VIRGIN COCONUT OIL FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Virgin coconut oil for Alzheimer's Disease

Coconut oil is most dangerous for the heart when baked or cooked.

Thus, uncooked "virgin" coconut oil would probably be preferable over "refined" coconut oil, which has been subjected to high heat and chemical modification, e.g. bleaching.

Possible Explanations for Potential Benefit in Alzheimer’s Disease

• 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 contains a rich supply of medium chain triglycerides or MCTs, which are fats that the body can use as an energy.
• Alzheimer’s disease may be tied to a situation in which the brain can’t use glucose, its preferred source of energy.
• Scientists have discovered that people with Alzheimer’s disease may have defective brain insulin signaling.
• The brain, like other cells in the body, needs insulin in order to use glucose. Insulin transports the glucose into your brain’s cells.
• When brain cells lack glucose, they die. This in turn could lead to brain damage and neurological diseases, like Alzheimer’s.
• The medium chain triglycerides found abundantly in coconut oil can be readily used by brain cells as a fuel source.
• The liver transforms these triglycerides into ketones, which in turn are used as energy to support brain cell structure, function, and connections - all of which are important factors in treating Alzheimer’s disease.Unlike sugar, these ketones act independently of insulin.
• Coconut oil produces ketone bodies when the fats in the oil are digested by the body.
• High-energy fats also had reduced amounts of amyloid beta plaque precursors, which are commonly seen in early Alzheimer’s disease.
• Medium chain triglycerides produce ketones. Ketones are used as an insulin-independent energy source. This is important because, as stated above, Alzheimer’s patients may have problems with using insulin in their brains.
• 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.
  
  
  
  
  Is Coconut Oil a Potential Treatment for Alzheimer’s?
• The truth is that there’s no clear answer yet.
• However, according to studies, medium chain triglycerides certainly seem to protect brain cells and improve cognitive function.