There are many therapeutic uses for virgin coconut oil, but one of the most interesting is its use as an oral supplement. Because of the unique properties of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), virgin coconut oil (VCO) can be used as a therapeutic remedy to support a surprisingly wide variety of health conditions.
In this blog post, we'll discuss why VCO is an excellent therapeutic oral supplement for health issues ranging from allergies to lipid disorders. Keep reading to find out why you should consider using it as a therapeutic oral supplement for your pets.
Why Use Virgin Coconut Oil as a Therapeutic Oral Supplement?
VCO is a versatile and highly beneficial therapeutic oral supplement due to its unique chemical composition. Unlike most other oils, VCO contains a high percentage of MCFAs, which are absorbed and metabolized differently than long-chain fatty acids.
MCFAs are absorbed and metabolized quickly, so they're less likely to be stored as fat. Instead, they're used for energy or converted into ketones, which can be utilized by the brain and other tissues as fuel.
Because VCO is metabolized quickly and efficiently, it doesn't put undue stress on the digestive system and organs like the liver and pancreas. As a result, it's great for animals that are suffering from gastrointestinal disorders or lipid disorders, as well as those that cannot tolerate or metabolize fat.
VCO is also highly beneficial for animals with acute or chronic conditions such as allergies, diabetes, and cancer. And amazingly, it can even help senior animals with age-related cognitive dysfunction! In the next section of this post, we'll take a closer look at how VCO can be used as a therapeutic oral supplement for specific health conditions.
Digestive and Lipid Disorders
VCO provides an easily digestible source of fat needed for lipid energy and has been shown to support a healthy digestive system. The MCFAs in the oil are easily digestible in the gut and help the body to absorb the nutrients and vitamins from food more efficiently. VCO also has natural anti-inflammatory properties that help heal injuries in the digestive tract and prevent chronic inflammation.
Because it aids in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals, VCO can be used as a therapeutic oral supplement for animals with malabsorption and lipid disorders. And since it provides lipid energy and soothes the digestive tract, it's also a great supplement for animals with gastrointestinal disorders, including pancreatitis and protein-losing enteropathy (PLE).
Acute or Chronic Conditions
VCO can help pets with a wide range of acute or chronic conditions. That's why many holistic veterinarians recommend using CocoTherapy Virgin Coconut Oil. Let's take a look at just a few health conditions that can be treated or managed with VCO.
Allergies
VCO contains especially high levels of lauric acid, which has potent anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-virus, and anti-yeast properties that can clear up allergic reactions. It's particularly good at soothing itchy and inflamed skin and promotes the rapid healing of painful conditions like hotspots. It also boosts the immune system, preventing infection and disease.
Cancer
Thanks again to its high lauric acid content, VCO can bolster the immune system and help the body fight off cancer. Lauric acid is metabolized in the body to monolaurin, a molecule that destroys disease-causing microorganisms that cause inflammation and stress. Monolaurin protects a pet's immune system by allowing white blood cells to focus on attacking cancer cells, rather than constantly defending against invading microbes. This is especially important for older pets as their immune system naturally weakens with age.
Diabetes
The MCFAs in virgin coconut oil help moderate sugar release and balance blood sugar levels, which can help reduce diabetes-related symptoms. They also provide vital energy to cells without having a negative impact on blood sugar or insulin levels. In addition, coconut oil helps supply energy to cells because it's easily absorbed without the need for pancreatic lipid enzymes or insulin. It has also been shown to improve insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.
Liver and Kidney Disorders
Thanks to their antimicrobial qualities, MCFAs can combat harmful viruses that may harm the liver and cause infection or hepatitis. They also protect the liver from free radical damage and tissue injury, promoting liver regeneration while supporting the immune system. In addition, VCO can help reduce inflammation and swelling in fatty liver disease, since it has anti-inflammatory qualities.
Several studies have shown that VCO may be useful in the treatment of kidney disease. It has been shown to help prevent bacterial infections and protect the kidneys due to its potent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. What's more, scientists have demonstrated that coconut oil can help manage blood pressure in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.
Cognitive Dysfunction
As pets age, energy metabolism, the process of making energy from nutrients, is altered. In particular, the brain is unable to metabolize glucose as effectively as it once could. This can lead to neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive dysfunction in pets. Supplementation with MCFAs has been found to enhance the production of ketones, which can be used as an energy source for the brain. This means that animals have an additional energy source to draw from to maintain good cognitive function and health.
The Bottom Line
Throughout this post, we've highlighted just a few of the ways in which virgin coconut oil can help your pet. This list is by no means exhaustive though, and we encourage you to dig deeper on the topic.
When choosing a virgin coconut oil to give to your pets, make sure to choose a therapeutic-grade product like CocoTherapy Virgin Coconut Oil that contains high levels of MCFAs. The type of coconuts used, the harvest times of the coconuts, and the method of producing coconut oil all affect the quality of the finished product.
Want to find out more about how we make CocoTherapy Virgin Coconut Oil? Discover the CocoTherapy difference here.
