Coconut Oil Fights Deadly Yeast Infections, Study Suggests

A common food oil has been found to have potent antifungal properties that could literally save lives. 

The coconut palm is perhaps the world’s most widely distributed and versatile food-medicine, and has been prized and even revered by indigenous cultures for a wide range of health complaints since time immemorial. Increasingly, scientific evidence is emerging validating its traditionally ascribed health benefits, and more, including supporting brain health, protecting the heart, and even reducing stress and depression.

Now, a new study led by researchers at Tufts University has found that coconut oil is highly effective at controlling the overgrowth of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans in mice.

Published in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal mSphere and titled, “Manipulation of Host Diet to Reduce Gastrointestinal Colonization by the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida Albicans,” the study identified C. albicans as the most common human pathogen, with a mortality rate of about 40% when causing systemic infections.

C. albicans is normally present in the human gastrointestinal tract, but antibiotics can destroy commensal bacteria that normally keep Candida populations within a healthy range. According to the study, compromised immunity is also a major cause of C. albicans overgrowth, and  “Systemic infections caused by C. albicans can lead to invasive candidiasis, which is the fourth most common blood infection among hospitalized patients in the United States according to the CDC.”

Conventional anti-fungal drugs carry with them significant risk of adverse effects, and their repeated use leads to the development of drug resistant strains of fungal pathogens, making natural approaches all the more attractive. The researchers hypothesized that a coconut-based dietary intervention might reduce Candida infection in mice. The study design and results were reported on ScienceDaily.com as follows:

The team, led by microbiologist Carol Kumamoto and nutrition scientist Alice H. Lichtenstein, investigated the effects of three different dietary fats on the amount of C. albicans in the mouse gut: coconut oil, beef tallow and soybean oil. A control group of mice were fed a standard diet for mice. Coconut oil was selected based on previous studies that found that the fat had antifungal properties in the laboratory setting.

A coconut oil-rich diet reduced C. albicans in the gut compared to a beef tallow-or soybean oil-rich diet. Coconut oil alone, or the combination of coconut oil and beef tallow, reduced the amount of C. albicans in the gut by more than 90% compared to a beef tallow-rich diet.

“Coconut oil even reduced fungal colonization when mice were switched from beef tallow to coconut oil, or when mice were fed both beef tallow and coconut oil at the same time. These findings suggest that adding coconut oil to a patient’s existing diet might control the growth of C. albicans in the gut, and possibly decrease the risk of fungal infections caused by C. albicans,” said Kumamoto, Ph.D., a professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and member of the molecular microbiology and genetics program faculties at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.

These preliminary results have profound implications for the practice of medicine, according to a statement made to ScienceDaily by Alice H LIchtenstein, D.Sc., director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University:

“This study marks a first step in understanding how life-threatening yeast infections in susceptible individuals might be reduced through the short-term and targeted use of a specific type of fat. As exciting as these findings are, we have to keep in mind that the majority of adult Americans are at high risk for heart disease, the number one killer in the U.S. The potential use of coconut oil in the short term to control the rate of fungal overgrowth should not be considered a prophylactic approach to preventing fungal infections.”

The first author of the study, Kearney Gunsalus, Ph.D. an Institutional Research and Academic Career Development (IRACDA) postdoctoral fellow at the Sackler School in Kumamoto’s lab, also offered his opinion on the study implications:

“We want to give clinicians a treatment option that might limit the need for antifungal drugs. If we can use coconut oil as a safe, dietary alternative, we could decrease the amount of antifungal drugs used, reserving antifungal drugs for critical situations.”

Previous research, available to view on GreenMedInfo.com, indicates that coconut oil is also an effective anti-fungal agent against the growth of dermatophytes, a type of yeast which can cause infections of the skin, nails, and hair because they can utilize keratin.

For more research on the health benefits of coconut oil, view our database section on the topic here. For more research on natural interventions to prevent and/or treat Candida infection, view our database on the topic here.

© December 22, 2017 GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter.

The post Coconut Oil Fights Deadly Yeast Infections, Study Suggests appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

What Is Candida?

If you’re into natural health and nutrition, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Candida somewhere along the way. It’s a fairly common yeast present on skin, in the mucous membranes, and even the gut. In fact, over half of all humans have Candida albicans present in the body. ^[1] While species of Candida are normally harmless as long as you’re healthy (good bacteria in the body keeps them in check), sometimes modern diet or lifestyle could cause an overgrowth. Now if that happens, you might develop an easily treatable infection, but that’s about the extent of it.

The Issue with Candida

The problem comes in when someone has a suppressed immune system—maybe from AIDS or chemotherapy; under those conditions, Candida can thrive, and a deadly systemic infection (one spread throughout the body) can result. ^[2] Keep in mind: preemies could also be at risk of developing this often fatal infection because their immune system isn’t fully developed.

The number of systemic infections from Candida albicans is on the rise. According to estimates, about 25,000 Americans will develop them in any given year. But there are so few drugs to treat these fungal infections that they can often become drug-resistant. So, even with treatment, close to 10,000 Americans will die. And if we look at the bigger picture, about 1.5 million people will die from fungal infections worldwide. ^[3]

Natural Approaches to Candida

You might be wondering if there are any natural ways to fight Candida. With more and more of these infections developing drug resistance, researchers are often looking for alternative treatments. A recent study looking at lavender oil may be just what any nature-loving herbalist needs for supporting immune health and possibly fighting candida. But while the essential oil shows good antifungal uses, more research is needed to explore all its benefits. ^[4] Some reports even suggest colloidal silver could be helpful as an antifungal. ^[5] Now, while you might have heard taking garlic can help, recent research suggests that it’s actually not as beneficial against yeast as originally thought. ^[6] That being said, I highly suggest using garlic every day for its wonderful diversity of health benefits.

Candida overgrowth could also lead to a condition commonly called leaky gut, something that can lead to food sensitivities and intolerances, among other things. If you suspect you have candida or have been diagnosed, you need to take immediate action. Using something like Mycozil on the onset of symptoms may help support whole-body health against yeast and fungal infections, but you should also seek advice from your doctor for further information regarding your specific condition.

Has Candida been an issue for you? What have you found to be an effective solution?

References:

1. Fraunhofer. Tracking down pathogenic yeasts. Press Release.


2. Hickman, M. A. et al. The ‘obligate diploid’ Candida albicans forms mating-competent haploids. Nature. 494.


3. O’Meara, T. R. et al. Global analysis of fungal morphology exposes mechanisms of host cell escape. Nature Communications. 6 (6741).


4. Zuzarte, M. et al. Chemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oils of Lavandula viridis L’Hér. Journal of Medical Microbiology. 60 (5).


5. Al Groosh, G. et al. The prevalence of opportunistic pathogens associated with intraoral implants. Letters in Applied Microbiology. 52 (5).


6. Watson, C. J. et al. The effects of oral garlic on vaginal candida colony counts: a randomised placebo controlled double-blind trial. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.