The powerful antivirus in your pantry

Almost half of your standard coconut oil is made up of a 12 carbon medium chain fatty acid called lauric acid. Up until recently, it has been my least favorite medium chain triglyceride (that’s right...I keep an ongoing ranking of fatty acids in their various categories). It’s previous low ranking is mostly due to the fact that it lacks the powerful ketogenic properties of the other MCTs. However, it may deserve much more credit than I’ve given it, due to its ability to kill “unkillable” viruses. 

When you consume coconut oil, the lauric acid metabolizes into monolaurin. Monolaurin is one of the few antivirals that has been shown to kill the coronavirus. The other compounds that have shown effectiveness against the coronavirus, in animal studies at least, are still a ways out from being approved for use because further evaluation is needed regarding their potential toxicity. 

Monolauren may even be effective against HIV. In 1998, an initial study was done with 15 HIV patients in which coconut oil significantly reduced the viral load of the patients. This 1998 trial was done using both a derivative of lauric acid as well as pure coconut oil. Both were effective, which proves that we can metabolize lauric acid into monolaurin. I’m not sure why this study wasn’t followed up. Very mysterious. I would have liked to have seen a much larger study. If you know of one please send it to me.

Regardless of proven effectiveness on coronavirus and HIV or not, we know without a doubt it kills harmful viruses in the body, which is why it doesn’t hurt to incorporate a little more into your diet.