Short‐Term Ingestion of Virgin Coconut Oil Improves Endothelial‐Dependent Dilation but not Exercise‐Mediated Hyperemia in Healthy Young Adults

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is high in antioxidants (e.g., polyphenols) that may reduce reactive oxygen species‐induced conversion of vascular endothelial‐derived nitric oxide (NO) to toxic peroxynitrite. As such, flow‐mediated dilation (FMD, a surrogate marker of NO bioavailability) and exercise‐mediated hyperemia may be enhanced following short‐term VCO supplementation. However, these potential beneficial effects have never been assessed in humans. We tested the hypotheses that a 4 week VCO supplement (30 ml·day −1 ) would improve resting popliteal artery (PA) FMD and the hyperemic response to aerobic exercise. Thirty‐four young, healthy participants were divided into VCO (n=19, 10♂, 22±2 years, 24±3 kg·m −2 ), and Control (n=15, 10♂, 24±2 years, 24±3 kg·m −2 ) groups. PA‐FMD and PA blood flow were assessed via high‐resolution duplex ultrasonography (Vivid i, GE Healthcare) and analyzed using commercial software (Cardiovascular Suite, Quipu). After resting measurements, a 10‐minute bout of moderate‐intensity (60% heart rate reserve) cycling exercise was completed. PA blood flow was measured for 5‐minutes post‐exercise and total PA blood volume was calculated from the area under the curve. After 4 weeks, PA‐FMD increased (p < 0.05) following VCO supplementation (4.9±0.9% to 5.5±1.2%) with no change (p > 0.9) in the Control group (5.7±2.1% to 5.8±1.9%). There were no differences (both, p > 0.28) in post‐exercise total PA blood volumes in either group (VCO: 495±355 ml to 598±384 ml; Control: 562±362 ml to 488±229 ml). The increased FMD response observed in our young healthy adults suggests that short‐term VCO supplementation has potential as a dietary treatment for populations with elevated ROS levels and reduced vascular endothelial (e.g., older adults, smokers, etc.). However, additional research is required to test this hypothesis. Support or Funding Information Support provided by: Canadian Foundation for Innovation: Leaders Opportunity Fund, and a Faculty of Health Professions Research Development grant. SAR and MWO were recipients of a NS Graduate Scholarship. MWO was awarded a NSHRF Scotia Scholar Award and a Heart & Stroke BrightRed Award. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .