DOST to hold more tests on use of virgin coconut oil vs COVID-19

FILE PHOTO: Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (greenish brown) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (pink), also known as novel coronavirus, isolated from a patient sample. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/Handout via REUTERS.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said on Tuesday that it will conduct additional trials on the use of virgin coconut oil (VCO) on mild and asymptomatic patients after it showed “potential” in fighting COVID-19 during initial trials.

Tests conducted at the Santa Rosa trials revealed that mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients who were administered VCO experienced symptoms for a shorter time, and that the “inflammation that took place also took a shorter time to improve or disappear based on other laboratory measures,”  Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the DOST-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, said over ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Headstart.”

“So generally speaking, based on that study, there is potential for VCO,” said Montoya.

However, the DOST official noted that they will still conduct additional tests on mild and asymptomatic cases to look at its immuno-regulatory enhancement.

“So, we’re going to look at the cytokines, chemokines, these are actually the biomarkers that we produce when we respond to an infection and see whether it’s actually enhanced or diminished by intake of virgin coconut oil,” explained Montoya, adding that the tests “are about to start.”

He added that trials on using VCO for severe COVID-19 patients are also still ongoing at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), and it uses a different methodology than the earlier trials.

The Santa Rosa trials administered the VCO in the food provided to the controlled group of patients.

But in PGH, Montoya explained that the VCO is “not incorporated in the food, it’s actually being given.”

“It’s part of the protocol, and it’s still on-going, so we have to await the results,” he added.

“We don’t know, maybe it works for severe cases, maybe not. Maybe it works for mild cases only, we don’t know, so that’s the reason we’re doing this in different groups of patients so that we’ll know where it is better used.”

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