How Coconut Heals Alzheimer’s
Your brain is an incredibly energy-hungry organ, consuming up to 60% of the glucose you supply your body (4).
However, a diseased brain can’t get all the glucose it needs because it experiences hypometabolism, resulting in impaired cognitive function and, eventually, cognitive decline.
Ketones, which are byproducts of the breakdown of fats in the body, are an effective alternative energy substrate for the brain (5). They can even help restore and renew neurons and nerve function in your brain, even after damage has set in (6).
“In Alzheimer’s disease, the neurons in certain areas of the brain are unable to take in glucose due to insulin resistance, and slowly die off… if these cells had access to ketone bodies, they could potentially stay alive and continue to function,” explains Dr. Newport.
Ketones are typically only present in your body after extensive periods of starvation, but MCTs are oxidized by the liver and immediately give rise to ketone bodies (7). Roughly 97% of the dietary fats you consumed every day are long-chain triglycerides, which have 14-18 carbons. Medium-chain triglycerides, on the other hand, have between 6-12 carbons (8).
Coconut oil is also being studied as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, drug resistant epilepsy, and diabetes.
Growing Evidence
A 2004 study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging found that coconut oil almost immediately improved cognitive function in older adults with memory disorders.
The controlled study involved 20 patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease of other forms of cognitive decline who were given either coconut oil or a placebo.