Filipino experiments revealed evidence that virgin coconut oil may be a means to defeat COVID-19.

“There are still alternative solutions against COVID-19 aside from vaccines. Although further investigation is needed before we develop a possible prevention or treatment option, we aim to give Filipinos hope through our ongoing local research initiatives,” said Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña.

After six months of experiments, results showed that compounds from coconut oil and virgin coconut oil, or VCO, a readily available commodity in the Philippines, decreased coronavirus count by 60-90% at low viral load.

Researchers also discovered that said compounds were observed to improve cell survival. More experiments, however, are needed to determine whether higher concentrations of these compounds will further reduce the replication rate of the virus.

"The results are very promising, as not only does it show that the VCO, by itself, can destroy the virus, but it also has a key mechanism in upregulating the immune response against COVID-19. Indeed, we look forward to the results of clinical trials on the various uses of VCO as an adjunct for the treatment of COVID-19," said Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).

Funded by the DOST-PCHRD, the research led by Dr. Fabian Dayrit of Ateneo De Manila University sought to investigate if coconut oil compounds are effective antiviral agents to prevent or reduce COVID-19 infection, following reports of previous research that VCO compounds are effective at killing other viruses.

With the lack of an available vaccine for COVID-19, DOST seeks to intensify the thrust for alternative solutions to the increasing cases of COVID-19 by all means supporting Filipino research and innovations. Currently, the DOST, together with the Food and Nutrition Research Institute and the University of the Philippines - Manila, is already exploring the capability of VCO to upregulate the immune system. Results from these ongoing VCO Clinical trials will determine whether VCO can be used as an adjunct therapy for COVID-19 patients.

Aside from facilitating the eventual conduct of the WHO vaccine clinical trials in the Philippines, the DOST-PCHRD is also supporting projects under its initiatives on Repurposing of Existing Drugs, Supplements, and other Formulations, and Clinical Trials of Candidate Drugs to find viable treatment options against COVID-19. (Written by Christine Jane Gonzalez)

Source: http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/news/6599-vco-a-potential-antiviral-agent-against-covid-19-filipino-research 

Low blood levels of vitamin D might heighten people's odds for severe or even fatal COVID-19, new research shows.

Taking in a healthy level of vitamin D may therefore "reduce the complications, including the cytokine storm [release of too many proteins into the blood too quickly] and ultimately death from COVID-19," said study author Dr. Michael Holick. He's a professor of medicine, physiology, biophysics and molecular medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.

Vitamin D is called the "sunshine vitamin" because it's manufactured naturally by the skin upon contact with sunlight. But it can also be sourced through certain foods and supplements.

One respiratory health expert who wasn't involved in the study said the findings echo those of prior research.

"Several studies have brought to light that patients with vitamin D deficiency have a worse outcome in COVID-19," said pulmonologist and internist Dr. Len Horovitz, of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "This is not surprising since vitamin D seems to have a beneficial effect on the immune system and wound healing."

In the new study, Holick and his colleagues assessed vitamin D levels in blood samples from 235 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The blood samples were also checked for an inflammatory marker called C-reactive protein and for the number of lymphocytes, a type of immune cell that helps fight infection.

The study couldn't prove cause and effect. But patients who were vitamin D-sufficient -- a blood level of at least 30 nanograms per milliliter -- had a significantly lower risk for serious complications from COVID-19, including losing consciousness, low blood oxygen levels and death.

Among patients older than 40, those who were vitamin D-sufficient were also 51.5% less likely to die from COVID-19 compared to those who were vitamin D-deficient or insufficient, the team said.

The study was published Sept. 25 in the journal PLOS ONE.

A prior study by Holick found that having a sufficient amount of vitamin D might also reduce the risk of becoming infected with the new coronavirus by 54%. Along with helping reduce the risks associated with the new coronavirus, being vitamin D-sufficient does the same against other viruses that cause upper respiratory tract illnesses, including the flu, according to Holick.

"There is great concern that the combination of an influenza infection and a coronal viral infection could substantially increase hospitalizations and death due to complications from these viral infections," he said in a university news release.

All in all, vitamin D could offer a simple and cost-effective way to combat the new coronavirus, Holick believes. "Because vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is so widespread in children and adults in the United States and worldwide, especially in the winter months, it is prudent for everyone to take a vitamin D supplement to reduce risk of being infected and having complications from COVID-19," he said.

But Horovitz noted that vitamin D might be a bit tougher to come by this year.

"During lockdown, people were indoors more and so their natural D level was lower than ever," he pointed out. "In people who don't take D, their level is usually low unless they take D as a supplement.

"I have been testing the level in all patients for years, and have found especially low levels since people have been indoors and quarantining," Horovitz said. "The dose is usually several thousand international units per day and can be tested with a blood test routinely." (By E.J. Mundell, HealthDay Reporter)

Source: https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=247206 

Certain nutrients, foods, and medicines may help protect you against colon cancer, a large research review suggests.

A team of international researchers led by Dr. Marc Bardou, of Dijon Bourgogne University Hospital in France, reviewed about 80 studies that examined how diet and certain medicines affected colon cancer risk. The studies were published between September 1980 and June 2019.

In terms of medicines, aspirin (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID) appears to lower the risk by 14% to 29% at doses as low as 75 milligrams (mg)/day and as high as 325 mg/day.

The use of NSAIDs for up to five years was associated with a 26% to 43% reduction in incidence.

High intake of folic acid, a B vitamin, was associated with up to a 15% lower risk, although it wasn't possible to determine a minimum dose, according to findings published Sept. 28 in the journal Gut.

Similarly, eating dairy products appeared to lower risk by 13% to 19%, but the amount needed to protect against colon cancer was unclear.

Fiber intake was associated with a 22% to 43% lower risk, while fruit/vegetable consumption with as much as a 52% lower risk.

There was no evidence that vitamins E, C, multivitamins, beta carotene or selenium were protective against colon cancer, the review found.

Results on the impact of tea, garlic or onions, vitamin D either alone or combined with calcium, coffee, and caffeine, fish and omega-3 were weak or uncertain, and there were inconsistent findings on whether vitamin A and the B vitamins offered any protection.

There was conflicting data on high calcium intake and cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.

Meat, particularly red and processed meat, was associated with a 12% to 21% increased risk of colon cancer.

Alcohol also was linked to significantly higher risk. Even one or two drinks a day increased colon cancer odds, and the more people drank, the higher their risk.

In a journal news release, the researchers noted that the level of evidence of nutrients, foods and medicines providing protection against colon cancer is low or very low in most cases.

Even so, they said their findings could help doctors advise patients on the best diet to reduce bowel cancer risk and also guide future research.

Worldwide, more than 2.2 million new cases of colon cancer and 1.1 million deaths are projected annually by 2030. In the United States, colon cancer strikes about 1 in 20 people.

-- Robert Preidt

Source: https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=247319 

Diet remains an important part of disease prevention and management, and a new study suggests that consumption of fructose may worsen intestinal inflammation common to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Led by David Montrose, PhD, of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, the study is currently published early online in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Rates of IBD have been increasing worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately three million Americans are diagnosed with IBD each year, up one million from incidence in the late 1990s. Consumption of a western diet, including fructose, is associated with increasing rates of obesity and diabetes, and IBD may be an additional disease exacerbated by fructose intake.

The increasing incidence of IBD parallels higher levels of fructose consumption in the United States and other countries. Our findings provide evidence of a direct link between dietary fructose and IBD and support the concept that high consumption of fructose could worsen disease in people with IBD. This is important because it has the potential to provide guidance on diet choices for IBD patients, something that is currently lacking."

David Montrose, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Faculty Researcher in Stony Brook University Cancer Center

Montrose, along with colleagues at Weill Cornell Medicine, tested three mouse models of IBD. They were fed high amounts of fructose, which worsened colonic inflammation along with notable effects in their gut bacteria including changes in their type, metabolism and localization within the colon. Complementary mechanistic work demonstrated that the microbiota is causally linked to the detrimental effects of the high fructose diet.

The paper concludes that the "excess dietary fructose consumption had a pro-colitic effect that can be explained by changes in the composition, distribution, and metabolic function of resident enteric microbiota."

Montrose says several next steps are planned to expand upon these findings. These include the development of interventions to prevent the pro-inflammatory effects of dietary fructose as well as evaluating whether this diet increases colitis-associated tumorigenesis. This second point is particularly important because IBD patients are at increased risk of developing colon cancer due to a lifetime of chronic inflammation of the gut.