Virgin coconut oil may help reduce inflammation

Coconut oil sales have soared in recent years, fuelled by the discovery that the fats found in the flesh of the ‘nut’ are broken down by the body more readily than some other types of fats.

A recent study has now uncovered that consuming virgin coconut oil may have other potential benefits.

The new research looked at the effect of feeding virgin coconut oil to mice who had inflamed paws. Oral administration of virgin coconut oil effectively reduced formalin-induced paw oedema in mice with more or less similar efficacy as that of diclofenac.

Whilst these are just initial observations, the results will undoubtedly be of interest to the millions of people in the UK who currently take diclofenac and other similar anti-inflammatories, for conditions ranging from acute sports injuries to longer term arthritic conditions, especially given the growing concerns surrounding the potential side effects of some of these drugs.

Coconoil making the most of the new research

Coconoil, a company that produces virgin coconut oil, is hoping this new research gives their products a boost. The brand was set up after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami as a way to help rebuild the livelihoods of Sri Lankan farmers and today helps keep over 200 Sri Lankans in employment. The brand has also just started a new project with 200 smallholders from five villages in Ghana, and hope they can replicate some of the success they have seen in Sri Lanka and help to create new jobs and income streams for those involved.

Coconoil is picked, pressed and packed at source. This means the coconut flesh effectively has the oil squeezed out of it in the tropical conditions in which it is grown, rather than, like many other coconut oils, being prepared using intense heat in the UK, which can be detrimental to some of its health benefits.