Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Aug:83:104557.
doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2021.104557. Epub 2021 May 24.

Virgin coconut oil is effective in lowering C-reactive protein levels among suspect and probable cases of COVID-19

Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa  1 , Jacus S Nacis  1 , Mario V Capanzana  1 , Fabian M Dayrit  2 , Keith V Tanda  1
Affiliations

Virgin coconut oil is effective in lowering C-reactive protein levels among suspect and probable cases of COVID-19

Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa et al. J Funct Foods. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Understanding the complex pathogenesis of COVID-19 continues to evolve. With observation and quarantine as the prevailing standard of care, this study evaluated the effects of virgin coconut oil (VCO) in the biochemical markers of suspect and probable cases of COVID-19. A 28-day randomized, double-blind, controlled intervention was conducted among 63 adults in two isolation facilities in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, Philippines. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either a standardized meal (control) or a standardized meal mixed with a predefined dosage of VCO. Changes in clinical markers were measured at three time points (day 0, 14, and 28), with daily monitoring of COVID-19 symptoms. Participants in the intervention group showed a significant decline in the C-reactive protein level, with the mean CRP level normalized to ≤ 5 mg/dL on the 14th day of the intervention. As an adjunct therapy, meals mixed with VCO is effective fostering faster recovery from COVID-19.

Keywords: C-reactive protein; COVID-19; Lauric acid; Monolaurin; Virgin coconut oil.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Percentage of participants with diminishing symptoms per group per day.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ahnach M., Zbiri S., Nejjari S., Ousti F., Elkettani C. C-reactive protein as an early predictor of COVID-19 severity. Journal of Medical Biochemistry. 2020;39(4):500–507. doi: 10.5937/jomb0-27554. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Assunção M.L., Ferreira H.S., dos Santos A.F., Cabral C.R., Florêncio T.M.M.T. Effects of dietary coconut oil on the biochemical and anthropometric profiles of women presenting abdominal obesity. Lipids. 2009;44(7):593–601. doi: 10.1007/s11745-009-3306-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bartolotta S., Garcí C.C., Candurra N.A., Damonte E.B. Effect of fatty acids on arenavirus replication: Inhibition of virus production by lauric acid. Archives of Virology. 2001;146(4):777–790. doi: 10.1007/s007050170146. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boulware D.R., Pullen M.F., Bangdiwala A.S., Pastick K.A., Lofgren S.M., Okafor E.C.…Hullsiek K.H. A Randomized Trial of Hydroxychloroquine as Postexposure Prophylaxis for Covid-19. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2020;383(6):517–525. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2016638. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cao J., Cai X., Chen M. Liver injury in covid-19: Caution and management. Liver Cancer. 2020;9(5):625–626. doi: 10.1159/000508696. - DOI - PMC - PubMed