Natural fats can prevent sexually transmitted infections, including HIVJune 28, 1999A fat commonly found in foodstuffs such as milk can rapidly destroy sexually transmitted viruses and bacteria, including HIV, researchers have discovered. The search for another method to prevent sexually acquired infections has intensified since reports that frequent use of commercially available spermicidal products may be toxic to the vagina and cervix. The experimental research, published in Sexually Transmitted Infections, shows that when dissolved in a gel, monocaprin - a simple fat - can destroy HIV, herpes viruses, and the bacteria responsible for gonorrhoea within a minute, and Chlamydia, the bacteria associated with infertility, within five minutes. Monocaprin also decimated the numbers of white cells in semen within a minute. This is important, say the researchers because experimental research suggests that sexual transmission of HIV can occur between white cells and those lining the vagina walls, and that this occurs within a matter of minutes. The research also indicated that monocaprin was an effective spermicide, decreasing the motility of sperm by 100 per cent, suggesting that it could be used as a contraceptive. No cell damage or inflammation was observed in the vagina of rabbits after daily exposure for 10 days, and because monocaprin is a natural compound, the researchers suggest that it is not likely to produce any harmful side effects, at the concentrations used in the study. AlphaGalileo Foundation |
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