Colon cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States. It is also one of the most difficult ones to treat – often, patients are unaware of early warning signs of this disease or are not compliant with regular colonoscopies to visualize and diagnose possible cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions. Thus, by the time the disease is diagnosed, it is well-advanced and leaves patients and clinicians with few options for treatment.
However, there are natural ways to help prevent and treat colon cancer. Keeping a healthy weight and eating a diet that is high in fiber and antioxidants as well keeping hydrated are all good ways to reduce the risk. And now a new study has come out about another possible natural cure for this disease: coconut oil.
The New Research
The new research which has so many people talking involved a study where scientists studied the effect of lauric acid from coconut oil (this constitutes about 50% of coconut oil) on colon cancer cells. It found, amazingly, that this acid was able to kill around 93% of these cancerous cells after 48 hours of exposure. It was found that the lauric acids acted on the cancer cells to kill them in two important ways: first, it decreased levels of glutathione in the cells, then increased their oxidative stress, which the cancer cells were more susceptible too after their glutathione levels were lowered. It apparently was an extremely effective strategy.
More research needs to be done on lauric acid, with a view to developing a nature-based cancer treatment, the preliminary results from this study are certainly intriguing, particularly if similar studies are applied to other, common forms of cancer such as cancer of the breast or prostate.
More on the Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Another, indirect way in which coconut oil likely helps fight cancer is through improving the body’s general health to make it easier for it to fight off disease and mutation. Coconut oil, for instance, is great for heart health, lower LDL while raising HDL cholesterol levels to improve the overall cholesterol ratio. It is also an effective weight loss aid, particularly for the loss of stubborn abdominal fat, and weight loss is a great way to prevent many kinds of cancer, including that of the colon. In short, it is of great worth for a variety of bodily ailments.
So, while coconut oil is not a panacea, it certainly comes close. More studies on the anti-cancer effects of lauric acid should certainly be conducted in order to give patients more information on what natural therapies are available, not only for cancer but for neurological and cardiac conditions as well.
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