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Abstract

The per capita coconut oil consumption in Kerala State has been reduced to one-third during the last 50 years. However, during the same p[eriod, the rate of heart attack has been increased to 3 times in the same population. This alone will be sufficient to show that coconut oil has nothing to do with heart attacks. Studies at Kochi showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the cholesterol, HDL or LDL levels in coconut oil consuming population versus sunflower oil consuming population. Moreover, 71 samples of plaques were analysed for the composition of fatty acids in them. Plaques did not contain significant amounts of lauric acid or myristic acid (fatty acids from coconut oil. Instead, palmitic acid and stearic acid (long chain fatty acids) were the main ingredients of these plaques. Fatty acid contents of plaques from coconut oil consuming group and sunflower consuming group were the same.
... Contrarily, PUFA enriched fats generate enough free radicals to ultimately damage the living cells. The high degree of saturation of coconut oil (>90%), precludes the requirement of a hydrogenation process to maintain its stability (Vasudevan, 2017). Hence, consumption of MCT-rich coconut oil is suggested to control the rise in body weight and reduce fat deposition, thereby potentially negating the risk of developing CHD. ...
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Widely acclaimed as the "tree of life," the coconut is intrinsically woven into human culture as a source of food, shelter, and medicine. Coconut oil and its derivatives have found diverse applications in both food and industry. Of late, the consumption of coconut in the form of oil and its derivatives has been proven to be beneficial. Taking into account the most recent clinical evidences, an attempt was made to present a concise review of the cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-obesity effects of coconut and its derivatives. Our analysis reveals that research evidence supports the cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects of coconut. Numerous clinical trials have proven the anti-obesity and hypoglycemic effects of coconut oil and products. High contents of myocardial anti-oxidants, and differential metabolism of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) provide cardioprotective effects. The ketogenic effect of coconut derived products confers neuroprotective measures and enhanced energy expenditure in the metabolism of MCFAs and polyphenolic anti-oxidants are suggested to offer anti-obesity effects. Nevertheless, further research with more randomized, controlled, large clinical trials that evaluate the optimal dosage and side effects, if any, are warranted. Based on this comprehensive review, it is understood that MCFAs are the key component, apart from the phytochemicals such as polyphenols, tocopherols, and other antioxidants that accord these health benefits. Overall, the health benefits of coconut and its derivatives are perceptible, though there is a need for long-term clinical trials. Also a shift of research focus from coconut fatty acids and oil to other phytochemicals and to design appropriate clinical and epidemiological studies to discover coconut biomolecules of health importance is warranted.
... Meanwhile, in the study of del Rosario et al. [34] , five Ganoderma species, Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma gibbosum, Ganoderma australe, Ganoderma lucidum strain 1, G. lucidum strain 2, and Ganoderma weberianum preferred CWG as their basal culture medium. Likewise, CWG favored the luxuriant mycelial growth of Lentinus sajor-caju, Pleurotus cystidiosus, and Coprinopsis cinerea [35] . For the commercial medium, both the malt extract and mycological peptone of MEA effectively support the luxuriant mycelial growth of T. versicolor. ...
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Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd is an agaricomycetous fungi characterized by its fan-shaped or shelf-like fruiting bodies with a thin leathery and velvety upper surface that displays concentric bands of brown-black and white color and undersurface cap features with numerous tiny spores. In this study, the culture conditions for the mycelial growth as well as fruiting body production was established. The mycochemical compositions and the cytotoxic activity were also elucidated. Optimization study of the secondary mycelia shows that T. versicolor grew well on malt extract agar (MEA), potato dextrose agar (PDA), and coconut water gulaman (CWG) culture media. In terms of pH of the medium, pH 6.0 to 8.0 supports the best mycelial growth. On the other hand, sealed, lighted conditions incubated at 25 to 32 °C were the requirements for the optimum growth of T. versicolor. After 37 d incubation, the fruiting body production of T. versicolor was determined. T. versicolor produced 37.68 g bag⁻¹ which is equivalent to 7.65% biological efficiency (BE) on a substrate consisting of rice straw and sawdust at a 7:3 ratio by volume. Moreover, qualitative mycochemical analysis of the aqueous extract of T. versicolor revealed the presence of different mycochemicals such as terpenoids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and alkaloids. In terms of the cytotoxic effect of T. versicolor, the LC50 values of ethanol and methanol extracts were calculated, showing that they had a high toxicity level of 70.93 and 74.43 µg/ml, respectively against brine shrimp nauplii after 24 h of incubation. Overall, the optimum culture condition for mycelial growth and fruiting body production, mycochemical compounds, and cytotoxic effect of T. versicolor tabulated in this study provide significant data that elucidated the value of this mushroom in the pharmaceutical industries.
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There is little data on the type of vegetable oil used and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Asian Indians. Food frequency questionnaire was used to document the type of cooking oil in 1875 adults in Chennai city. MS was assessed by new harmonizing criteria. The prevalence of MS was higher among sunflower oil users (30.7%) than palmolein (23.2%) and traditional oil (17.1%, p < 0.001) users. The higher prevalence of MS in sunflower oil group persisted even when stratified according to body mass index, except in obese groups. The risk of MS was further compounded by quantity of refined cereals consumed. Higher LA%E and linoleic acid/alpha-linolenic acid ratio in sunflower oil probably contributes to increased risk of MS.
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