The number of caprylic acid benefits are many due to its inherent antimicrobial properties. Read this article learn about this essential nutrient, and the various effects it has on the human body.
Caprylic acid is used as a natural dietary supplement. It is available in the form of pills, capsules, and liquid. It is produced in the human body and is found in breast milk. Other sources are cow milk, goat milk, and a small amount of it is also present in coconut oil and palm oil. To prepare the supplement, caprylic acid is usually derived from coconut oil. Caprylic acid benefits on fungal infections are widely known for more than 40 years.
What is Caprylic Acid?
Caprylic acid is a naturally occurring, essential fatty acid and is often referred to as octanoic acid. It got the name due to the presence of eight carbons in this medium-sized straight chain molecule. It is an oily liquid substance, which can be identified with its rancid smell and taste. It is fully soluble in fat, but is only slightly soluble in water. It is one such essential fatty acid (or EFA) which is a must for the normal functioning of our body. A deficiency can give rise to memory problems and lack of concentration.
Health Benefits
One of the key caprylic acid benefits is that it works wonders against recurring or chronic yeast infections particularly that are caused by candida albicans. Overgrowth of this fungus is responsible for the condition known as candidiasis that can have a negative impact on the entire body. Our body acts as a host for a large number of microorganisms including candida albicans. Usually, it maintains a perfect balance between good and bad microbes.
When this balance gets disturbed, the growth of candida albicans increases and causes infections in various parts of the body. It affects the intestine and causes indigestion, abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, etc. When it infects the mouth it leads to oral thrush. Skin yeast infections include ringworm, vaginitis (or vaginal yeast infection) in women, and jock itch in men. In this condition, if caprylic acid supplements are taken orally, it dissolves the cell walls of the microbes and makes them semi permeable. As a result, their cytoplasm leaks out and they die.
Caprylic acid is equally effective on various forms of bacterial infections. As the chain of the fatty acid is not very long, it can easily penetrate through the wall membranes of fatty cells of the bacteria and destroy them. Moreover, it is soluble in fat, which helps it to fight those bacteria that are covered with lipid substances like Streptococcus species which causes strep throat. It can also be used to control salmonella that causes gastroenteritis and E.coli that causes food poisoning. It has also been proved to be highly beneficial for treating inflammation of intestines that leads to Crohn’s disease.
Dosage
The recommended dosage of caprylic acid is 300 mg to 2000 mg per day and has to be taken orally with meals. Usually, doctors advise to start with a small dose and increase the dose gradually. In order to yield maximum benefits, you should avoid certain food substance that tend to promote the growth of yeast in your body. It includes fermented products like beer, wine, alcoholic beverages, processed meat, mushrooms, pickled vegetables, etc.
You should also follow a low sugar diet that will deprive candida albicans from its food. There are no serious side effects of caprylic acid. However, some people experience diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, etc. These side-effects will subside once the body get used to the supplement. During this time, one should drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.
