By Mary Charlotte O. Fresco
MediaCore, STII

The cliché that coconut is “the tree of life” has taken a new twist after a scientist at the Department of Science and Technology found that coconut flour made from “sapal” (coconut meat usually thrown away after extraction of coconut milk) has significant level of dietary fiber that helps control dreaded diseases like cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and diabetes.

Dr. Trinidad P. Trinidad of DOST's Food and Nutrition Research Institute confirmed in a study that coconut flour contains significant level of dietary fiber of 60.0+1.0 grams per 100-gram sample.  This is greater compared to other local sources of flour such as banana, cassava, wheat, and rice analyzed in the study.

Dietary fiber belongs to the family of carbohydrates, a non-starch polysaccharide (complex form of carbohydrates) not digested in the small intestines but may be broken down and converted into simple substances in the colon.  Dietary fiber is a subject of numerous studies and associated with the prevention and management of colon cancer, diabetes mellitus, constipation, and heart ailments.

Heart attack and hypertension are among the most feared and leading causes of mortality among Filipinos. It is ranked first in the Department of Health's list of ten leading causes of mortality in the Philippines.

Dr. Trinidad explained that coconut flour contains great amount of butyric acid, which enhances metabolism and enzymatic activity in the colon. 

Large pharmaceutical companies engaged in manufacturing anti-cancer drugs have been using butyric acid for treating various early stage tumors including breast cancer.  Other good sources of butyric acid are milk fats and yogurts that have the capacity to stimulate the production of beneficial bacteria in the body.

Coconut flour is now promoted and used as fillers and bulking agents or substitute for wheat, rice, and potato flour in making pastries, breads, and snack foods.

It is also reported that several bakery products made from varying proportion of coconut flour are now sold in large grocery stores in Cubao and parts of Quezon City

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