Coconut oil has a long history of use for a multitude of applications. Aside from the delicious flavor it imparts to sweet and savory dishes and the richness it provides to baked goods, coconut oil has been used through the ages as a beauty aid, giving a natural glow and softness to skin, nails and hair. In addition to these applications, coconut oil has long been celebrated for benefits that go far beyond culinary use and aesthetics.
Lauric Acid and Monolaurin
Coconut is one of the richest sources of special fats called medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs, sometimes also called medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs). Among these MCFAs is a unique type of fatty acid, lauric acid. Lauric acid is the most abundant individual fatty acid in coconut and it is believed to be responsible for most of this food’s health benefits. Human breast milk is also rich in lauric acid (about 3.5-6.6 percent of total calories), and some of the immune system supporting properties of breast milk may be due to the presence of lauric acid.
When lauric acid is in the form of monolaurin—one molecule of lauric acid joined to a glycerol molecule—it has impressive effects for supporting the body’s natural defenses against undesirable organisms. Humans metabolize small amounts of monolaurin from lauric acid, but the amount is believed to be relatively low. Monolaurin has greater immune-supporting activity than lauric acid, and in order to be used for this purpose, it may be needed in higher amounts than would be obtained from reasonable amounts of coconut oil in the diet.
A special attribute of monolaurin as an immune-supporting compound is that, unlike conventional products used for this purpose, it has not been shown to result in antibacterial resistance, nor to have adverse effects on beneficial intestinal flora (the “good bacteria”).
This product contains vitamin C for added immune benefit, and sunflower lecithin to enhance absorption of the monolaurin.