A local study in the Philippines showed virgin coconut oil could reduce, if not totally wipe out the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The initial study was conducted in 1999 and involved 14 HIV-positive patients of the San Lazaro Hospital in Sta. Cruz Manila. The research took six months and was conducted by Dr. Conrado Dayrit and medical staff of the state-run San Lazaro Hospital.
The study showed that the coconut chemical lauric acid could inhibit, delay and reduce the spread of HIV. Dr. Dayrit says the viral loads of research subjects went down, while their CD4 cells, the human body's first lines of defense against infection, went up.
The research was funded by non-government Philippine Coconut Research and Development Foundation (PCRDF). Dayrit described the test results as "just the beginning of an exhaustive work". He calls for more expanded studies on the antiretroviral properties of virgin coconut oil.
Published by Teresita C. Tayanes on June 1, 2007 03:43 AM
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