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Have you or someone you know ever been in a serious car accident? I mean serious enough that you had to be rushed to the hospital and spend time in the intensive care unit. Or maybe you've come down with a life-threatening illness. Or perhaps due to age you've been hospitalized to treat some degenerative condition. In any of these situations, whether you lived or died depended on the care you received in the hospital. Often this required you to be fed intravenously or through a tube. In the intensive care unit there would be others, some suffering from complications from genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis or epilepsy and perhaps even premature infants struggling to survive their first few weeks of life. In each of these cases you and these other patients can give some of the credit for your recovery to coconut oil. Yes, in one form or another, coconut oil was part of your treatment.
Regardless of the condition, recovery requires good nutrition. Food scientists have long noted the nutritional benefits of MCFA. (Note: in this article MCFA - medium chain fatty acids - and MCT - medium chain triglycerides - are used interchangeably.) Coconut oil, or some derivative of it, is used in hospital formulas to feed the very young, the critically ill, and those who have digestive problems. It makes up a vital part of the solutions fed to patients intravenously or through a tube inserted down the throat. In emergencies when commercial IV solutions are not available, doctors in tropical climates will use coconut water instead. Often referred to as "coconut milk", fresh coconut water is naturally free from germs and has many mineral salts, sugars, and medium-chain fatty acids that are capable of nourishing a patient who is incapable of consuming or digesting ordinary food. Coconut water has helped save the lives of hundreds of seriously sick and injured people. Its greatest use has been to combat dehydration and electrolyte depletion in wounded soldiers. During WWII the Japanese used coconut water as an emergency IV solution. Later during the Vietnam conflict North Vietnamese doctors did the same thing. In fact, if you were ever given formula as a baby you took advantage of the health-promoting properties of coconut oil. MCFA from coconut oil have been added to baby formula for decades.
Why do they use it? Because the MCFA in coconut oil are easily digested, absorbed, and put to use nourishing the body. Unlike other fats, they put little strain on the digestive system and provide a quick source of energy necessary to promote healing. This is important for patients who are using every ounce of strength they have to overcome serious illness or injury. It's no wonder why MCFA are added to infant formulas. Actually, whether you were breast or formula fed as an infant you consumed MCFA. Why? Because MCFA are not only found in coconut oil but are natural and vital components of human breast milk. MCFA are considered essential nutrients for infants as well as for people with serious digestive problems like cystic fibrosis. Like other essential nutrients, you must get them directly from the diet.
One of the first scientifically recognized benefits of MCFA is the unique manner in which they are digested and utilized by the body. These fats provide nutritional benefits that can improve overall health of both the sick and the well, the young and the old. Even athletes are now using them to boost performance and control weight. Unfortunately, few foods nowadays contain MCFA; the best source is coconut oil. By adding coconut oil to your diet you can literally eat your way to better health.
For at least five decades researchers have recognized that the MCFA were digested differently than other fats. This difference has had important applications in the treatment of many digestive and metabolic health conditions and since that time MCFA have been routinely used in hospital and baby formulas.
The digestive health advantages of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) over long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) are due to the differences in the way our bodies metabolize these fats. Because the MCFA molecules are smaller, they require less energy and fewer enzymes to break them down for digestion. They are digested and absorbed quickly and with minimal effort.
MCFA are broken down almost immediately by enzymes in the saliva and gastric juices so that pancreatic fat-digesting enzymes are not even essential.1 Therefore, there is less strain on the pancreas and digestive system. This has important implications for patients who suffer from digestive and metabolic problems. Premature and ill infants especially whose digestive organs are underdeveloped, are able to absorb MCFA with relative ease, while other fats pass through their systems pretty much undigested. People who suffer from malabsorption problems such as cystic fibrosis, and have difficulty digesting or absorbing fats and fat soluble vitamins, benefit greatly from MCFA. They can also be of importance % people suffering from diabetes, obesity, gallbladder disease, pancreatitis Crohn's disease, pancreatic insufficiency, and some forms of cancer.
As we get older our bodies don't function as well as they did in earlier years. Our pancreas doesn't make as many digestive enzymes, our intestines don't absorb nutrients as well, the whole process of digestion and elimination moves at a lower rate of efficiency. As a result, older people often suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Because MCFA are easy to digest and improve vitamin and mineral absorption they should be included in the meals of older people. This is easy to do if the meals are prepared with coconut oil.
Unlike other fatty acids, MCFA are absorbed directly from the intestines into the portal vein and sent straight to the liver where they are, for the most part, burned as fuel much like a carbohydrate. In this respect they act more like carbohydrates than like fats.2
Other fats require pancreatic enzymes to break them into smaller units. They are then absorbed into the intestinal wall and packaged into bundles of fat (lipid) and protein called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins are carried by the lymphatic system, bypassing the liver, and then dumped into the bloodstream, where they are circulated throughout the body. As they circulate in the blood, their fatty components are distributed to all the tissues of the body. The lipoproteins get smaller and smaller, until there is little left of them. At this time they are picked up by the liver, broken apart, and used to produce energy or, if needed, repackaged into other lipoproteins and sent back into the bloodstream to be distributed throughout the body. Cholesterol, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat are all packaged together into lipoproteins and carried throughout the body in this way. In contrast, MCFA are not packaged into lipoproteins but go to the liver where they are converted into energy. Ordinarily they are not stored to any significant degree as body fat. MCFA produce energy. Other dietary fats produce body fat.
Inside each of our cells is an organ called the mitochondria. The energy needed by the cell to carry on its functions is generated by the mitochondria. Mitochondria are encased in two membranous sacs which normally require special enzymes to transport nutrients through them. MCFA are unique in that they can easily permeate both membranes of the mitochondria without the need of enzymes and thus provide the cell with a quick and efficient source of energy. Longer chain fatty acids demand special enzymes to pull them through the double membrane, and the energy production process is much slower and taxing on enzyme reserves.
Because of the above advantages, coconut oil has been a lifesaver for many people, particularly the very young and the very old. It is used medicinally in special food preparations for those who suffer digestive disorders and have trouble digesting fats. For the same reason, it is also used in infant formula for the treatment of malnutrition. Since it is rapidly absorbed, it can deliver quick nourishment without putting excessive strain on the digestive and enzyme systems and help conserve the body's energy that would normally be expended in digesting other fats. Medium-chain fatty acids comprise a major ingredient in most infant formulas commonly used today.
Eating foods containing MCFA is like putting high octane fuel into your car. The car runs smoother and gets better gas mileage. Likewise, with MCFA your body performs better because it has more energy and greater endurance. Because MCFA are funneled directly to the liver and converted into energy, the body gets a boost of energy. And because MCFA are easily absorbed by the energy-producing organelles of the cells, metabolism increases. This burst of energy has a stimulating effect on the entire body.
The fact that MCFA digest immediately to produce energy and stimulate metabolism has led athletes to use them as a means to enhance exercise performance. Studies indicate this may be true. In one study, for example, investigators tested the physical endurance of mice who were given MCFA in their daily diet against those that weren't. The study extended over a six-week period. The mice were subjected to a swimming endurance test every other day. They were placed in a pool of water with a constant current. The total swimming time until exhaustion was measured. While at first there was little difference between the groups of mice, those fed MCFA quickly began to out-perform the others and continued to improve throughout the testing period.3 Tests such as this demonstrated that MCFA had the ability to enhance endurance and exercise performance, at least in mice. Another study using human subjects supported the animal studies. In this study conditioned cyclists were used. The cyclists pedaled at 70 percent of maximum for two hours, then immediately embarked on a 40 K time trial ride (lasting about an additional hour) while drinking one of three beverages: a MCFA solution, a sports drink, or a sports drink/MCFA combination. The cyclists who drank the sports drink/MCFA mixture cycled the fastest and furthest during the time trial.4 The authors of the study theorized that the MCFA gave the cyclists an additional source of energy, thus sparing glycogen stores. Glycogen, the energy stored in muscle tissue, would have been used up during the three-hour ride. The more glycogen in the muscles the greater an athlete's endurance. So any substance that can conserve glycogen while providing energy would be useful to endurance athletes. In a follow-up study to test the glycogen sparing theory, participants cycled at 60% of their maximum for three hours while drinking one of three beverages as was done in the earlier study. Following the exercise, muscle glycogen levels were measured and found to be the same for all three groups. The conclusion was that MCFA did not spare glycogen stores, yet did improve performance. The improvement in performance was not due to glycogen sparing and must be attributed to some other mechanism.
Because of these and similar studies many of the powdered sports drinks and energy bars sold at health food stores contain MCFA to provide a quick source of energy. The medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) most often used in sports drinks and energy bars are in the form of medium-chain triglyceride oil (MCT oil). They are usually indicated as "MCT" on food, supplement, and infant formula labels. Athletes and other active people looking for nutritional, non-drug methods to enhance exercise performance have begun using them.
Although many studies have shown MCFA to boost energy and endurance, there are other studies which have shown little or no effect, at least when MCFA mixtures are taken in a single oral dose. Studies generally show that a single oral dose has little measurable effect. In studies where animals were fed MCFA as a part of their daily diet, however, the results were more significant. From this evidence it appears that the best way to increase energy and endurance is to consume MCFA on a daily basis and not a single time just before or during competition.
It's easy to see why athletes would be interested in gaining greater endurance and energy, but what about non-athletes? MCFA can do the same for them. If eaten regularly MCFA can provide a boost in energy and performance of daily activities. Would you like to increase your energy level throughout the day? If you get tired in the middle of the day or feel you lack energy, adding coconut oil to your daily diet may provide you with a much needed boost to help carry you through.
Besides increasing your energy level, there are other very important benefits that results from boosting your metabolic rate: it helps protect you from illness and speeds healing. When metabolism is increased, cells function at a higher rate of efficiency. They heal injuries quicker, old and diseased cells are replaced faster, and young, new cells are generated at an increased rate to replace worn-out ones. Even the immune system functions better.
Several health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and osteoporosis are more prevalent in those people who have slow metabolism. Any health condition is made worse if the metabolic rate is slower than normal, because cells can't heal and repair themselves as quickly. Increasing metabolic rate, therefore, provides an increased degree of protection from both degenerative and infectious illnesses.
Among all the foods in nature there is one that stands head and shoulders above all the rest. That food is mothers' milk. Milk was designed by nature to supply all the nutrients a baby needs for the first year or so of life. It contains a perfect blend of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats for optimal growth and development. Without question breast milk is one of the wonders of nature.
Children who are breastfed not only take in important nutrients from the milk, but they also receive antibodies and other substances necessary to protect them against childhood illnesses such as ear infections, later in life. Breastfed children are healthier than those who are not. They have better teeth and jaw formation, they are less prone to allergies, have better digestive function, and are better able to fight off infectious disease. Research suggests that breastfed children may even develop higher intelligence. Recognizing the superiority of nature, scientists have attempted to make baby formula match mother's milk as closely as possible.
An important component of breast milk is medium-chain fatty acids, principally lauric acid. Lauric acid is also the primary saturated fatty acid found in coconut oil. Apparently nature thought it essential to the baby's health to include it. Nature has a reason for everything it does. It doesn't do things, such as putting MCFA in milk, just for the fun of it.
Some of the important reasons medium-chain fatty acids are included in milk are improved nutrient absorption and digestive function. As noted earlier, pancreatic enzymes aren't even necessary to digest them. They also help to regulate blood sugar levels. Another very important function is that medium-chain fatty acids protect the baby from harmful microorganisms. The baby's immature immune system is supported by the antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties of these vital fatty acids. In fact, without these unique saturated fats, the baby would probably not survive long. It would become malnourished and highly susceptible to a myriad of infectious diseases.
Milk that is rich in medium-chain fatty acids is vital for the healthy growth and development of the child. For this reason, MCFA are added to most, if not all, baby formulas. Yet, these fatty acids are not exactly the same as those found naturally in mother's milk. At one time formula manufacturers used pure coconut or palm kernel oils and many brands still do. But MCT oil is used in some formulas. MCT oil is a product of industry containing 75 percent caprylic acid and 25 percent capric acid with little or no lauric acid, the most important antimicrobial MCFA. Lauric acid is also the most abundant MCFA found naturally in mother's milk. The ratio of lauric acid to other MCFA in coconut oil is similar to that in mother's milk. The reason MCT oil is used in place of the more expensive coconut oil is due to economics rather than concerns for health. Don't get me wrong, caprylic and capric acids are good, but not as good as lauric acid, and not as good as a combination of all three, as nature intended.
Just as the fatty acid content and quality of formula can be altered, so can human breast milk. Breast milk is, without question, the best choice of food for babies. Not all breast milk is the same however. The quality of the milk is influenced by the mother's health and diet. Breast milk is made from the nutrients the mother consumes. If she doesn't eat the right amount of nutrients, her body will pull them out of her own tissues. If the mother is deficient in these vital nutrients herself, then the milk she produces will also be deficient. Similarly, if she eats foods containing toxins (such as transfatty acids) her milk may contain them as well. Eating wisely is very important for pregnant and nursing women and their babies.
The mammary glands produce small amounts of all the medium-chain fatty acids, vital components in human breast milk. They are there because they are easy for an infant's immature digestive system to absorb and utilize. They help give the baby the nutrients and energy it needs to grow and develop properly. Because they also have antimicrobial properties they give the infant some degree of protection against viruses such as HIV and herpes, bacteria such a chlamydia and H. pyloris, fungi such as Candida and protozoa such as giardia.
Both animal and human studies have shown MCFA to be an important component in mother's milk for the proper growth and development of their offspring. For example, when pregnant and lactating pigs were fed diets containing either long-chain fatty acids (vegetable oil) or medium-chain fatty acids (coconut oil) there was a pronounced difference in the survival and growth rates. The piglets whose mothers received the MCFA grew faster and healthier and had a survival rate of 68% compared to 32%. This was particularly true with piglets which were born underweight.5
The same thing appears to happen in humans. For example, coconut oil was added to the formula of 46 very low-birthweight babies to see if supplementation was capable of enhancing their weight gain. The group with the coconut oil gained weight quicker. The weight gain was due to physical growth and not fat storage.6 The babies gained more weight and grew better with the coconut oil because their bodies were able to digest it easily. The vegetable oils, to a great extent, passed through their digestive tracts undigested and thus deprived them of the fat calories they needed for proper development. MCFA not only allow infants to absorb needed fats but they improve the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and protein.7,8
Human milk fat has a unique fatty acid composition. The primary fat is saturated, comprising about 45-50 percent of the total fat content. The next most abundant fat is monounsaturated which makes up about 35 percent of the milk fat. Polyunsaturated fat comprises only 15-20 percent of the total. A significant portion of the saturated fat in human breast milk can be in the form of MCFA. Sadly, many mothers produce very little. This can have dramatic consequences on the health of their children.
If breast milk does not contain enough MCFA, an infant can suffer from nutritional deficiency and become vulnerable to infectious illness. Therefore, it is important that mother's milk contain as much MCFA as nature will allow. This can be done with diet. Given an ample supply of food containing medium-chain fatty acids, a nursing mother will produce a milk rich in these health-promoting nutrients.9 While cow's milk and other dairy products contain small amounts, the foods richest in medium-chain fatty acids are the tropical oils, principally coconut oil.
The levels of these antimicrobial fatty acids can be as low as 3 to 4 percent, but when nursing mothers eat coconut products (shredded coconut, coconut milk, coconut oil, etc.) the levels of MCFA in their milk increase significantly. For instance, eating 40 grams (about 3 tablespoons worth) of coconut oil in one meal can temporarily increase the lauric acid in the milk of a nursing mother from 3.9% to 9.6% after 14 hours.10 The content of caprylic and capric acids are also increased. "This gives an important benefit," says Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. an expert in lipid chemistry and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. "The milk has increased amounts of the protective antimicrobials lauric acid and capric acid, which gives even greater protection to the infant." If the mother consumes coconut oil every day while nursing, the MCFA content will be even greater.
Preparation by the mother should start before the baby is born. Pregnant women store fat to be used later in making their milk. After the baby is born the fatty acids stored in the mother's body and supplied by her daily diet are used in the production of her milk. If she has eaten and continues to eat foods which supply ample amounts of MCFA, particularly lauric acid and capric acid (the two most important antimicrobial medium-chain fatty acids), her milk will provide maximum benefit to her baby. These mothers can have as much as 18 percent of the saturated fatty acids in their milk in the form of lauric and capric acids.
If the mother did not eat foods containing MCFA and does not eat them while nursing, her mammary glands will only be capable of producing about 3 percent lauric acid and 1 percent capric acid. Her child will lose a great deal of the nutritional benefits as well as the antimicrobial protection the infant could have otherwise had.
One of the major characteristics of human breast milk is its ability to protect infants from a myriad of infectious illnesses during a time when their immune systems are immature and incapable of adequately defending themselves. The protective antimicrobial substances in milk that protect the child from a world teaming with infectious germs and parasites are the MCFA. There are some illnesses that even an adult with a healthy immune system may have difficulty fighting off. If the baby is not protected with an adequate amount of MCFA in his or her milk, exposure to such an infection could result in serious illness.
When a nursing mother is infected with such an illness, her child is also vulnerable. Mothers infected by certain viruses can pass the infection on to their infants through breastfeeding. In these cases breastfeeding is not recommended. This is particularly true when the mother is infected with a dangerous virus such as HIV. Recent research has shown that mothers who include a source of lauric acid, such as coconut oil, in their diets have lower risk of infecting their nursing infants. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Aug. 27, 1999) reported that adding coconut to the diet would be beneficial because it would provide increased lauric and capric acid to the mother's milk, thus reducing the risk of transferring the virus. The presence of the MCFA in the milk lowers the level of the virus in the milk and thus helps lower the risk of transmission of the disease.
While HIV-infected mothers are usually advised not to breastfeed their young for fear that the virus may be transferred, there is no feasible option in some parts of the world. Many women in resource-poor areas do not have the financial means to buy infant formula. Breastfeeding is really their only option. Adding coconut products and coconut oil to the mother's diet is the only practical defense these women have against passing the AIDS virus to their children.
It has been recommended that HIV-infected mothers who are breastfeeding consume 24-28 grams/day of lauric acid and 3-4 grams/day of capric acid to prevent the transfer of the virus. Since coconut oil is nearly 48 percent lauric acid and 7 percent capric acid, this requirement would be met if the mother ate about 50-55 grams of coconut oil each day. A tablespoon is equivalent to 14 grams. So 31/2 tablespoons of coconut oil a day would provide the recommended amount of both lauric and capric acids.
Other viral infections such as those that cause measles, herpes, mononucleosis, and such are also a threat to nursing infants. Pregnant women and nursing mothers can help protect their children by eating an abundant amount of coconut oil or products that contain coconut oil, such as shredded coconut or coconut milk.
Any mother or expectant mother who desires a healthy, well developed baby should consider adding coconut oil to her diet. She will not only assure better health for her children but will benefit greatly herself.
MCFA are vital nutrients and protectors found naturally in human milk. They are deadly enough to kill the AIDS virus yet gentle enough to nourish a premature infant to health. As we grow to adulthood and beyond, our bodies begin to wear down. MCFA can help nourish and protect us, as it does infants, from infectious and degenerative disease. It appears that coconut oil provides many health benefits to those who are very young and those who are very old and all those in between!
1. Thampan, P.K. 1994. Facts and Fallacies About Coconut Oil. Asian and Pacific Coconut Community, p.8
2. Kiyasu G.Y., et al. 1952. The portal transport of absorbed fatty acids. Journal of Biological Chemistry 199:415
3. Fushiki, T. and Matsumoto, K. 1995, Swimming endurance capacity of mice is increased by chronic consumption of medium-chain triglycerides. Journal of Nutrition 125:531
4. Applegate, L. 1996. Nutrition. Runner's World 31:26
5. Azain, M.J., 1993. Effects of adding medium-chain triglycerides to sow diets during late gestation and early lactation on litter performance. J. Anim. Sci. 71(11):3011
6. Vaidya, U.V., et al. 1992 Vegetable oil fortified feeds in the nutrition of very low birthweight babies. Indian Pediatr. 29(12):1519
7. Tantibhedhyangkul, P. and Hashim, S.A., 1978. Medium-chain triglyceride feeding in premature infants: effects on calcium and magnesium absorption. Pediatrics 61(4):537
8. Jiang, Z.M.,Et al. 1993. A comparison of medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides in surgical patients. Ann. Surg. 217(2):175
9. Francois, C.A., et al. 1998. Acute effects of dietary fatty acids on the fatty acids of human milk. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 67:301
10. Ibid
Excerpts from Bruce Fife's book The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil
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