Can coconut oil control COVID-19?

Team Udayavani, Jul 7, 2020, 2:17 PM IST

Mumbai: The debate over the use of coconut oil has come to the forefront in this period of COVID-19 panic. Some scientists have noticed that even though COVID-19 is spreading across the world, Keralites are not highly affected by it. This had led to the debate about the immune properties of coconut oil.

Some researchers have published an article in the Journal of Association Physicians India (JAPI) on the theory that regular consumption of coconut oil can control COVID-19.

The article discusses coconut oil’s immunity-boosting and germ-fighting properties.

Coconut oil contains lauric acid and saturated fatty acid. These are absorbed by the body. Lauric acid once absorbed by the body turns into Mono-lauric and kills bacterias and viruses that enter the body, says Shashank Joshi, one of the researchers.

Coconut oil is been consumed for nearly 4 thousand years. Especially in Kerala. That is why, it is being reported, they are more capable than the rest of the people across the country in fighting COVID-19. However, special experiments need to be done to determine whether the use of coconut oil can suppress the coronavirus, Joshi added.