Crohn's Disease, Irritably Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis,

 and Virgin Coconut Oil

by Bruce Fife, ND:  If you saw a newspaper headline which stated "Crohn's Disease Patients Find Relief by Eating Cookies" you may think the editor was a little kooky. Dr. L.A. Cohen of the Naylor Dana Institute for Disease Prevention in Valhalla. New York wouldn't think so, not if the cookies were made with coconut. Dr. Cohen notes the ease with which medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) in coconut oil are digested and absorbed and says they "have found use in the clinic as a means to provide high energy lipid to patients with disorders of lipid digestion (pancreatitis) lipid absorption (Crohn's disease), and lipid transport (chylomicron deficiency)."1

Eating coconut cookies has made an impact on Gerald Brinkley, a Crohn's disease sufferer for 30 years. "When I read that eating coconut macaroons could ease symptoms," Brinkley says, "I decided to try them myself. Coincidence or not, my symptoms have improved since I began eating two cookies a day."

Crohn's Disease
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory intestinal disease characterized by diarrhea, abdominal pain, bleeding ulcers, bloody stools, anemia, and weight loss. Ulcerations can occur anywhere along the digestive tract from the mouth to the rectum. Ulcerative colitis is a similar disease that affects the colon—the lower part of the intestinal tract. At times these chronic conditions can become debilitating. The ability of the intestines to absorb food is hampered which may lead to nutritional deficiencies. Sufferers find that certain foods aggravate symptoms and are, therefore, constantly challenged to find foods that they can tolerate. Like many other chronic illnesses there is no known cure. Drugs can ease the symptoms but if conditions become too severe surgical removal of the infected organ is usually recommended.

Anecdotal reports suggest that coconut may offer relief from symptoms and prevent digestive distress. Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. co-author of The People's Pharmacy Guide to Herbal and Home Remedies says during the research for her book she heard enough testimonials about the benefit of using coconut for Crohn's disease that she was convinced that this is one home remedy that may have important medical significance and believes strongly that more research should be pursued in this area. I have also heard similar stories. For example, one occurred in Hawaii and involved a small child that suffered from an intestinal problem so severe that most any food, including milk, aggravated symptoms. The child was wasting away because he couldn't tolerate most of the foods he was given. A native Hawaiian told the mother to feed the child the "jelly" inside an immature coconut. She took the woman's advice and the child thrived eating a diet consisting primarily of coconut jelly. Knowing what we do scientifically about the digestibility of coconut oil, it makes sense that it would be of benefit to those with digestive problems.

Interestingly enough researchers have demonstrated the benefits of coconut oil on patients with digestive problems, including, Crohn's disease, at least since the 1980s. The anti-inflammatory and healing effects of coconut oil apparently play a role in soothing inflammation and healing injury in the digestive tract which are characteristic of Crohn's disease. Its antimicrobial properties also affects intestinal health by killing troublesome micro-organisms that may cause chronic inflammation.

While the cause of Crohn's disease is still unknown, many doctors feel it is the result of a bacterial or viral infection. Stomach ulcers, for example, are caused primarily by the bacterium H. pyloris. The bacteria bore into the stomach wall causing ulcerations and discomfort characteristic of the condition. It's possible that this bacterium or a similar one could also infect other areas of the digestive tract.

Several studies have shown that the measles and mumps viruses might be involved.2,3,4,5 A persistent low-grade measles infection in the intestine is common in many Crohn's and ulcerative colitis patients. The infection is localized in the digestive tract so it does not cause a full-scale case of the measles. Those who have had measles or mumps in the past and now suffer from some type of inflammatory bowel disease (1BD) such as Crohn's disease of ulcerative colitis are likely to harbor a low-grade intestinal infection that the body has not been able to overcome. The evidence for measles infection as a cause or at least a contributing factor in IBD is very convincing. In one study, for example, 36 Crohn's disease patients, 22 ulcerative colitis patients, and 89 people free of IBD symptoms (controls) were tested. Twenty-eight of the 36 Crohn's disease patients (78%) and 13 of 22 ulcerative colitis patients (59%) tested positive to the measles virus as compared to only 3 of 89 (3.3%) controls.6

H. Pylorus bacteria
 and the measles virus are both killed by the MCFA in coconut oil. If the symptoms characteristic in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are also caused by these or some other micro-organism then coconut oil may be beneficial in treating these conditions.

Eating macaroons to ease symptoms of Crohn's disease, as strange as it may sound, does have some scientific backing. For those who have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, stomach ulcers, or other digestive problems you don't have to eat coconut cookies to get relief. Eating foods rich in Virgin Coconut Oil, which is high in MCFAs, would work just as well if not better.

From Bruce Fife's Book "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil."
1. Cohen, L.A. 1988. Medium Chain triglycerides lack tumor-promoting effects in the n-methylnitrosourea-induced mammary tumor model. In The Pharmacological Effects of Lipids Vol III. Jon J. Karbara editor. The American Oil Chemists' Society.

2. Montgomery, S.M., et al. 1999. Paramyxovirus infections in childhood and subsequent inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterology 116(4):564

3. Wakefiled, A.J. et al. 1999. Crohn's disease: the case for measles virus. Ital J Gastroenterol Hepatol 31(3):247

4. Daszak, P., et al. 1997. IgM antibody against measles virus in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a marker of virus-related disease? J Clin Pathol 50(4):299

5. Lewin, J., et al. 1995. Persistent measles virus infection of the intestine: confirmation by immunogold electron microscopy. Gut 36(4):564

6. Balzola, F.A. et al, 1997.IgM antibody against measles virus in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a marker of virus-related disease? Eu J Gastroenterol Hepatol 9(7):661