Digestive System and Healthy Gut Support
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Monolaurin &
Digestive Health
Intro to H. Pylori
Suffering from indigestion? Heart burn? Diarrhea? Dull pains in the abdomen? Loss of appetite or lethargy? These symptoms can be the result from a number of ailments, but one which often goes undiagnosed is H. Pylori.
H. Pylori (Helicobacter Pylori) is bacteria which infects the stomach and gut and can cause complications like Gastritis or even Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
Diagnosing H. Pylori may take time - the infection can unintentionally be misdiagnosed, and treatment can include expensive or harsh drugs which include proton pump inhibitors (eg. Protonics, Prevacid and Nexium), histamine (H-2) blockers (eg. Zantac) and Pepto-Bismol.
A natural alternative to supporting digestive health may include monolaurin. Monolaurin, derived from coconut, is a natural dietary supplement supplement with some interesting laboratory studies. In vitro, monolaurin has been shown to inactivate bacteria including H. Pylori without harming desirable gut bacteria or causing bacterial drug resistance.
Research for Monolaurin and H. Pylori:
Monolaurin benefits from some published academic studies which include the bacteria H. Pylori.
Research on monolaurin and pH
Research suggests that monolaurin may inactivate H. Pylori regardless of stomach pH [Ref #1]. Additional studies show that monolaurin eliminates over 99.99% of gram-negative bacteria including H. Pylori, and can be accomplished safely with minimal side effects [Ref #2].
“Eight of 12 lipids tested showed high activity against H. pylori, monocaprin and monolaurin being the most active. The high activity of monoglycerides against H. pylori suggests that they may be useful as active ingredients in pharmaceutical formulations.” [Ref #1]
“Each of the monolaurin mixtures effected a>99.9% killing of the 14 viruses tested in the study….Our data suggest that solubilization of the lipids and phospholipids in the envelope by the monolaurin and additives is a key factor in the virucidal activity of these test substances.” [Ref #2]
Research on monolaurin and gut bacteria
A healthy gut contains a significant amount of beneficial bacteria which aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients. Many people take probiotics to help restore healthy levels of gut flora after damaging effects of antibiotics, laxatives, or poor diet. Monolaurin does not appear to have an adverse effect on this desirable gut bacteria and should only impact potentially harmful microorganisms. One study reported no inactivation of the common (healthy) Escherichia coli (E. coli) or Salmonella enteritidis by monolaurin, but major inactivation of Hemophilus influenza, Staphylococcus epidermis, and Group B gram-positive streptococcus. [Ref #3]
“The lipids in human milk do not initially have antimicrobial activity, but become antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal in vitro following storage and in vivo following digestion in the gastrointestinal tract of the milk-fed infant. Microbial killing by milk lipids is due primarily to free fatty acids (FFAs) and monoglycerides (MGs) released from milk triglycerides by lipases and can be duplicated using purified FFAs and MGs” [Ref #3]
Research on monolaurin and bacterial resistance
Unlike some pharmaceuticals or antibiotics, monolaurin is naturally occurring and does not appear to cause bacteria such as H. Pylori to become resistant to treatment over time. This is especially important if you suffer from chronic infections or require long term treatment. Monolaurin is shown to impact antibiotic-resistant or difficult to treat bacterial infections of H. Pylori, and may not contribute to bacterial resistance [Refs #4, 5, 6].
“Monolaurin was cidal to S. aureus and M. terrae but not to E. coli and K. pneumoniae. Unlike the other two gram-negative organisms, H. pylori were extremely sensitive to monolaurin. Because of their longstanding safety record, origanum and/or monolaurin, alone or combined with antibiotics, might prove useful in the prevention and treatment of severe bacterial infections, especially those that are difficult to treat and/or are antibiotic resistant” [Ref #4]
“Collectively, our data demonstrate that H. pylori is rapidly inactivated by medium-chain MGs and lauric acid and exhibits a relatively low frequency of spontaneous development of resistance to the bactericidal activity of MGs. Further studies are needed to establish whether MGs may be useful either alone or with other known therapeutic agents in the management of H. pylori infections in humans.” [Ref #5]
“Monolaurin has statistically significant in vitro broad-spectrum sensitivity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial isolates from superficial skin infections. Most of the bacteria did not exhibit resistance to it. Monolaurin needs further pharmacokinetic studies to better understand its novel mechanisms of action, toxicity, drug interactions, and proper dosing in order to proceed to in vivo clinical studies.” [Ref #6]
Monolaurin and Gut Health
If you are looking to support your digestive health in the presence of H. Pylori, wish to avoid harsh or expensive drugs, a dietary supplement like monolaurin may be a interesting alternative to consider.
For details on taking monolaurin as a dietary supplement, guidance can be found on the Monolaurin Dosing Guide.
Looking to try monolaurin? Consider some of the products located on this external site: Shop Monolaurin.
As any natural treatment, it is safest and most effective when done under the supervision of a health care professional .
References:
Bergsson G, Steingrı́msson O, Thormar H. Bactericidal effects of fatty acids and monoglycerides on Helicobacter pylori. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. Volume 20, Issue 4, October 2002, Pages 258–262
Sun CQ, O’Connor CJ, Roberton AM. Antibacterial actions of fatty acids and monoglycerides against Helicobacter pylori. FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology 36 (2003) p 9-17
Isaacs CE, Thormar H. The role of milk-derived antimicrobial lipids as antiviral and antibacterial agents. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 1991; 310:159-65
Preuss HG, Echard B, Enig M, Brook I, Elliott TB. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. 2005 Apr;272(1-2):29-34.
Petschow BW, Batema RP, Ford LL. Susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to bactericidal properties of medium-chain monoglycerides and free fatty acids. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. February 1996 vol. 40 no. 2 302-306
Carpo, Beatriz G.; Verallo-Rowell, Vermén M.; Kabara, Jon (2007-10-01). "Novel antibacterial activity of monolaurin compared with conventional antibiotics against organisms from skin infections: an in vitro study". Journal of drugs in dermatology: JDD. 6 (10): 991–998