DOST Study Supports Evidence VCO Fights Coronavirus Disease

Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philipine Council for Health Research and Development, (DOST-PCHRD), which supported the research conducted by the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and Duke University-National University of Singapore (DU-NUS), said the study showed virgin coconut oil (VCO) was at least ‘helpful during the early stages of infection’.

“It may indicate that VCO may be helpful during the early stages of the infection, when the amount of virus is (still) low, or in asymptomatic infections, where the amount of virus is also low,” Montoya explained to The Star which reported the news on October 19. “But we have to correlate this (to) the results of the clinical trials because what happens in the lab is not necessarily what happens in the body,” he added.

For DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, the result of the ADMU-NU-NUS study raise the heartening prospect for an alternative to a Covid-19 vaccine.  “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,” dela Peña said in a statement.