Coconut oil and EGCG in multiple sclerosis patients
What it found
In people with multiple sclerosis, a combination of coconut oil and EGCG improved state anxiety and functional capacity, but IL-6 fell in both the treated and control groups.
The authors say the IL-6 drop may be due to the Mediterranean diet both groups followed.
What they found
Studies in people
State anxiety
State anxiety decreased in the intervention group but did not improve in the control group.
Functional capacity
Functional capacity improved in the intervention group, while no change was seen in the control group.
IL-6 levels
IL-6 decreased in both the intervention group and the control group.
Trait anxiety
Trait anxiety did not improve in either group.
BMI
BMI decreased significantly in both groups.
What the authors conclude
“EGCG and coconut oil improve state anxiety and functional capacity.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that EGCG and coconut oil improve state anxiety and functional capacity in patients with MS.
- They note that a decrease in IL-6 is observed in patients with MS, possibly due to the antioxidant capacity of the Mediterranean diet and its impact on improving BMI.
- They advise that future research should involve a larger sample and study EGCG, coconut oil and the Mediterranean diet separately.
How it was done
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease, and patients often have high levels of IL-6, which is linked to anxiety and disability. The authors wanted to see if coconut oil and EGCG could lower IL-6 and ease anxiety and disability.
They ran a four-month trial with 51 multiple sclerosis patients, randomly split into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group took 800 mg of EGCG and 60 mL of coconut oil daily, while the control group took a placebo. Both groups ate the same isocaloric Mediterranean diet.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was small, with only 51 patients, so the results may not apply to all people with MS.
- Because both groups followed the same Mediterranean diet, the specific effect of coconut oil and EGCG on IL-6 cannot be separated from the diet's effect.
- The trial lasted only four months, so longer-term effects are unknown.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Martir, Spain; University of Almería, Spain
The paper
- Title
- The Impact of Coconut Oil and Epigallocatechin Gallate on the Levels of IL-6, Anxiety and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis Patients
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Platero JL, Cuerda-Ballester M, Ibáñez V, et al (2020). The Impact of Coconut Oil and Epigallocatechin Gallate on the Levels of IL-6, Anxiety and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis Patients. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu12020305Free full textPubMed 31979305DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error