Role of Virgin Coconut Oil as Multiple Health Promoting Functional Oil

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Numerous scientific studies have confirmed the effectiveness of virgin coconut oil (VCO) as having multiple health-giving properties, as demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro findings. The functional properties of VCO as antimicrobial, antiobesity, antiulcerogenic, antiinflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic effect, antidiabetic, and antioxidants properties have been widely reported. The remedial effect of VCO was due to the presence of medium-chain triacylglycerols, micronutrients (Vitamin E, provitamin A, plants sterols, polyphenols), and antioxidants. The partially hydrolysed VCO, also known as activated virgin coconut oil, is more potent than VCO as it contains more free medium-chain fatty acids (caprylic, capric, and lauric acids) and their corresponding monoglycerides (monocaprylin, monocaprin, and monolaurin); it has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial properties. In this review, we summarized the major research, which provided evidence of multiple beneficial effects of VCO and the mechanisms of therapeutic effects towards human health management.