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Lauric acid

Lauric acid is a saturated fatty acid that occurs naturally in many vegetable fats, particularly coconut oil and palm kernel oil. Lauric acid is also used as a medicine. Lauric acid is used to treat viral infections including group, common cold, cold sores, genital herpes caused by the herpes simplex virus, genital warts caused by the human papillomavirus and HIV/AIDS. It is also used to prevent transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child. Other uses of lauric acid include the treatment of bronchitis, gonorrhea, yeast infections, clamydia, intestinal infections caused by the Giardia lamblia parasite and bark lichen. In industrial production, lauric acid is used in the manufacture of soap and shampoo.

How does lauric acid work?

It is not known how lauric acid might work as a medicine. Some research suggests that lauric acid may be safer than trans fats in food preparations.

How effective is lauric acid?

There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of lauric acid for flu, colds, bronchitis, cold sores and genital herpes caused by the herpes simplex virus, genital warts, caused by the human papillomavirus, HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, yeast infections, intestinal infections caused by the Giardia lamblia parasite and bark lichen, as well as when used to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child.

Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of lauric acid in these applications.

Safety and side effects

Lauric acid is safe and harmless in the amounts found in food. However, there is not enough information available to make a statement about the safety and harmlessness of using lauric acid as a medicine.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: Lauric acid is safe for pregnant and lactating women in normal dietary amounts. However, larger amounts should be avoided until more is known. There are some concerns regarding the use of lauric acid while breastfeeding, as lauric acid passes into breast milk.

Interactions

At this time, there is no information on interactions of lauric acid with medications or supplements.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of lauric acid depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At this time, there is insufficient scientific data to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for lauric acid. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

  1. Brown KE, Leong K, Huang CH, et al. Gelatin/chondroitin 6-sulfate microspheres for the delivery of therapeutic proteins to the joint. Arthritis Rheum 1998;41:2185-95.
  2. de Roos N, Schouten E, Katan M. Consumption of a solid fat rich in lauric acid results in a more favorable serum lipid profile in healthy men and women than consumption of a solid fat rich in trans-fatty acids. J Nutr 2001;131;242-5.
  3. Denke MA, Grundy SM. Comparison of effects of lauric acid and palmitic acid on plasma lipids and lipoproteins. Am J Clin Nutr 1992;56:895-8.
  4. FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Premarket Approval, EAFUS: A food additive database. Website: vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/eafus.html (Accessed February 23, 2006).
  5. Francois CA, Connor SL, Wander RC, Connor WE. Acute effects of dietary fatty acids on the fatty acids of human milk. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:301-8.
  6. Temme EH, Mensink RP, Hornstra G. Comparison of the effects of diets enriched in lauric, palmitic, or oleic acids on serum lipids and lipoproteins in healthy women and men. Am J Clin Nutr 1996;63:897-903.
  7. Temme EH, Mensink RP, Hornstra G. Effects of diets enriched in lauric, palmitic, or oleic acids on blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. Thromb Haemost 1999;81:259-63.
  8. Tholstrup T, Marckmann P, Jespersen J, Sandstrom B. Fat high in stearic acid favorably affects blood lipids and factor VII coagulant activity in comparison with fats high in palmitic acid or high in myristic and lauric acids. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59:371-7.
  9. Tholstrup T, Marckmann P, Vessby B, Sandstrom B. Effect of fats high in individual saturated fatty acids on plasma lipoprotein[a] levels in young healthy men. J Lipid Res 1995;36;1447-52.