Within three or four hours after
giving Bruce the first couple of tablespoons (of coconut oil) he was speaking
in clear sentences again. He did have one relapse, shortly after starting, but
it lasted only a day. After that he sprang right back and has been doing well
ever since, taking care of many things himself that he hadn’t been able to do
for a long time. The doctor came to see Bruce yesterday. He was amazed. He
ordered another cognitive test, but he could see for himself that Bruce was
much better.
Carol Flett
Coconut is highly nutritious and
rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a 'functional food'
because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content.
Coconut oil is of special interest because it possesses healing properties far
beyond that of any other dietary oil and is extensively used in traditional
medicine among Asian and Pacific populations. Pacific Islanders consider coconut
oil to be the cure for all illness. The coconut palm is so highly valued by
them as both a source of food and medicine that it is called 'The Tree of
Life.' Only recently has modern medical science unlocked the secrets to coconut's
amazing healing powers.
Dr. Bruce Fife
There have been several claims that coconut oil
reverses the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, or at least prevents symptoms from
progressing. How true and accurate they are? How reliable are the perceived
outcomes?
Recent
Studies
The study from the European Journal of Internal
Medicine referenced above notes that Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) all have an association with mitochondrial
dysfunction. A study published in 2010 used coconut oil to show that a diet
enriched in the saturated fatty acids of coconut oil offered strong advantages
for the protection against oxidative stress in heart mitochondria.
Much research is also being uncovered now on the
advantages of high HDL cholesterol levels, besides the study mentioned above in
direct relation to Alzheimer’s. A study appearing in the American Journal of
Cardiology in February 2011 showed that the higher men’s HDL cholesterol
levels, the longer they lived and the more likely it was that they would reach
the age of 85. A diet with adequate amounts of saturated fat is essential
to keeping HDL high cholesterol levels. Those with deficiencies and suffering
from neurological disorders need to consider a diet that is high in saturated
fat, in stark contrast to the mainstream dietary advice for low-fat diets that
might be causing many of these late-in-life diseases.
Another major advantage the saturated fat of coconut
oil provides is its ability to provide the brain with an alternate source of
energy in ketones. Ketones are high energy fuels that nourish the brain. Our
body can produce ketones from stored fat while fasting or in starvation, but
they can also be produced by converting medium chain fatty acids in certain
foods. Coconut oil is nature’s richest source of these medium chain
triglycerides (MCTs). A study done in 2004 took MCTs from coconut oil and put
them into a drink that was given to Alzheimer’s patients while a control group
took a placebo. They observed significant increases in levels of the
ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB) 90 minutes after treatment when
cognitive tests were administered. Higher ketone values were associated with
greater improvement in paragraph recall with MCT treatment relative to placebo
across all subjects.
Newport
Phenomena
The interest in coconut oil as a treatment for Alzheimer’s
disease increased in the last few years when a physician from Florida, Dr. Mary
Newport, used it to treat her husband’s dementia. Before she began the
treatment, she had her husband try the clock-drawing test, and he performed
very poorly. She began giving her husband coconut oil, and two weeks later, she
noted dramatic improvement in his clock-drawing test. A few weeks later, after
continued coconut oil use, he again improved significantly in his ability to
draw the clock as well as his verbal expression, physical ability and memory.
He told his wife, “I’m back.”
She has written about his improvement and has also been
interviewed, and attributes his improvement to the coconut oil. The 700 Club
and several other media outlets produced lengthy segments on this doctor’s
experience with her husband.
Health Advantages of
Coconut Oil
Before reviewing the potential positive effect of the
Coconut Oil for Alzheimer’s treatment or management, let’s see the overall
health-related benefits of this nutrition.
Anti-infective
Properties
*Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis
C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.
*Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.
*Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
*Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.
*Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.
*Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.
*Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
*Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.
*Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.
Energy
*Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.
*Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.
*Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.
*Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.
Digestion and
Metabolism
*Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
*Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.
*Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.
*Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis.
*Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.
*Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.
*Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.
*Helps protect against osteoporosis.
*Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.
*Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.
*Improves digestion and bowel function. (Clients tell me that taken 20 minutes before a meal, it relieves symptoms of heartburn and GERD.)
*Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.
Boosts the Immune
System
*Supports and aids immune system function.
*Reduces inflammation.
*Supports tissue healing and repair.
*Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.
*Functions as a protective antioxidant.
*Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.
*Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.
*Does not deplete the body's antioxidant reserves like other oils do.
*Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.
*Helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.
*Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement).
Heart Health
*Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease.
*Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.
Organ Support
*Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.
*Dissolves kidney stones.
*Helps prevent liver disease.
*Supports thyroid function.
*Reduces epileptic seizures.
Balances Body Weight
*Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.
*Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.
*Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems.
*Is lower in calories than all other fats.
Creates Healthy
Skin and Hair
*Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.
*Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.
*Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.
*Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.
*Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.
*Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion.
*Provides protection from damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
*Helps control dandruff.
Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s
So, no doubt, the coconut oil has multiple health benefits
for consumers, but let’s get back to Dr. Newport story. Dr. Newport learned
that the ingredient in the drug trial, conducted at the time, which was showing
so much promise was simply MCT oil (patented synthetic substance) derived from
coconut oil or palm kernel oil, and that a dose of 20 grams (about 20 ml or 4
teaspoons) was used to produce these results. When MCT oil is metabolized, the
ketones which the body creates may, according to the latest research, not only
protect against the incidence of Alzheimer’s, but may actually reverse it.
So Mr. Newport, not being able to get into the drug trial,
started taking the coconut oil twice a day. At this point, he could barely remember
how to draw a clock. Two weeks after adding coconut oil to his diet, his
drawing improved. After 37 days, Steve’s drawing gained even more clarity. The
oil seemed to “lift the fog,” and in the first sixty days, Dr. Newport saw
remarkable changes in him: every morning he was alert and happy, talkative,
making jokes. His gait was “still a little weird,” but his tremor was no longer
very noticeable. He was able to concentrate on things that he wanted to do
around the house and in the yard and stay on task, whereas before coconut oil
he was easily distractible and rarely accomplished anything unless he was
directly supervised.
Over the next year, the dementia continued to reverse
itself: he is able to run again, his reading comprehension has improved dramatically,
and his short-term memory is improving—he often brings up events that happened
days to weeks earlier and relays telephone conversations with accurate detail.
A recent MRI shows that the brain atrophy has been completely halted.
Interesting is that the trial, where Dr. Newport was
dreaming to put her husband in, has failed to proof any usefulness of the new
drug. Actually, two American pharmaceutical companies stopped drug development
based on Coconut oil and Alzheimer's disease treatment after two clinical tests.
They concluded that the drug couldn’t help patients, at least based on the
obtained results of the researches.
Mechanism of Action
If one wished to try coconut oil as a health supplement, virgin (unrefined) coconut oil would be preferable since it contains higher levels of beneficial “polyphenols” (specifically, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid).
Polyphenols in coconut oil could be potentially useful for Alzheimer’s (and other diseases) since they act as antioxidants. Antioxidants help temper the harmful effects of inflammation, e.g., free radical production, which causes so much damage in Alzheimer’s and other diseases involving tissue degeneration.
Some other virgin oils have also been reported to be useful for lowering Alzheimer’s pathology in animal models. These include extra virgin olive oil and virgin grapeseed oil, both of which are high in polyphenol content as well. So, one benefit of coconut oil in Alzheimer’s could derive from polyphenols acting as antioxidants.
The second possible way coconut oil could be useful for Alzheimer’s is based on the high levels of “ketone bodies” in the oil.
Coconut oil produces ketone bodies when the fats in the oil are digested by the body. Ketone bodies serve to provide dearly needed “fuel” and energy to the brain when glucose levels are low, as in the case of Alzheimer’s patients.
When brain glucose levels are low, the brain breaks down fats to produce ketone bodies as an alternate source of energy. This energy is needed for nerve cell survival and for synaptic activity that underlies learning and memory. Virgin coconut oil contains the fats that can be converted into ketone bodies, which can serve as an alternate energy source for the brain. The ketone bodies could potentially provide energy to nerve cells and synapses in the glucose-deprived brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
Many caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients report that when they give the patient high sugar snacks like candy and ice cream, they perk up and become more alert, at least temporarily. Ketone bodies can also do this by supplementing the brain's need for glucose by breaking down fats, like those in coconut oil. And, ketone bodies are longer lasting than simply ingesting. So, the results are longer lasting.
In summary, in addition to the polyphenols in coconut oil (acting as antioxidants), it is also possible that the ketone bodies (acting as an alternate energy source for the brain) could underlie the positive effects on Alzheimer’s disease reported by some users of coconut oil.
However, it must be emphasized that the use of coconut oil to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s is not supported by any peer-reviewed clinical data; any positive findings are based solely on anecdotal evidence. Unfortunately, that’s it. What is still missing is evidence of scientific research to test the actual benefit of coconut oil. There is no respectable research so far that’s been conducted to determine if coconut oil clearly and consistently does indeed reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s and/or prevent them from worsening.
As per Alzheimer’s Association public release, some people
with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers have turned to coconut oil as a less
expensive, over-the-counter source of caprylic acid. A few people have reported
that coconut oil helped the person with Alzheimer’s, but there’s never been any
clinical testing of coconut oil for Alzheimer’s, and there’s no scientific
evidence that it helps.
Side Effects
Professor Rudy Tanzi, director of the Genetics and Ageing
Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of neurology at
Harvard Medical School, noted that “the fats (found in coconut oil) can be
potentially harmful to the heart, so it would be wise to regularly monitor
cholesterol and triglyceride levels if you are taking it.”
Consumption Dose
Therapeutic levels of MCTs have been studied at 20 grams per
day. According to Dr. Newport's calculations, just over two tablespoons of
coconut oil (about 35 ml or 7 level teaspoons) would supply you with the
equivalent of 20 grams of MCT, which is indicated as either a preventative
measure against degenerative neurological diseases, or as a treatment for an
already established case.
Remember though that people tolerate coconut oil
differently, and you may have to start slowly and build up to these therapeutic
levels. My recommendation is to start with one teaspoon, taken with food in the
mornings. Gradually add more coconut oil every few days until you are able to
tolerate four tablespoons.
Coconut oil is best taken with food, to avoid upsetting your
stomach. The oil can be served on bread like butter, warmed and added to hot
cereal, eaten right off the spoon (its flavor is delicious), served on
vegetables, baked with, or used in any way that oil, animal fats or butter can
be used.
Sources and Additional
Information:
