The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has tapped a total of 61 “active” volunteers for its clinical trial seeking to evaluate the beneficial effect of virgin coconut oil (VCO) given to probable coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in Valenzuela City.
This was disclosed by DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña during his weekly report on Friday, Aug. 20.
The randomized double-blind controlled intervention VCO trial is being conducted by DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute, led by Director Dr. Imelda Angeles Agdeppa.
During his weekly report on Friday, Aug. 20, De la Peña said the DOST-FNRI VCO study hit its target number of volunteers and secured the voluntary participation of 120 suspected COVID-19 patients. “Of this number, 51 were excluded due to comorbidities or abnormal blood results such as high cholesterol, triglycerides, free blood sugar (FBS) and low density lipoprotein (LDL)," he said.
“Sixty-one are active subjects, 14 of which are undergoing interventions while 47 have graduated,” the DOST chief said.
He said eight of the 120 subjects did not complete the intervention.
The intervention trial was supposed to be implemented on May 1, 2020 to June 31, 2021.
De la Peña reported that the recruitment of study participants in Muntinlupa City has already started.
Agdeppa said in May that they asked the management of the Ospital ng Muntinlupa to allow its hospital to serve as site for their ongoing study.
The DOST-FNRI conducted last year a VCO trial in Santa Rosa, Laguna. Based on the VCO study in Santa Rosa, Laguna, meals mixed with VCO could reduce COVID-19 symptoms in suspect and probable cases, thus, possibly preventing the progression or severity of the disease.
In December 2020, the FNRI team reported the effectiveness of VCO on 57 probable and suspected cases at the Santa Rosa Community Quarantine Facility and in Santa Rosa Community Hospital.
Results of the FNRI study on VCO as dietary supplement among COVID-19 probable and suspect cases showed that “five of the 29 patients who were served meals with VCO manifested diminishing signs and symptoms as early as the second day, while only one patient served with the same meals but without VCO showed similar improvement.”
The VCO group of patients who were served meals with VCO showed no COVID-19 related symptoms at Day 18, while symptoms persisted in some patients of the Control Group of patients who were served the same meals without VCO until Day 23, it showed.