Capric Acid and Its Many Benefits to Your Health
Capric acid is a 10-carbon saturated fatty acid and one of the three potent medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) in coconut oil. Lauric acid and Caprylic acid are the other two.
Although lauric (C12) acid and its monoglyceride (monolaurin) are the most powerful overall, capric (C10) acid and its monoglyceride (monocaprin) are pretty impressive as well.
Researchers at the University of Iceland tested three strains of Candida albicansand confirmed its potency. In fact, Capric or Decanoic acid causes “the fastest and most effective killing” of all three strains as it left the cytoplasm (material that makes up much of a cell) in disarray because of a dismantled plasma membrane.
In the 1980s, a study conducted here in the Philippines showed that capric and lauric acids were efficient in destroying the AIDS virus (HIV) in lab cultures. It was the first time a possible treatment for AIDS emerged that was a lot safer and cheaper than the antiviral drugs being used at the time.
The monoglycerides and diglycerides of coconut oil’s capric and caprylic acids have been found to disintegrate human gallstones. Officials of the Mayo Clinic and the University of Wisconsin Hospital were witnesses to this safe and proficient method of dealing with this gallbladder disease.
An intestinal parasite called giardia lamblia is inactivated by milk fatty acids containing capric, lauric and linoleic acids. Coconut oil contains all these beneficial fatty acids (capric (7%), lauric (48%), linoleic (2%)
Capric and lauric acids also enhance the ability of your pancreas to secrete insulin. This is great news for many diabetics dependent on daily insulin injections as coconut oil can help cut down, if not eliminate, their reliance on insulin medication.
Coconut oil is one of the richest sources of capric acid. It certainly is the richest source of unique and special MCFAs generally absent in almost all other dietary fats and oils.
Coconut Oil › Medium Chain Triglycerides › Capric Acid