NKCP :

NKCP, a purified filtrate of Bacillus subtilis var. natto culture is a food based extract of “natto”, a Japanese traditional fermented food made from soybean. Purification to remove most of distinctive odor of natto and its vitamin K2 yields an easy-to-eat food that has a wide variety of uses as a functional food. NKCP contains proteolytic enzymes secreted by Bacillus subtilis var. natto (Bacillus subtilis var. natto-produced protein), which balance clotting mechanisms in the blood. 

In vitro and clinical studies have demonstrated that the consistent intake of NKCP over a prolonged period helps to maintain normal circulation. The safety of NKCP has been demonstrated in safety studies. *In vitro (Latin for "within the glass") refers to the technique of performing a given procedure in a controlled environment outside of a living organism.

Patents (Production process for purified filtrate of Bacillus subtilis var. natto culture)
Japan (No.3532503)

NKCP stands for Purified Natto Culture Filtrate. NKCP tablets launched April 2001. Daiwan Health Development Inc. (DHD) began export of NKCP on November 2001.

Development Background

The “People's Health Promotion Campaign for the 21st Century (Healthy Japan 21)” was launched in 2000 by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The purposes of this campaign are to reduce premature death, prolong optimal health, and improve the quality of life. Simply put, it focuses on longevity accompanied by optimal health. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases account for about 30% of causes of death in Japan, about 25% in the world. To lower mortality rates while in the prime of life, it is very important to prevent cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. 

A patient with cardiovascular disease may evade a fatal cardiovascular event, but eventually their quality and duration of life will be compromised.

Contemporary lifestyles choices are associated with an increased risk of thrombus formation and subsequent ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. It has recently been demonstrated that the etiology of travel induced thrombosis, also known as “economy class syndrome”, is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), which may result in a pulmonary embolism. DVT may develop as a result of prolonged sitting in cramped quarters related to both air and auto travel. Additionally, common ailments such as stiff shoulder muscles and leg edema may be caused by insufficient peripheral circulation, caused by excess blood viscosity. The key to preventing DVT and insufficient peripheral circulation is to balance coagulation and fibrinolysis, to prevent thrombus formation and to enhance overall cardiovascular health and longevity. NKCP may be a critical component to achieve such balance.

Development

NKCP was developed based on the traditional Japanese food, natto. Natto contains constituents that enhance the fibrinolysis system in favor of clot lysis. Naturally occurring proteolytic enzymes produced by Bacillus subtilis var. natto dissolve clots in a balanced manner, without causing excessive blood thinning. Recent research has shown that other additional constituents from Bacillus subtilis var. natto produce a substance that acts to inhibit blood coagulation, thereby complementing the known fibrinolytic activity to improve blood viscosity. Based on these insights, it is probable that consistent consumption of natto may lower the overall risk of thrombus formation. However, compliance of such a recommendation may be poor, due to natto's potentially objectionable odor and flavor. Additionally, natto consumption may be contraindicated for patients on anti-coagulant therapy due to its high vitamin K2 content. Furthermore, the proteolytic enzyme content may vary greatly in commercially available natto, resulting in inconsistent anti-coagulant activity.

NKCP was therefore developed to provide a raw material for food products which corrects the drawbacks of natto. NKCP is produced by fermenting the bacillus in a liquid medium containing soybean extract and then partially purifying the peptidase. The odor, bacterial body and vitamin K2 content are reduced to a negligible level. NKCP is designed to contain a constant amount of peptidase.

Characteristics of NKCP

•　NKCP is extracted from Bacillus subtilis var. natto and it is free of the undesirable odor and viscous texture of natto.
•　NKCP's purpose is three-fold.
To function as (1) an anticoagulant (2) thrombolytic and (3) decreases blood viscosity.
•　The majority of the vitamin K2 has been eliminated, therefore it is less antagonistic to other drugs such as warfarin.
•　NKCP is standardized to contain specific levels of proteolytic enzymes secreted by Bacillus subtilis var. natto.
•　The principal functional enzyme (protease) is stable at pH 6.0-10.0 and at temperatures 60℃ or below.
•　The safety of NKCP has been confirmed in many animal and human studies.
•　The production process for this purified filtrate of Bacillus subtilis var. natto culture is registered under Patent No. 3532503 in Japan.

Suggested daily dose


125-500mg/day


Mechanism of Action

NKCP is shown to have the following effects:
a. Inhibiting thrombus formation in vitro and in vivo. 
b. Decreasing the viscosity of blood in vitro and in vivo. 
c. Lysing thrombi in vitro and in vivo. 
*In vivo (of processes) performed or taking place in a living organism."fluid transport was measured in vivo"

The coagulation/fibrinolysis system is comprised of a series of complicated reactions designed to maintain the balance between healthy circulation and prevention of excess bleeding. Many factors can influence this system, however, it is not easily disrupted. In the event that the system shifts towards excess thrombus formation, it is challenging to return the system back to balance. Because it is difficult to lyse a formed thrombus, the emphasis should be placed on prevention of thrombus formation rather than on thrombolysis.

By inhibiting thrombus formation and decreasing blood viscosity, orally administered NKCP helps maintain balance, shifts blood away from clot formation, and enhances circulation throughout the body.



Scientific Data

1. NKCP Actions

Reduced risk of thrombus formation requires: 1) clot formation prevention 2) maintenance of normal blood viscosity and 3) lysing blood clots (thrombi).
NKCP, derived from Bacillus subtilis var. natto, has been shown to perform these three functions.

2. Supporting Scientific Data

(1) Anticoagulant effect

▶Anticoagulant effect of NKCP in human blood.
▶Anticoagulant effect of NKCP in rat model of thrombosis formation.

(2) Action of preventing increase in blood viscosity.

▶Effect of NKCP on the viscosity of human blood

(3) Thrombolytic effect.

▶Thrombolytic effect of NKCP on artificial thrombi.
▶In vivo thrombolytic effect of oral NKCP in experimental thrombolysis model.
▶Identification of proteases derived from Bacillus subtilis var. natto related to thrombolysis.

3. Clinical Study Results

▶Effect of Bacillus subtilis var. natto-derived protein on the human blood coagulation/fibrinolysis system.

Safety

Single-dose:
LD50＞5,000mg/kg

Repeated-dose:
NOAEL
Males: > 1,325mg/kg body weight/day.

Females: > 1,541mg/kg body weight/day.

Mutagenicity:
Negative (± metabolic activation).

Antigenicity (guinea pigs): Negative for active systemic anaphylactic reaction (ASA) and passive cutaneous anaphylactic reaction (PCA).

Effect on bleeding time (rats):
In rats orally given NKCP, a 0.5mm incision was made in the tail tip after 1 hour to measure bleeding time. NKCP at 300mg/kg did not prolong the bleeding time.

Interaction with warfarin (rats):
NKCP at 250mg/kg was administered into the duodenum by the in situ loop method in rats, in which bleeding time was delayed by treatment with warfarin, and blood collected after 6 hours was measured for coagulation time. The warfarin treatment significantly prolonged the coagulation time in comparison with the control group, but no added delay of coagulation was observed in the warfarin + NKCP treatment group compared with warfarin treatment group.

Long-term administration (humans):
Twenty-three healthy adults were given NKCP at 250mg/day for 12 weeks, and no clinically significant adverse events were observed. There were no statistically significant changes in hematological or biochemistry tests.

Five healthy adults were given NKCP at 750mg/day for 6 consecutive weeks to study and observe changes in laboratory test values (hematological tests, biochemistry tests, and blood coagulation/fibrinolysis parameters) and adverse events. As a result, ELT shortened, t-PA decreased, and thromboplastinogen activity test (TAT) increased but all values were within normal range. In addition, no adverse events were observed, suggesting NKCP safety.

High dose administration(humans):
Eight healthy adults were given NKCP at 1,250mg/day for 7 consecutive days. Observation of clinical signs and laboratory tests were utilized to evaluate NKCP safety. There were no clinically significant adverse events. There were no abnormal changes in hematological or biochemistry tests.

Assays

1. Peptidase Activity (synthetic substrate method)

The sample solution is warmed at 37°C with the synthetic chromogenic substrate S-2251 (H-D-valyl-L-leucyl-L-lysine-p-nitroanilide dihydrochloride) as a substrate and the absorbance at 405nm is determined. The enzyme activity is defined as 1 unit when 1nmol of p-nitroaniline per minute is released.
*An assay is an investigative (analytic) procedure in laboratory medicine, pharmacology, environmental biology and molecular biology for qualitatively assessing or quantitatively measuring the presence, amount, or functional activity of a target entity (the analyte).

2. Bacillus subtilis var. natto-produced Protein

ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) uses rabbit-specific antibodies to the Bacillus subtilis var. natto-produced protein, responsible for the peptidase activity, to measure the amount of antigen reacting with the specific antibodies.

▶Anticoagulant effect of NKCP in human blood

Thirty micro litters of the test substance, NKCP, was added to 3mL of venous blood collected from healthy volunteers who had given informed consent, followed by inversion for mixing. The mixture was warmed at 37°C for 250 seconds and centrifuged, and the supernatant was measured for fibrin monomers (FM) indicative of thrombus formation, using a latex immunity analyzer. The concentration of FM was 160 ± 29.3μg/mL after addition of the control physiological saline and 6.0 ± 1.1μg/mL after addition of heparin sodium (0.5IU/mL). After addition of NKCP at concentrations from 0.005mg/mL to 0.5mg/mL, the concentration of FM decreased dose-dependently, but plateaued at 0.05mg/mL.

The 54th Study Meeting of Rheology 2006;
Department of Legal Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine

▶Anticoagulant effect of NKCP in rat model of thrombosis formation

The anticoagulant effect of NKCP was studied in a rat model of thrombus formation. In this model, platelet aggregation was caused by injuring endothelial cells of the abdominal descending aorta to induce thrombus formation. NKCP was administered into the duodenum 2 hours after producing the thrombus formation model using in situ loop method. Blood was collected from the abdominal aorta 6 hours after administration to determine activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) as indicators of endogenous and exogenous coagulations, respectively. APTT was 33.5 ± 2.4 seconds for the control group (administered physiological saline), 52.0 ± 4.5 seconds for the NKCP 100mg/kg group, and 63.3 ± 2.9 seconds for the NKCP 250mg/kg group. A significant coagulation delay was observed in the NKCP treatment groups as compared to control. PT was 16.7 ± 0.5 seconds for the control group, 20.6 ± 0.9 seconds for the NKCP 100mg/kg group, and 21.3 ± 1.7 seconds for the NKCP 250mg/kg group. As with the APTT, a significant coagulation delay was observed in the NKCP group as compared to control. These results suggest NKCP inhibits thrombus formation.

Research and Development Department, Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 2001

▶Effect of NKCP on the viscosity of human blood

Eight healthy male adults who had given informed consent were given a single dose of placebo or NKCP at 1,250mg, and blood was collected at various points over 240 minutes to measure changes in blood viscosity. The viscosity of blood was determined by Hitosugi et al.'s method using an oscillating viscometer.
In the NKCP group, there was a significant decrease in blood viscosity at 105 and 180 minutes as compared to baseline. There was a significant decrease in blood viscosity in the NKCP group as compared to placebo at 180 minutes.



Effect of NKCP on the viscosity of human blood:
Department of Legal Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine.

▶Thrombolytic effect of NKCP on artificial thrombi

A small amount of NKCP was added to test tubes containing an artificial thrombus in physiological saline. The thrombus began to lyse within several minutes and was almost completely lysed at 3 hours. To lyse is to cause dissolution or destruction of cells by lysins. Lysis is the disintegration of a cell by rupture of the cell wall or membrane.



Thrombolytic effect of NKCP on artificial thrombi:
J. Pharmacol Sci 2005; 99: 247-251.

▶In vivo thrombolytic effect of oral NKCP in experimental thrombolysis model

The thrombolytic effect of NKCP on rat model was observed in a 14 week study. The NKCP was evaluated in two groups, in a mix of 0.2% and 1% in feed, as compared to a control group. Thrombolysis was evaluated using a He-Ne laser induced thrombosis model in mesenteric microvessels. The size of the artificially produced thrombus was measured from the time of formation to evaluate the thrombolytic effect of NKCP.

Thrombolytic activity clearly increased dose-dependently in the NKCP treatment groups compared with the control group. There was an 82% decrease in thrombus volume in the control group, as compared to 67% decrease in the 0.2% NKCP group, and a 51% decrease (statistically significant) in the 1% NKCP group. The extent of thrombolysis in the 1% group was equivalent to that seen in animals treated with a bolus intravenous infusion of 0.2mg/kg of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). Based on the body weight and feed intake of rats used in the study, the dose of NKCP was calculated to be about 160mg/kg/day for the 0.2% NKCP feed and 800mg/kg/day for the 1% NKCP feed.



In vivo thrombolytic effect of oral NKCP in experimental thrombolysis model:
Pathophysiol Haemost Thromb 2003; 33: 138-143.

▶Identification of proteases derived from Bacillus subtilis var. natto related to thrombolysis

The thrombolytic effect of NKCP is attributable to a proteolytic enzyme named bacillopeptidase F, produced by Bacillus subtilis var. natto. Bacillopeptidase F is shown to be one of five proteases produced and secreted by Bacillus subtilis var. natto (Table 1).



Identification of proteases derived from Bacillus subtilis natto related to thrombolysis:
1)Journal of Bacteriology 1990; 172: 1019-1023
2)The Journal of Biological Chemistry 1990; 265: 6845-6850
3)Journal of Bacteriology 1990; 172: 1470-1477
4)Experientia 1987; 43: 1110-1111
5)The Journal of Biological Chemistry 2001; 276: 24690-24696
6)Mol Gen Genet 1990 May; 221(3): 486-490

▶Effect of Bacillus subtilis var. natto-derived protein on the human blood coagulation/fibrinolysis system

A total of 23 adults, including patients with metabolic diseases related to thrombosis, were given 250mg NKCP for two consecutive months. Coagulation/fibrinolysis parameters and symptoms were evaluated 1 and 2 months after starting treatment.

Euglobulin lysis time (ELT) significantly decreased from the baseline value at 1 and 2 months, and t-PA significantly increased at 2 months, showing the accelerated fibrinolysis system. However, the measured ELT and t-PA values were within the normal ranges. Fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) significantly decreased 1 month after starting ingestion but returned to the baseline value at 2 months.

Symptoms of shoulder stiffness significantly improved from baseline at 1 and 2 months.



Effect of Bacillus subtilis natto-derived protein on the human blood coagulation/fibrinolysis system:
Journal of the Japanese Society of Biorheology 2004; 18 (1).

Immune System of Human Body

The condition of the body is maintained at a constant level by modulating body temperature and blood pressure, to cope with changes in the environment inside and outside the body. This mechanism is called homeostasis. In homeostasis, the innate immune system plays an important role: it eliminates foreign substances (non-self) such as pathogens, viruses and cancer cells. However, it is known that immune function deteriorates with aging, and is impaired or stimulated by a poor lifestyle such as smoking, insufficient physical exertion or an unbalanced diet, and by adverse environmental changes and pollution. Deterioration of immune function causes or aggravates infection and malignant tumors, while excessive elevation of the immune system may cause things such as hay fever, atopic dermatitis or chronic inflammation. Studies in recent years have clarified that fiber and indigestive components in food are deeply involved in the maintenance of homeostasis and immune responsiveness.



BioBran is a functional food manufactured using a water-soluble rice bran dietary fiber component (hemicellulose B). Collaborative research with Prof. Mamdooh Ghoneum Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA (UCLA/Drew University of Medicine) on rice bran dietary fiber components has led to the discovery and establishment of processing and manufacturing methods of a food that optimally modulates the innate immune function of the body. It was subsequently demonstrated that BioBran has not only an immunostimulatory effect but also an immunomodulating effect. Extensive efforts to maximize its stability and taste have resulted in BioBran rice bran arabinoxylan. Currently, BioBran is widely used not only in Japan but also in more than 50 countries worldwide, and has an excellent reputation.
Patent No.5358219.

Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has focused on a dietary fiber thought to have the potential to impact the immune response and developed a multifunctional food closely related to the Japanese foodstuff of ancient times, named BioBran (Rice Bran Arabinoxylan Compound).


Manufacturing Process




Characteristics

BioBran is a functional food produced by water-soluble dietary fiber (hemicellulose B) with an enzyme derived from shiitake mushrooms.

Suggested daily dose
1-3g/day

Property
Easy soluble in water and heat-stable

Mechanism of Action

Starch, dietary fiber, and BioBran are classified as polysaccharides. 
Starch is digested by saliva, pancreatic juice, and intestinal juice, and is absorbed in the small intestine as glucose. Dietary fiber is not digested, and is excreted unchanged. BioBran is known to be partly absorbed directly in the digestive tract, entering the blood stream.It activates the Natural Killer Cells, T cells, B cells, and macrophages, either directly in the blood, or indirectly via the Peyer's patch of the ileum, BioBran plays an important role in immunomodulation (immunostimulation, anti-inflammation, anti-allergy, antioxidation processes). Overall, it is considered to enhance the body's natural healing abilities, alleviate the adverse drug reactions of chemotherapeutic agents, and improve quality of life.







Usefulness as a functional food

1. Immunomodulatory action

(1) Immunostimulating action

▶Response of human NK cell activation to dose of BioBran
▶NK cell activation in cancer patients following BioBran intake
▶Stimulation of lymphocyte transformation
▶Promotion of differentiation of dendritic cells
▶Anticancer effect of BioBran

(2) Anti-inflammatory action

▶Influence on liver damage

2. Combination therapy with a chemotherapeutic agent

▶BioBran in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent

3. Improvement of quality of life

▶Effect of BioBran on survival and quality of life improvement in patients with progressive cancer

Safety

Single dose ~ LD50>36g/kg.
Repeated dose ~ NOAEL>200mg/kg/day.
Mutagenicity (Ames test) ~ Negative.

▶Response of human NK cell activation to dose of BioBran

Twenty-four healthy human volunteers were divided into three groups of 8, and assigned to ingest BioBran at 15mg/kg body weight (approximately equal to 1g), 30mg/kg body weight (approximately equal to 2g), and 45mg/kg body weight (approximately equal to 3g) every day for a period of two months to measure the effects on NK cell activity.

The activity in the 15mg/kg group was almost unchanged after 1 week but increased to twice the baseline activity after 1 month. The activity in the 30mg/kg group increased to about 3 times the baseline value after 1 week and then gradually increased to 5 times the baseline value by 2 months. The 45mg/kg group showed a pattern of increase similar to that in the 30mg/kg group, but the rate and degree of increase were greater than that of the 30mg/kg group. Following cessation of treatment, the NK cell activity levels gradually returned to baseline in each group.



Response of human NK cell activation to dose of BioBran :

Ghoneum M.,“Enhancement of human natural killer cell activity by modified Arabinoxylan from rice bran (MGN-3)”, INT. J. IMMUNOTHERAPY XIV (2) 89-99 (1998)

▶NK cell activation in cancer patients following BioBran intake

NK cell activity was compared before and after 6 months of BioBran intake in 25 cancer patients with progressive disease, who received chemotherapy, surgery, and/or hormone therapy. Although a large difference in the baseline activity was observed between patients, all patients demonstrated an increase in NK cell activity after BioBran intake.



NK cell activation in cancer patients following BioBran intake :

Ghoneum M. and G. Namatalla, 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, 1996.

▶Stimulation of lymphocyte transformation

The proliferation of T-cell and B-cell lymphocytes was compared before and after BioBran intake. The proliferation of both T-cells and B-cells increased in the 3 patients following BioBran intake.



Stimulation of lymphocyte transformation:

Ghoneum M., 11th International AIDS Conference in Vancouver, 1996.

▶Promotion of differentiation of dendritic cells

Monocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy subjects and cultured in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4 for 6 days, to prepare immature dendritic cells (iDC). On the 7th day, BioBran was added at various concentrations to the immature dendritic cells. The immature dendritic cells were incubated for 2 days and their maturation to dendritic cells was observed. The same operation was performed using two kinds of culture medium which have the effect of promoting the development of iDC to mature dendritic cells, designated mat DC1, and matDC2, respectively. In the immature dendritic cells (iDC), BioBran suppressed the expression of the monocyte marker CD14 and increased the expression of the dendritic cell marker CD83, both in a dose dependent manner. This result appears to show that BIoBran promotes the differentiation of dendritic cells.



Promotion of differentiation of dendritic cells :

Cholujova D., et al, “BioBran-augmented maturation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells”, NEOPLASMA, 56, 2, 2009.

▶Anticancer effect of BioBran

Female Swiss albino mice were inoculated with 2.5 x 106 Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells into the right femoral region, and the tumor size determined on consecutive days, starting on the 8th day after inoculation until the 35th day. The control group received phosphate buffered saline (PBS), and the BioBran group received 40 mg/kg body weight of BioBran intraperitoneally three times a week for a period of 3 weeks, starting on the 8th day after the inoculation of EAC. After treatment, the tumor size was determined. The results showed a significantly greater suppression of tumor growth in the BioBran group compared to the control (PBS) group, starting on the 14th day after inoculation of EAC. The photographs of tumor on the 35th day also showed a tumor regression in the BioBran group.



バイオブランのin vivoにおける抗腫瘍効果
Anticancer effect of BioBran :

Ghoneum M., et al, “In vivo Tumor Inhibitory Effects of Nutritional Rice Bran Supplement MGN-3/Biobran on Ehrlich Carcinoma-Bearing Mice”, Nutrition and Cancer, 2008.

▶Influence on liver damage

Male Wistar rats (5 rats/group) were given intraperitoneal administration of 800 mg/kg D-galactosamine to induce liver disorder. Serum GOT and GPT were determined 24 hours after the administration of D-galactosamine, as induces of liver damage. One hour before administration of D-galactosamine, 20, 40, or 80 mg/kg of BioBran was administered intraperitoneally. The serum GOT and GPT in the control group without BioBran at 24 hours after the administration of D-galactosamine were 1410 IU/L and 445 IU/L, respectively. Compared to these values, serum GOT and GPT in the groups treated with BioBran were significantly lower at all doses.



Influence on liver damage :

Sanada H. and Y. Egashira, 7th meeting of the Japanese Association for Dietary Fiber Research, Tokyo, 2002.


▶BioBran in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent

Human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) (1 x 104 cells) were seeded into the wells of a plate and incubated for 3 days in the presence of differing concentrations of BioBran, and the chemotherapeutic agent daunorubicin (DNR). Viable cells were counted by the MTT method, and the concentration of DNR which reduced the number of viable cancer cells by 50% (IC50) was determined. DNR inhibited the survival of MCF-7 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, with the IC50 being 1μM. When MCF-7 cells were cultured in the presence of BioBran and DNR, the IC50 of DNR for MCF-7 was reduced significantly (IC50: 0.2μM).



BioBran in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent :
Ghoneum M. and S. Gollapudi, “MGN-3/Biobran, modified arabinoxylan from rice bran, sensitizes human breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agent, daunorubicin”, Cancer Detection and Prevention, 2008.

▶Effect of BioBran on survival and quality of life improvement in patients with progressive cancer

Two hundred and five patients with malignant tumors who were receiving treatment with alternative therapy and chemotherapy with mild adverse drug reactions were allocated into two groups. One of the groups (the control group) received conventional alternative therapy and chemotherapy, and the other group (BioBran group) was given 1 g of BioBran three times a day after each meal for 18 months, in addition to receiving the same therapy as the control group. The correlation between natural killer (NK) cell activity determined during the observation period and survival rate was studied.
The patients’ quality of life was assessed on a scale of 0 to 4 with regard to “pain”, “fatigue”, and “nausea” and 0 to 3 with regard to “appetite” at the start of, and during, the observation period. Of the 205 patients participating in the study, 53 patients of the control group could not continue the conventional alternative therapy and dropped out, and therefore 152 patients (56 patients in the control group and 96 in the BioBran group) were included in the analysis. The survival rates at the end of the observation period in the control group and the BioBran group were 35.8% and 54.2%, respectively. This represents a 50% higher survival rate in the BioBran group compared to the control group. It was also shown that higher NK cell activity was associated with a higher survival rate (Table 1). It was confirmed that the patients’ quality of life after the study had improved compared to the quality of life at the start of the study in both the control group and BioBran group; a notable improvement in appetite was observed in the BioBran group (Table 2).



Effect of BioBran on survival and quality of life improvement in patients with progressive cancer :

Takahara K., et al, “The Life Prolongation and QOL Improvement Effect of Rice Bran Arabinoxylan Derivative (MGN-3, BioBran) for Progressive Cancer”, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapy, 2004

Personality and Constipation

The connection between personality and constipation is interesting.


Idiopathic constipation by colonic dysfunction. Relationship with personality and anxiety.
Abstract

The personality of two groups of constipated women (by delayed colonic transit or by colonic inertia) was compared to that of two control groups of arthritic patients (rheumatoid or degenerative disease) with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). All subjects suffered from chronic pain. Constipated women were found to have significantly higher scores on the hypochondria, hysteria, control, and low back pain scales and a lower score on the masculinity-femininity scale. Discriminant analysis permitted us to sort out constipated from arthritic patients in 83% of the cases, on the basis of only the personality data. In women with constipation by delayed colonic transit, multiple regression analysis demonstrated a close link (r = 0.90; P less than 0.001) between transit time in the ascending colon and levels of anxiety. It is concluded that women with constipation of colonic origin have a different pattern of personality than arthritic women and that severe constipation may play the role of a defense mechanism, where psychophysiologic responses to life stresses replace normal emotional reactions.

This relationship is expressed through the enteric nervous system and the metabolism of serotonin, the hormone of well-being that in its turn stimulates intestinal motility. 

  It has been observed that individuals with chronic constipation usually have irritable personalities, are rigid in their ideas and concepts, and are difficult to live with. In contrast, people with a normal intestinal rhythm are usually more open, more relaxed, easier to live with, and more at ease with themselves. 

Constipation: The Ever-Present Shadow

It is ironic that, despite widespread information about taking care of our exterior selves ─ keeping clean and staying healthy ー we give little though to the value of maintaining health and cleanliness on the inside. Many of us have childhood memories of enemas performed at home, though. There was radio but no television; everything we had was fresh, homemade, and handcrafted. 

  Our diet, of course, was clean and natural and very healthful. It was enriched with fresh cheese, curds, kefir(Kefir or kephir, alternatively milk kefir, or búlgaros, is a fermented milk drink that originated in the north Caucasus Mountains made with kefir "grains", a yeast/bacterial fermentation starter.), the obligatory juices (especially celery, carrot, and sauerkraut!), (Sauerkraut is finely cut cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage.), various pulses (Pulses include all beans, peas and lentils, such as:
~baked beans.
~red, green, yellow and brown lentils.
~chickpeas (chana or garbanzo beans)
~garden peas.
~black-eyed peas.
~runner beans.
~broad beans (fava beans)
~kidney beans, butter beans (Lima beans), haricots, cannellini beans, flageolet beans, pinto beans and borlotti beans.), honey, and recently baked homemade bread. 
The worst thing for me was the glass of raw milk I had to drink immediately after milking the cow; it tasted too "natural" to me. This is a good moments to begin to rediscover things natural and authentic and incorporate them into our modern lives. 

If the toilet or washbasin in your house is damaged, you naturally do not use it and you call a plumber. You wouldn't think of going into a toilet that was foul-smelling and full of stagnant water with thes excrement floating in it. What if no one comes to help you? 
Then you have to live in these extremely disagreeable conditions, knowing that you can't flush the toilet and eliminate the residues that have accumulated. Imagine you face when you are confronted with such a repulsive scene!

I am sure that in such a situation, you would react by throwing a bucket of water down the toilet (unless, that is, this merely raises the level of the stagnant "lake"), or else you would calling the 24-hour emergency services or asking for help from a friend. You's be dead right to do so!

If you try to apply this solution to your own body's blocked guts yourself, it won't work; you won't discharge the residues that have accumulated. You have to try to stimulate  them from above or from below, without waiting too many days. Agreed?  You just need to learn how to do it and what to use; each of us has his'her own digestive character and sensitivity to laxative remedies. 

Approximately 70 percent of my current consultations are with people who in addition to different health conditions are suffering from chronic constipation. It is such a common and stubborn complaint, and so difficult to treat, that one day I think I will get all my patients together and found a constipation club (I'll probably look for a more attractive and sophisticated name). Then my team would be able to work with groups to help more people with their therapies, good humor, and various exercises. Reeducating people about good hygiene and diet, accompanied by psychological support, will be important parts of this work. if this appeals, come and join us and help me organize it. 

Constipation is a personal, emotional, and social problem, as well as an economic one. Not only is it costly in terms of money spent on laxatives and visits to the doctor but also because of the serious consequences to health that chronic constipation brings, and the bodily toxemia it provokes. Only with a good diet and correct intestinal hygiene (I am referring to transit and microflora) can we prevent cancer of the colon. 

Constipation is a very familiar condition: the majority of us have suffered from constipation on at least one occasion. In fact, recent research has demonstrated that one in seven people suffer from constipation. As well as being a relatively common complaint, it has become a social taboo. Often I am the only witness of this illness, in spite of the fact that the person tells me he has a partner, family, and friends. 

We learn in childhood that the "stomach" can malfunction, and that if this happens you take a laxative. We all have memories of some constipated member of our family. 

Herbal Healing for Men

Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Healing for Men: Remedies and Recipes for Circulation Support, Heart Health, Vitality, Prostate Health, Anxiety Relief, Longevity, Virility, Energy & Endurance. Paperback 224 Pages – June 13, 2017


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Tonic & Formulas

FOR MALE VITALITY

Following are some of my favorite herbal recipes formulated especially foe men's health and well-being. most of these recipes are tonic ― that is, herbs and formulas that help nourish and tone the body's systems and can be used on a regular basis to promote vibrant, long-lasting health. Tonics can also be incorporated into protocols to address specific health issues. 

TURMERIC-GINGER DARK CHOCOLATE CANDY

This is how real medicine should taste !  Turmeric, a well-known anti-inflammatory herb, is renowned for its benefits for joint and muscle health, heart health, and fighting infections and lingering illness. You can often buy fresh turmeric , but for this recipe dried, finely ground turmeric works best.

This is the basic formula. You can use other herbs with or in place of the turmeric ― for example, hawthorn for heart health, rhodiola for energy, and maca or ashwagandha for sexual health and vitality. Just be sure all the herbs are finely powdered. 


CHOCOLATE ⬆


TURMERIC ⬆


GINGER ⬆

Ingredients:
16 ounces bittersweet dark chocolate, roughly chopped (organic and fair trade if you can swing it)

8 ounces coconut oil (preferably unrefined)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

½ - ¾ cup ground turmeric

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

¼ - ½ teaspoon coarsely ground salt

¼ cup freshly grated ginger

Dried cranberries, goji berries or raisins (optional)

COMBINE the chocolate and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler. 
Bring an inch or two of water in the lower pan to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. 
Heat stirring, until the chocolate and coconut oil are melted and well combined.
Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Pour the mixture into candy molds or onto a thin baking tray.
Let cool.
When firm but not fully hard, cut into squares. 
Because of coconut oil, this chocolate will melt if it gets warm. Store in the refrigerator or a cool place. 

TO USE: Have one or two small piece a day. 




28 Science-Verified Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
To begin with, coconuts are considered drupes – they have three layers, the exocarp, the endocarp, and the mesocarp, which are the thick, cream-colored insides.



Amazingly, coconuts are probably one of the most versatile foods because they have evolved into numerous forms and functions.

Once such form that coconuts exhibit is coconut water.

Coconut water is the extracted liquid from young, green coconuts and has a distinct sweet, nutty taste to it.

Fortunately, this beverage is extremely low in calories, incredibly hydrating, and has an abundance of potassium in just one drink – more potassium than that of four bananas.

The combination of low calories, low sugar, and low sodium compared to commercial sports drinks makes it a first choice for many athletes who sweat by the drink because of its incredible hydrating potential.

Additionally, although sometimes confused with coconut water, coconut milk is an entirely separate creation.

To make coconut milk, the fleshy, white portion of a coconut is grated and soaked in searing water until the cream rises and can be skimmed off the top.

The liquid that remains is squeezed through a cheesecloth to separate the milk from the coconut residue.

By repeating the process over and over, the liquid becomes thinner until it has a milky consistency.

Because the milk comes straight from the “meat” of the coconut, this beverage contains all the health benefits generated from eating pure coconut, such as its significant amount of medium-chain saturated fatty acids, resulting in a boosted metabolism.

However, besides using coconut solely for health benefits, many countries around the world utilize various other elements of coconuts as well.

In fact, many countries do not let any part of the coconut go to waste, thereby utilizing the meat, husk, water, leaves, trunk, and even the roots.

Many cultures even consider the coconut tree to be the “tree of life”. The parts of its fruit like coconut kernel and tender coconut water have numerous medicinal properties such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, antidermatophytic, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective, immunostimulant. Coconut water and coconut kernel contain microminerals and nutrients, which are essential to human health, and hence coconut is used as food by the peoples in the globe, mainly in the tropical countries. The coconut palm is, therefore, eulogised as ‘Kalpavriksha’ (the all giving tree) in Indian classics, and thus the current review describes the facts and phenomena related to its use in health and disease prevention.

 Nutritional values
 Coconut has multifarious utility. The tender coconut
water (TCW), the liquid endosperm, is an excellent natural
soft drink. It has a caloric value of 17.4/100 g. Coconut
water contains vitamin B, namely, nicotinic acid B3 (0.64 µg/mL),
pantothenic acid B5 (0.52 µg/mL), biotin (0.02 µg/mL),
riboflavin B2 (trace amount of thiamine B1 and pyridoxine B6. Besides coconut water contain sugars, sugar alcohols, vitamin
C, folic acid, free amino acids, phytohormones (auxin,
1, 3-diphenylurea, cytokinin), enzymes (acid phosphatase,
catalase, dehydrogenase, diastase, peroxidase, RNA
polymerases) and growth promoting factors.
 Copra, the dried kernel, which is mainly used for oil
extraction, contains about 65% to 75% oil. The unopened
spathe is tapped for toddy, which is converted into jaggery,
vinegar and sugar. The kernel (wet meat) is mainly used
in making curries, chutney, toffee, sweet and for other
cooking purposes. The composition of desiccated coconut
has been documented by Bawalan and Chapman; herein
the important nutrition components are depicted in Figure
3. Whereas, the nutritional components of coconut milk
extracted from freshly shredded meat are different as
recorded by Bawalan and Chapman[; Figure 4 and 5
represent the composition of fresh coconut milk. Coconut
oil is one of the most important edible oil for domestic use.
The fatty acid composition and triacylglycerol combinations
of VCO has been studied and recorded by Marina et al.




5. Medicinal values

5.1. As an electrolyte
 It is highly rich in inorganic ions such as K (290 mg %), Na
(42 mg %), Ca (44 mg %), Mg (10 mg %), P (9.2 mg %) etc..
The concentration of these electrolytes in TCW generates
an osmotic pressure similar to that observed in blood
and does not affect plasma coagulation. The high amount
of K in TCW is reported to lower the blood pressure. The
ethanolic extract of C. nucifera endocarp was found to have
a vasorelaxant and antihypertensive effect, through nitric
oxide production in a concentration and endotheliumdependent
manner, due to direct activation of nitric oxide/
guanylate cyclase pathway, stimulation of muscarinic
receptors and/or via cyclooxygenase pathway.


5.2. Antidote effect
 TCW is found to eliminate poisons in case of mineral
poisoning, and ameliorate drug induced over dosage
toxicity. The TCW aids the quick absorption of drug and
makes their peak concentration in the blood easier by its
electrolytic effect, which is similar to fructose coupled faster
absorption into the cells and body.

5.3. Antioxidant effect
 A free amino acid, L-arginine (30 mg/dL), is present
in TCW which significantly reduce the free radical
generation[10]. TCW also contain vitamin C (15 mg/100mL)
that significantly reduce lipid peroxidation when introduced
in rats. VCO is capable of increasing antioxidant enzymes
when supplemented with diets in rats.

5.4. Cardioprotective effect

 Coconut is composed of the fatty acids caprylic acid C-8:0 (8%), capric acid C-10:0 (7%), lauric acid C-12:0 (49%),
myristic acid C-14:0 (18%), palmitic acid C-16:0 (8%),
stearic acid C-18:0 (2%), oleic acid C-18:1 (6%), linoleic
acid C-18:2 (2%). It is abundantly (65%) endowed with
medium chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs), which allows
them to be directly absorbed from the intestine and sent
straight to the liver to be rapidly metabolized for energy
production and thus MCFAs do not participate in the
biosynthesis and transport of cholesterol. Coconut water
has cardioprotective effects in myocardial infarction due to
rich content of mineral ions, especially potassium. Nevin
and Rajamohan showed that VCO lowered total cholesterol,
triglycerides, phospholoipids, low density lipoprotein
(LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and increased
high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels. The
polyphenol fraction of virgin coconut oil was found to
prevent in vitro LDL-oxidation.

5.5. Antithrombotic effect
 VCO has significant antithrombotic effect over copra
oil. A coconut oil-based diet high saturated fatty acid
(HSAFA)-diet lowers postprandial t-PA (tissue plasminogen
activator) antigen concentration, and this may favorably
affect the fibrinolytic system and the Lp(a) (lipoprotein-a)
concentration compared with the high mono and
polyunsaturated fatty acid (HUFA)-diet. The proportions of
dietary saturated fatty acids more than the percentage of
saturated fat energy seem to have a beneficial influence on
Lp(a) levels.

5.6. Antiatherosclerotic effect
 Chlamydia pneumoniae, is suspected of playing a role
in atherosclerosis by provoking an inflammatory process
that result in the oxidation of lipoproteins with induction of
cytokines and production of proteolystic enzymes, a typical
phenomena in atherosclerosis. Some of the pathogenic
gram-negative bacteria with an appropriate chelator have
been reported to be inactivated or killed by lauric acid and
monolaurin as well as capric acid and monocaprin.
 Besides causing viral infection, the herpes simplex virus
(HSV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
have a role in the in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic
plaques after angioplasty and the presence of viral DNA
in the grafts used for bypass surgery constitute a potential
risk for atherosclerosis or restenosis. The components
catechin, epicatechin along with condensed tannins (B-type
procyanidins) were present in the water extract obtained
from coconut husk fiber, that showed inhibitory activity
against acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus type 1.
In fact, all members of the HSV family are reported to be
killed by the fatty acids and monoglycerides (MG) from
saturated fatty acids ranging from C-6 to C-14, which
include approximately 80% of the fatty acids in coconut
oil. Monolaurin is not formed in the body unless there is a
source of lauric acid in the diet, and coconut is a rich source
of monolaurin.

5.7. Hypolipidemic effect
 VCO is capable of reducing lipid peroxidation content.
The hypolipidemic effect of coconut protein is due to the
high content of L-arginine.Besides the high polyphenol
content in coconut is capable of maintaining the normal
levels of lipid parameters in tissues and serum aided
by trapping of reactive oxygen species in aqueous
components such as plasma and interstitial fluid of the
arterial wall thereby inhibiting LDL oxidation, reversal of
cholesterol transport and reducing intestinal absorption of
cholesterol.

5.8. Anticholecystitic effect
 It is urinary antiseptic and is effective in the treatment
of kidney and urethral stones. Monooctanoin (from
caprylic acid) is a digestion product of medium chain
triglycerides, is a cholesterol solvent that has been used for
the dissolution of retained cholesterol gallstones following
cholecystectomy. Complete gallstone dissolution has
occurred in approximately 50%-75% of patients receiving
monooctanoin; although mechanical stone removal is
still considered to be the treatment of choice for retained
gallstones, monooctanoin use appears promising for stone
dissolution in patients in whom mechanical removal has
been unsuccessful or is impossible.

5.9. Antibacterial activity
 TCW has numerous medicinal properties, according to
Effiong et al[9], including good drink for cholera patients
because of its saline and albumen content; checking urinary
infection, and diarrhea. The most abundant and potent
MCFA in coconut is lauric acid, which comprises nearly 50%
of coconut’s fat content. The MCFAs and their derivatives
e.g., MGs found in coconut are effective in destroying a wide
assortment of lipid-coated bacteria by disintegrating their
lipid membrane. For instance, they can be effective against
bacteria that can lead to stomach ulcers, sinusitis, dental
cavities, food poisoning, and urinary tract infections.
 Monoglycerides, especially Monolaurin, has been used to
protect intravenously administrable oil-in-water emulsion
compositions against growth of Escherechia coli (E. coli),
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus
aureus (S. aureus) and Candida albicans (C. albicans). The
compositions can be medicaments containing lipophilic
drugs, especially Propofol, and/or total intravenous
nutritional compositions.

 Coconut oil, obtained from its nuts, in concentrations of
5% to 40% (w/w) exhibited bactericidal activity against
P. aeruginosa, E. coli, Proteus vulgaris, and Bacillus
subtilis, which was attributed to monolaurin that enhanced
absorptivity due to the presence of surface active
emulsifying agents used in formulating the cream made from
coconut oil.

 Emulsions of 1.25 mM monocaprin in citrate-lactate buffer
at pH 4 to 5 caused a >6- to 7-log10 reduction in viable
counts of Salmonella spp., E. coli in 10 min and Clostridium
jejuni was also more susceptible to monocaprin emulsions
at low pH. Lauric acid, which is also present in mother’s
milk, helps to protect a delicate nursing baby from harmful
pathogens. Thus, like many other important medicinal
plants having antibacterial property, C. nucifera is
also excellent against different pathogenic bacteria causing

A natural, fibrous substance called coir can be extracted from the outer husk to be used for floor mats, brushes, ropes and strings because of its durable nature.



Additionally, the actual husk and shell is routinely used as pots, or to create bowls and even fuels.

Finally, the use and consumption of coconut oil is essentially one of the most debated health topics out there because nutritionists and dietitians are only starting to understand its nutritional potential.



Coconut oil is uniquely made from the dried “meat” of the coconut called “copra”.

Usually, the copra is mechanically pressed to extract the oil from the “meat” to produce what we consider to be coconut oil .

This oil has been proven to provide a multitude of health benefits such as reducing inflammation, protecting hair damage, and supporting almost all processes of the body.

Coconut oil is over 80% saturated fat, which mainly consists of medium-chain fatty acids, rather than the long-chain fatty acids that most people consume regularly.

Whereas long-chain fatty acids must be broken down before the body can absorb them, the short and medium-chain fatty acids abundant in coconut oil are easy for the body to digest and  are consequently sent straight to the liver in order to produce energy .

The most critical fatty acid, which constitutes approximately 45-55% of the saturated fats in coconut oil, is lauric acid.

Lauric acid is naturally found in breast milk and is converted to a substance called monolaurin, which aids in increasing the body’s immunity and helping to fight viruses and diseases.

Additionally, coconut oil is notable for its abundance of vitamin E, which makes this oil especially beneficial for your hair and skin.


It acts as a moisturizer and maintains the functionality of your organic system, as most vitamins do.

In general, there are two main categories of coconut oil: oil that is mass produced and is, therefore, in need of extra refinement, and oil that starts with fresh coconut and is substantially less refined.

Many people misinterpret the term “virgin” coconut oil to be oil that is not refined at all; however, all coconut oil is refined considering oil does not actually grow on trees.

Therefore, virgin coconut oil actually refers to oil that is the least refined.

That being said, most nutritionists will, understandably, only recommend virgin coconut oil so as to avoid the adverse affects that refining may have on the final oil product.

Hydrogenated coconut oil is a type of refined oil that has been unanimously proclaimed as the oil you want to avoid due to containing fatty acids that are hydrogenated.

Because of this, it creates trans fats, which are notorious for their detrimental affect on an individual’s health.

One study examined how non-hydrogenated coconut oil supplements were beneficial to the lipid profiles of various women in the Philippines.

The results depicted that the oil actually lowered total cholesterol, lipoproteins, and phospholipids levels in women, mainly caused by the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil .



Coconut Oil Health Benefits

Coconut Oil Can Help Brain Disorders

One of the most beneficial properties of coconut oil is the large quantity of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) that it contains, as opposed to the long-chain fatty acids that many other foods contain.

The reasoning behind the benefits of this type of acid is that medium-chain fatty acids are not only absorbed easily by the liver, but they are also metabolized quickly.

This means they can further be converted into ketones.

Ketones are utilized by the brain as an important energy source and have been shown to have possible therapeutic effects on people suffering from memory loss, such as in case of Alzheimer’s disease .

Additionally, unique phenolic compounds and hormones found in coconut oil may be able to prevent the aggregation of amyloid beta peptides, which are part of a leading theory concerning the cause of Alzheimer’s.


 Increases Weight Loss

In addition to helping fight against brain and memory disorders, consumption of medium-chain fatty acids, such as those in coconut oil, has been proven to result in increased energy expenditures compared to long-chain fatty acids.

In other words, the body can easily convert this fat into energy for the body to utilize.


Such a method is critical for people trying to lose weight because it, essentially, is helping increase your metabolism.

In fact, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the effects of overweight participants consuming MCFA oils compared to long-chain fatty acids.

The study discovered that subjects ingesting MCFA oils had a lower body weight and more fat loss at the end of the research.

Builds Muscle

According to Iranloye and colleagues (2013), coconut oil is a highly “insulinotropic” substance, meaning it greatly stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin.

The purpose of insulin is to control the blood-sugar levels throughout your body and, additionally, pump nutrients into your muscles.


Therefore, an increased secretion of this hormone is especially pertinent for both bodybuilders and regular citizens trying to increase their muscle mass.

Maintaining steady hormones like insulin is sure to produce beneficial health effects.

Can Help Fight Infections


The most abundant fatty acid comprising nearly 50% of the coconut’s fat content in coconut oil is called lauric acid (1).

This acid is especially effective in eliminating a large variety of bacteria by disintegrating their lipid membrane and destroying the organism.

Specifically, coconut oil and it’s potent lauric acid can help destroy the bacteria leading to stomach ulcers, dental cavities, and food poisoning.

Lauric acid is naturally found in breast milk, which is understandable because newborns need to be highly protected from dangerous infections and pathogens.

Coconut oil helps lose abdominal fat

Helps Lose Abdominal Fat
 It is unanimously accepted that obesity is a growing problem in the Western world because of all the health concerns associated with it.

However, what is lesser known is that certain types of obesity are actually more dangerous than others – abdominal obesity being an especially harmful type.

In fact, abdominal obesity, compared to overall obesity, is a more important factor when determining the risks and likelihood for coronary heart events.

Fortunately, researchers have investigated the effects of coconut oil specifically on women with abdominal obesity.

Randomized control trials presented that treatment groups receiving daily supplements of coconut oil exhibited a significant decrease in waist circumference, while groups receiving soy bean oil or a placebo did not show such a correlation .

Curbs Appetite

An amazing feat that coconut oil also performs is that it has been shown to increase satiety, meaning that it allows you to feel fuller for longer, thereby likely decreasing your daily caloric intake.

In animal studies, researchers have found that diets with long-chain fatty acids are associated with greater food intake, while similar diets with medium-chain fatty acids correlated with lower food intake.

Such a result has been attributed to several hormones that are linked to both satiating effects and MCFA.

Therefore, when MCFAs are consumed, a hormone would be released that makes us feel full.

However, no such hormone has been specifically linked just yet.

Nevertheless, it is still apparent that there is some mechanism, although yet to be identified, that associates the ingestion of MCFAs with a satisfying and full feeling.

Coconut oil Lowers Risk for Heart Disease

Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

According to numerous clinical studies and epidemiological data, increased levels of plasma cholesterol due to high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are correlated to coronary heart disease.

By contrast, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) have been proven to have an inverse relationship with heart disease.

In a controlled study, virgin coconut oil (VCO) was compared to copra oil (CO) on its ability to affect lipid parameters.

Investigators discovered that the “concentration of cholesterol in serum, liver, and heart of the VCO-treated group was significantly lower compared to CO-treated groups.

Furthermore, HDL cholesterol was significantly increased in VCO-fed animals, whereas similar results were not seen in any of the other treatment groups.

This led researchers to believe that there is a positive correlation between coconut oil and HDL cholesterol, thereby allowing coconut oil to help prevent coronary heart events.

Increases Metabolism
 It is definitely apparent that not all fatty acids are made the same.

But the extent of their difference actually has some serious effects on the way our body metabolizes them.

Instead of lingering in our organs like long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) once they are eaten, medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are sent directly from our digestive tract to the liver, where they are then either immediately utilized for energy or transformed into ketone bodies.

That being said, research has extensively explored MCFAs’ effects on metabolism.

One such study went about investigating this concept by overfeeding rats with either LCFAs or MCFAs for six weeks each.

The results determined that the rats fed MCFAs gained 20% less weight and 23% less body fat.

It appears that MCFAs speed up an individual’s metabolism in order to burn more fat and/or calories.

Coconut oil Protect Hair Against Damage


Protects Hair Against Damage
 Oddly enough, coconut oil has been found to have beneficial impacts not only on your internal body, but on your external body as well.

The Journal of Cosmetic Science published a study examining the effects of various oils on protecting hair damage.

The study discovered that coconut oil was able to prevent combing damage to all different hair types.

When compared to various other oils such as sunflower oil and mineral oil, coconut oil had a substantially greater impact on reducing protein loss in hair.

The reasoning behind this certain preventative property lies in the oil’s structure.

Being a linear triglyceride, coconut oil has a strong affinity for hair proteins and is able to penetrate into the hair shaft because of its small size.

Therefore, coconut oil’s perfect combination of linear arrangement, low weight, small size, and high protein affinity makes it an efficient hair protectant.

Anti-dandruff

It may be surprising to find out, but coconut oil is actually widely used as a natural anti-dandruff hair remedy.

This specific oil has been proven to improve skin conditions like xerosis, which is characterized by rough, itchy, and dry skin – much like what a dry scalp may be characterized for someone suffering from dandruff .

That being said, coconut oil has a unique ability to improve skin hydration and increase lipid levels on the surface of the skin.

In doing so, this oil is able to basically “moisturize” your head in order to eliminate the scratchy, dry scalp that causes dandruff.

Moisturizes Skin

As mentioned above, coconut oil is highly useful as a topical moisturizer due to its hydrating abilities.

Because of this characteristic, one study decided to investigate the use of coconut oil as a moisturizer treatment for patients with atopic dermatitis – a condition marked by extremely dry skin and is highly prone to Staphylococcus aureus (SA) colonies.

What researchers found was that for 20 AD patients with SA, treatment using virgin coconut oil resulted in only one person remaining positive for SA colonies following the treatment.

Therefore, in addition to fighting the dryness of the skin, coconut oil can also be used as an aid in treating skin infection like atopic dermatitis.

Coconut oil Act as Sunscreen.

Acts as Sunscreen

Recently, researchers have begun to discover that many plants and oils contain natural substances that are able to act as natural “sunscreens.”

One such plant is coconut and the oil that is created from it.

A study published by the Pharmacognosy Review determined that coconut oil, along with peanut, cottonseed, and olive oil, block out about 20% of ultraviolet rays from the sun.

To expand on this idea even further, one study actually calculated the SPF values of a variety of different oils using spectrophotometry.

The researchers concluded that coconut oil had the second highest SPF value (7.119) out of the 16 oils tested, ranking right below olive oil.

Because of how powerfully dangerous the sun’s UV rays can be, it is imperative that people protect their skin in order to avoid skin cancer, diseases, and early wrinkles.

Coconut oil Prevents Gum Disease and Tooth Decay

Prevents Gum Disease and Tooth Decay

As used in many traditional countries, “oil pulling” has been used extensively as a method to prevent tooth decay, bleeding gums, and generally for strengthening teeth, gums, and the jaw.

Studies which tested various types of oil pulling have concluded that the practice is an effective preventative procedure to maintain oral health .

Specifically, research was conducted to analyze how effective coconut oil was at reducing plaque formation and plaque-induced gingivitis.

Over a 30-day matched-pairs control trial, researchers found that there was a statistically significant decrease in the plaque formation for the treatment groups after the seventh day.

That being said, it has become apparent that coconut oil can be an alternative means for a mouthwash due to its antibacterial properties.

 Coconut oil Helps CandidaYeast Infections

Helps Candida/Yeast Infections


Multiple studies have investigated the characteristics of coconut oil which make it an efficient antibacterial agent.

It has been determined that this specific oil is a potent “non-drug” and natural yeast fighter, thereby playing a key role in fighting off yeast infections because all of its MCFAs have anti-fungal effects.

The most abundant and potent MCFA in coconut oil is lauric acid, which is eventually converted into a monoglyceride called monolaurin.

The antibacterial activity of coconut oil has been partially attributed to this compound because monolaurin actually destroys the lipid coating of most bacteria, thus rendering them susceptible for destruction by monolaurin.

Coconut oil was tested with strains of Candida species to determine the bacteria’s susceptibility to the oil.

Researchers discovered that most of the different species were fairly susceptible to the oil, with some strains even being 100% vulnerable.

This depicted this substance’s beneficial properties of protecting against harmful pathogens.

Coconut oil benefits

Protects Your Kidney and Liver


As many doctors are well aware, severe damage to the kidneys has a good possibility of leading to organ failure and, in some cases, death.

While it is vital to make sure all your organs are healthy, the kidney and the liver are two organs that should be especially protected from damage.

Fortunately, coconut oil has been found to be a surprisingly effective preventative treatment for these two organs in particular.

When testing for the oil’s ability to protect against intentional toxic drugs on the liver, scientists concluded that the active components in coconut oil were able to adequately protect the liver from incurring severe damage from the toxins.

Additionally, when inducing renal necrosis in rats, coconut oil was fed to the subjects in differing concentrations.

Results showed that, mostly, the higher concentrations of the oil were able to reduce incidence of renal lesions and/or mortality.

Coconut oil Protects Your Kidney and Liver

Treats Kidney and Bladder Stones

The digestion of the medium-chain fatty acids found in coconuts and coconut oil produces a monoglyceride called Monooctanoin.

Additionally, this substance is also a cholesterol solvent that has been used in the dissolution of gallstones.

50-75% of the patients receiving this substance had complete gallstone dissolution, meaning that the monooctanoin completely rid them of the gallstones left over after cholecystectomy.

For patients in whom mechanical or surgical removal of kidney and bladder stones is not possible, the use of the cholesterol present in coconut is a promising approach to providing noninvasive techniques to rid them of gall stones.

Therefore, the daily ingestion of coconut oil can actually assist in preventing the formation of gallstones as well.

Reduces Inflammation and Arthritis
 A study conducted in India depicted that the high levels of antioxidants in coconut oil actually have the power to reduce inflammation and arthritis.

When compared to leading medications, coconut oil was shown to increase antioxidant enzymes as well as decrease the expression of inflammatory genes like COX-2, iNOS, and IL-6.

The research was conducted using rats that were induced with arthritis.

In general, the results clearly portrayed that virgin coconut oil has a beneficial effect on arthritis due to its abundance of antioxidants, in addition to its anti-inflammatory effects. 

Coconut-different-types-benefits

Cancer Prevention and Treatment
 One of the most significant qualities that allow coconut oil to help aid in the prevention and treatment of cancer is the ketones that are present in the oil.

Tumor cells require glucose in order to proliferate and live, and cannot access the energy in ketones when they need it.

Therefore, ketones act as a barrier against tumor growth .

In fact, a study demonstrated that when natural oils like coconut oil were added to human colon adenocarcinoma cells, they were actually able to inhibit the growth of the cancerous cells without affecting the normal colon cells .

When compared to other oils like vegetable and mineral, coconut oil actually inhibited the growth of HT-29 malignant human colon cells more so than either of the two other oils.

With these results in mind, coconut oil is now a possibly relevant chemotherapeutic agent.

Coconuts-health-benefits

Reduce Seizures
 Similar to its prevention and treatment of cancer, coconut oil also helps reduce seizures because of its abundance of ketones.

One study conducted by the University College London in the United Kingdom determined the efficacy of a ketogenic diet for treatment of epilepsy in children.

They discovered that when compared to epileptic children not consuming a ketogenic diet, the children in the treatment group have a statistically significant lower mean percentage of seizures.

The biological explanation behind this phenomenon is thought to be attributed to the high fat and restricted carbohydrate content of the ketogenic diet.

Therefore, consuming coconut oil alone is not enough to prevent seizures.

Nevertheless, their constituents are one of the vital components needed to reduce the seizures that strike patients with epilepsy. 

Coconut oil Improves Digestion

Improves Digestion

Better digestion means better absorption of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.

Fortunately, coconut oil does just that.

By helping the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins like magnesium and calcium, coconut oil contributes to an increase in the body’s ability in taking up these valuable nutrients.

Several studies have shown that MCFAs in the form of coconut oil could actually promote the breakdown and complete digestion of lipids by improving the efficiency of enzymes related to metabolism.

Coconut-half-oil-benefits

Reduce Symptoms of Gall Bladder Disease and Pancreatitis

Interestingly, the fatty acids of coconut oil, unlike many other substances, do not require enzymes of the pancreas to be broken down.

By including healthy oils like coconut oil in your diet, you are actually helping to eliminate strain on your pancreas and/or gallbladder.

As mentioned previously, not only can coconut oil help dissolve gallbladder stones, but it can also simply relieve some of the uncomfortable symptoms of gallbladder disease and pancreatitis because of how easily it is digested.

Coconut oil Prevents Osteoporosis

Prevents Osteoporosis
 As briefly mentioned earlier, coconut oil is extremely beneficial for helping absorb nutrients in the body.

One such nutrient that specifically promotes absorption in the stomach and intestines is calcium.

Most people are aware that consuming calcium leads to stronger bones, which makes coconut oil incredibly helpful in preventing osteoporosis .

Osteoporosis is notable for decreasing bone volume and increasing bone loss.

However, coconut oil allows more calcium to be taken up by the body, which helps in diminishing the effect that osteoporosis has on you bones.

Additionally, free radicals are notorious culprits leading to osteoporosis as well.

Not surprisingly, the antioxidants in coconut oil assist in fighting free radicals so that they do not cause as much harm to your bones and body .

Hormone Balance
 Because of coconut oil’s abundance of saturated fats like lauric acid, this liquid has been seen to help play a role in balancing hormones.

Studies have specifically investigated the effect of coconut oil on the hormones that are prevalent in women during pre-menopause and post-menopause.

One such study concluded that the reduction in the hormone estrogen during menopause has an adverse effect on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in women.

However, high levels of high-density lipoproteins have a protective effect on conserving estrogen.

It should come as no surprise that coconut oil has been shown to have a positive effect on HDLs.

With that being said, coconut oil helps to increase the level of beneficial proteins that conserve estrogen in women during menopause, leading to healthier lipid profiles.

Coconut oil Stress Relief

Stress Relief
 Stress is a feedback tool used by our bodies to strengthen the physical and mental states of individuals.

However, extreme and/or constant stress has been known to cause detrimental effects.

Therefore, relieving stress is a vital component of maintaining a healthy mentality.

Once again, the high medium-chain fatty acid content in coconut oil allows this particular substance to be especially beneficial to stress reduction.

In fact, a group of researchers concluded that daily intake of MCFAs, such as those in coconut oil, assist in preventing the onset of stress-induced depression.

In essence, coconut oil is not only beneficial for your physicality, but your mentality as well.


Coconut oil has Anti-aging Benefits

Anti-Aging Benefits

You may not know this, but your skin cells actually contain fatty acids, just like most other cells in your body.

The special fatty acids in coconut oil naturally balance saturated to unsaturated fatty acids levels in the skin.

In doing so, the skin can heal and repair itself better to prevent wrinkles and sun damage caused by sun exposure.

Additionally, coconut oil has been shown to stimulate collagen production and replacement.

Instead of attempting to mask or dry up wrinkles on the face, the collagen production stimulated by coconuts connects and strengthens tissues, leading to less baggy skin .

Supports Thyroid Functioning

The general purpose of thyroid is to regulate bodily functions including breathing, heart rate, and, most importantly, the production of various hormones.

Two specific hormones produced by the thyroid gland play a vital role in regulating the speed of your metabolism.

When your thyroid is functioning normally, it keeps your resting heart rate low, your body weight steady, and your hormone production balanced.


A study by Siddhanti showed that the components of coconut oil – specifically, capric acid – significantly improve thyroid functioning.

This allows your body to regulate thyroid cell metabolism and maintain a low resting heart rate.

Eliminates Free Radicals Damage

Free radicals are the natural bi-product of cellular respiration, which means that they are produced whenever you work out.

However, if they build up too much, they can easily cause oxidative stress on the body, leading to muscle fatigue and other diseases that will surely inhibit a person’s ability to exercise and stay active .

Nevertheless, coconut oil has been proven to inhibit this oxidative stress because of the oils’ ability to enhance your antioxidant defense system.

In doing so, the oil “mops up” these free radicals and eliminates them from the body.

Helps Improve Type 1 Diabetes
 A study in which rats were induced with Type 1 diabetes was conducted and their fasting blood glucose levels were measured from the tip of the tails.

After four weeks of coconut oil treatment, rats with previous hyperglycemia showed a statistically significant decrease in their blood sugar levels.

These results are thought to occur because of the effect that coconut oil has on insulin secretion, which allows blood glucose levels to be better regulated and balanced by this hormone.

Useful Tips for Using Coconut Oil
 As mentioned previously, there are two main types of coconut oil – refined and unrefined.

Unrefined coconut oil is the most widely recommended type to use when ingesting the oil because it generally means that this oil has not been processed, bleached, or refined in any way.

On the other hand, when using coconut oil for external purposes such as a moisturizer or hair conditioner, refined versions of coconut oil are acceptable because their processing does not affect the function of the oil on external surfaces.

When storing coconut oil, it is important to do so at recommended temperatures to ensure the functionality of the oil.

To allow for the most efficient storing of coconut oil globules, studies have shown that this oil should be chilled at 10°C and frozen at -4°C.

When thawing the oil after freezing, a water bath at 40°C effectively allows the oil to thaw quickly .

Many people are beginning to realize the potential of coconut oil as a healthy substitute for other saturated fats like butter or margarine in endless amounts of recipes.

Many nutritionists describe that choosing what kind of coconut oil to use in cooking largely depends on your personal taste.

Organic, virgin coconut oil is known for having a slight coconut aroma and a more pronounced coconut taste.

On the other hand, refined coconut oil lacks this taste and smell, but provides most of the benefits found in virgin coconut oil.

Some specific recipes that benefit you from using virgin coconut oil include tropically influenced dishes such as coconut roasted sweet potatoes or coconut tofu with spicy pineapple dipping sauce.

Since these dishes are already tropically-inspired, the use of coconut oil only enhances the beauty of the coconut flavor.

Nevertheless, this oil can be used simply to sauté, fry, or bake because it functions similar to vegetable oil while providing many more benefits.

Furthermore, coconut oil is, surprisingly, very useful in bread baking, which includes muffins, cakes, bread, cookies, and pastries.

These coconut oil biscuits utilize both solid coconut oil and liquid coconut milk without inducing an incredibly strong coconut flavor.

The solid coconut oil is mainly used as a substitute for butter, while the coconut milk is utilized as the liquid binding agent to create the bread dough.

Other times when baking with solid coconut oil, you may be required to melt the solid oil, much like you would use melted butter in a recipe.

Many people may dislike using coconut oil in recipes because it is an unfamiliar ingredient to them.


However, as you can see, coconut oil is used in almost exactly the same way as butter in most recipes.

However, it provides numerous additional benefits while also adding a lovely tropical taste and smell, when preferred.

The amount of coconut oil depends largely on the user’s age, health, and other considerations.

As with any other natural product, coconut oil should be consumed or used in moderation.

Eating coconut oil with every meal or using it as a moisturizer three times a day is, most likely, not a beneficial application of the product.

Instead, consult your physician before embarking on any coconut oil-dominated health endeavor to discuss any cautions.

Because coconut oil does have a high fat content, although it consists of beneficial fats, excessive ingestion has been known to cause weight gain and/or cholesterol level increases .

Unfortunately, this mostly includes LDL’s, which are the bad type of cholesterol.

However, this has only been seen when large amounts of coconut are taken .

With that being said, coconut oil has been deemed safe as long as it is consumed in reasonable quantities.


Conclusion

In general, it is obvious that coconut oil contains endless amounts of benefits.

Furthermore, because of its versatility, anyone can find a way to enjoy the benefits that coconut oil brings.

Whether that means using the oil to bake a cake, to moisturize your skin, to treat your eczema, or to help relieve the symptoms of arthritis, coconut oil can fulfill any of these functions.

Asian and Pacific Islanders have been using the coconut for various uses for hundreds of years and they seemed to have the right idea considering their native population contains some of the healthiest people in the world.


Fortunately, Western countries and its citizens are finally being introduced to this amazing substance, which means we can also begin to achieve the remarkable health advantages that coconut oil can provide.