Coco Cure

December 16, 2014 0 0

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 the oil may have potential benefits that go well beyond helping us to slim down however…

The new research¹ looked at the effect of feeding virgin coconut oil to mice who had inflamed paws. The researchers found that in those animals fed coconut oil the inflammatory swelling was reduced with a similar efficacy to that of orally administered 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.

Which coconut oil?

With fans ranging from skeleton bobsleigher Amy Williams and international rugby player James Haskell to Tinie Tempah and Alesha Dixon, Coconoil is one of the highest quality virgin coconut oils available. Not only is the oil organic, but it is picked, pressed and packed at source. In a ‘nutshell’ 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.

Coconoil also helps more than just the health of those using it. 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 throughout 2015 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.

How to use

You can use Coconoil just like any other oil in cooking and baking, whether it’s frying a chicken breast or making a vegetable stir fry, or even as an interesting addition to hot drinks or smoothies. You can also buy Coconoil capsules if you want to benefit from the oil on the go.

Prices start at just £4.94 for a 280g tub. For more information, or to buy, visit www.coconoil.co.uk

1. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2016 Feb;35(2):205-12. Virgin coconut oil supplementation ameliorates cyclophosphamide-induced systemic toxicity in mice. Nair SS¹, Manalil JJ¹, Ramavarma SK¹, Suseela IM¹, Thekkepatt A¹, Raghavamenon AC².