our wound with just topical application.
Studies show that it can help in raising levels of healthy cholesterol (HDL) in females. This indicates that it may have potential benefits in treating diabetes. In studies it improved the LDL to HDL ratio in women and also helped in fat loss from abdomen and overall weight loss, especially in comparison to soybean oil.
Coconut oil is increasingly being used in various clinical trials to improve cholesterol levels in patients suffering from chronic heart disease. It is also being used for improving Alzheimer’s, blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
Lauric Acid
What makes coconut oil special is that it contains around 50 percent lauric acid. This is a medium chained triglyceride which occurs very rarely in our diets. Palm kernel oil is another option that contains equivalent amount of lauric acid.
It is worth considering that cow’s milk contains not more than 2 percent of this acid. But human milk contains around 6 percent of this fatty acid. This indicates that we humans may need higher amounts of lauric acid.
But these research studies should not be seen as proving that coconut is the ultimate cure for cancer. But it does give us a sign that nature has given us many ways for fighting disease. But it does prove that we need to do more research and get more information which can be shared with everyone. It is this information that can help in creative potential cures and preventions because of nature’s help, rather than believing entirely in the one-way rule for treating disease which is used by medical communities.
Source: Healthy Holistic Living
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