Coconuts for Immune Defense
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(The FDA has not evaluated
this information. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you have a specific health
condition, like an infection, consult a qualified physician. Coconut derived fatty acids and monoglycerides are nutritional
supplements, NOT drugs.)
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Coconut meat
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Dessicated coconut provides nutrients and a source of energy for your
immune defense.
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It also contains the raw materials your body uses to mount its
antimicrobial defense.
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It contains 69% coconut fat.
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Creamed coconut is similar to dessicated coconut in its nutrients and
defense building blocks.
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Coconut milk
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Coconut milk also provides nutrients and a source of energy for your
immune defense.
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It contains about one-third the amount of fat contained in the
dessicated coconut.
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Antimicrobial fat content
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Lauric acid makes up about half the coconut fatty acids.
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Capric acid makes up about 6 to 7% of the coconut fat acids.
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It tends to slightly lower serum cholesterol.
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Lauric acid
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Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid.
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Significant levels can be found in mother's milk.
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A mother's diet plays an important role in the amount of lauric acid found in the milk.
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Lauric acid has a neutral effect on serum
cholesterol.
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Monolaurin destroys lipid-coated viruses:
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Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
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Herpes simplex-1 (HSV-1)
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Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
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Influenza
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Measles virus
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Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)
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Visna virus
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Monolaurin's defensive activities
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Monolaurin is a monoglyceride
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Monolaurin has antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal activities.
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Monolaruin destroys lipid-coated "bugs."
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Monolaurin inactivates lipid-coated viruses.
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These viruses can coat themselves with lipids from your cell membranes.
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Monolaurin works through cell
lysis (breakdown and rupture of the cell).
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Monolaurin causes the double layer of fats that envelope the virus (lipid bilayer) to break up.
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Monolaurin dissolves (solubilizes) the lipids and phospholipids in the lipid envelope of the virus.
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Monolaurin interferes with the chemical communication systems of the virus.
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Monolaurin interferes with signal transduction of the
virus.
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Monolaurin interferes with the growth and reproduction of the virus.
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Monolaurin interferes with the assembly of new viruses that can spread and infect other of your cells.
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Monolaurin interferes with the maturation of the virus.
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Active forms of fatty acids
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Free fatty acids are active in the defense against viruses. Caprylic acid has eight carbons
(C-8), capric acid has 10 carbons (C-10), lauric acid has 12 carbons (C-12) or myristic acid has 14
carbons (C-14).
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Monoglycerides are active in the defense against viruses. Monolaurin, for example, is more powerful than lauric acid.
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Diglycerides are inactive in the defense against viruses.
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Triglycerides are inactive in the defense against viruses.
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The best defense is a good offense.
- Eating foods with the essential fats can build your nutritional defense against these bugs if they infect you.
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Good nutrition, good hygiene and good health make up the
strongest offense-defense.
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Monolaurin helps destroy or inactivate a number of bacteria that cause illness in people.
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Chlamydia trachomatis (lauric acid, capric acid, and
monocaprin are active against this bacteria)
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Hemophilus influenzae
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Heliobacter pylori
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Listeria monocytogenes
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Staphylococcus aureus
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Staphylococcus epidermidis
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Streptococcus agalactiae
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Group B gram positive streptococcus
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Groups A, F, G streptococci
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Other gram positive bacteria
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Monolaurin does not destroy or inactivate all bacteria
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Escherichia coli
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Salmonella enteritidis
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Helicobacter pylori
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Helicobacter pylori is rapidly inactivated by lauric acid and the medium-chain monoglycerides.
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Bacterial resistance does not develop to these natural
antimicrobials.
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Listeria monocytogenes
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Monolaurin was more potent than alcohol.
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It was 5000 times more inhibitory than ethanol against Listeria monocytogenes.
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Staphylococcus aureus
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Decreased
growth of Staphylococcus aureus with 150 mg. of monolaurin per liter.
- Decreased
production of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 with 150 mg. of monolaurin per liter.
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Fungus
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Several species of ringworm (Isaacs et al 1991).
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Yeast
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Candida albicans
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Giardia lamblia (It is killed by free fatty acids and monoglycerides taken from hydrolyzed human milk)
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Good bacteria (digestive flora)
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Monolaurin does not appear to have an adverse effect on "good" bacteria that live in the digestive tract.
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Bacterial invaders (pathogens)
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Monolaurin inactivates or kills many of the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, or viruses that invade the digestive tract.
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Human immunodeficiency virus-1
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Monocaprin hydrogel
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Herpes simplex virus-2
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Monocaprin hydrogel
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Chlamydia trachomatis
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Capric acid
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Monocaprin
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Neisseria gonorrhoeae
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Monocaprin hydrogel
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- Bergsson G et al. (1998)
- In vitro
inactivation of Chlamydia trachomatis by fatty acids and monoglycerides.
- Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 42:2290-2294.
- Boddie RL and Nickerson SC. (1992)
- Evaluation of postmilking teat germicides
containing Lauricidin, saturated fatty acids, and lactic acid.
- J Dairy Sci 75:1725-1730.
- Crouch AA et al. (1991)
- Effect of human milk and
infant milk formulae on adherence of Giardia intestinalis.
- Trans Royal Soc Trop Med Hygiene 85:617-619.
- Dodge JA and Sagher FA. (1991)
- Antiviral and antibacterial lipids in human milk and infant formula.
- Arch Dis Child 66:272-273.
- Enig, MG.(1998)
- Lauric oils as antimicrobial agents: theory of effect,
scientific rationale, and dietary applications as adjunct nutritional support
for HIV-infected individuals. in Nutrients and Foods in AIDS (RR Watson,
ed.).
- CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL pp. 81-97.
- Erasmus U. (1993)
- Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill
- Alive Books Burnaby BC, Canada
- Fletcher RD et al. (1985)
- Effects of monoglycerides on
mycoplasma pneumoniae growth, in The Pharmacological Effect of Lipids II (JJ
Kabara, ed.).
- American Oil Chemists' Society, Champaign IL pp.59-63.
- Hernell O et al. (1986)
- Killing of Giardia lamblia
by human milk lipases: an effect mediated by lipolysis of milk lipids.
- J Infect Dis 153:715-720.
- Hierholzer JC and Kabara JJ (1982)
- In vitro effects of monolaurin compounds on enveloped RNA and DNA viruses.
- J Food Safety 4:1-12.
- Hornung B et al. (1994)
- Lauric acid inhibits the maturation of vesicular stomatitis virus.
- J Gen Virol 75:353-361.
- Isaacs CE and Thormar H. (1986)
- Membrane-disruptive effect of human milk: inactivation of enveloped viruses.
- J Infect Dis 154:966-971.
- Isaacs CE and Thormar H. (1990)
- Human milk lipids inactivated enveloped viruses. In
Breastfeeding, Nutrition, Infection and Infant Growth in Developed and Emerging
Countries (Atkinson SA, Hanson LA, Chandra RK, eds.).
- Arts Biomedical Publishers and Distributors, St. John's NF, Canada
- Isaacs CE and Thormar H. (1991)
- The role of milk-derived antimicrobial lipids as antiviral and antibacterial agents. In Immunology of Milk and the Neonate
(Mestecky J, et al, eds.).
- Plenum Press, New York
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- Isaacs CE and Schneidman K. (1991)
- Enveloped viruses in human and bovine milk are
inactivated by added fatty acids(FAs) and monoglycerides(MGs).
- J FASEB 5: Abstract 5325, p.A1288.
- Isaacs CE et al. (1990)
- Antiviral and antibacterial lipids in human milk and infant formula feeds.
- Arch Dis Child 65:861-864.
- Isaacs CE et al. (1994)
- Inactivation of enveloped viruses in human bodily fluids by purified lipids.
- Ann NY Acad Sci 724:457-464.
- Kabara JJ. (1978)
- Fatty acids and derivatives as antimicrobial agents -- A
review. In The Pharmacological Effect of Lipids (JJ Kabara, ed.).
- American Oil Chemists' Society, Champaign IL
- Oh DH and Marshall DL. (1993)
- Antimicrobial activity of ethanol, glycerol monolaurate or lactic acid against Listeria monocytogenes.
- Int J Food Microbiol 20:239-246.
- Petschow BW et al. (1996)
- Susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to bactericidal properties of medium-chain monoglycerides and free fatty acids.
- Antimicrobial Agents Chemother 40:302-306.
- Projan SJ et al. (1994)
- Glycerol monolaurate inhibits the production of beta-lactamase, toxic shock toxin-1, and other staphylococcal exoproteins by interfering with signal
transduction.
- J Bacteriol 176:4204-4209.
- Reiner DS et al. (1986)
- Human milk kills Giardia lamblia by generating toxic lipolytic products.
- J Infect Dis 154:825-832.
- Thormar H et al. (1987)
- Inactivation of enveloped viruses and killing of cells by fatty acids and monoglycerides.
- Antimicrobial Agents Chemother 31:27-31.
- Wang LL and Johnson EA. (1992)
- Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes by fatty acids and monoglycerides.
- Appl Environ Microbiol 58:624-629.
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MEND :
Coconuts for Immune Defense
created by Carl R. Hansen, Jr. M.D.
last modified: September 17, 2001
4601 Excelsior Boulevard, Suite 300, St. Louis
Park, Minnesota USA Phone: 952-920-8801, Fax: 952-920-2121
Under the copyright laws, this document may not be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form, in part or in whole, without the prior written consent of Carl R. Hansen, Jr., M.D., MEND.
Copyright 2001 Carl R. Hansen, Jr., M.D. MEND, 4601 Excelsior Blvd., Suite 300, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, USA 55416
URL:
https://www.mend.net/immune/coconut.html
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