Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s Disease
October 5, 2010
How worried should drug companies be about supplements eating into their monopoly profits? A lot—as this story will show. Please share it with anyone you know who is suffering from Alzheimer’s or is worried about it.
Of course, just about everyone worries about Alzheimer’s. It currently afflicts 5.2 million people in the US and is the seventh leading cause of death. The cost of treating it is estimated at $148 billion.
Mary Newport, MD, has been medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Spring Hill Regional Hospital in Florida since it opened in 2003. About the same time the unit opened, her husband Steve, then 53, began showing signs of progressive dementia, later diagnosed as Alzheimer’s Disease. “Many days, often for several days in a row, he was in a fog; couldn’t find a spoon or remember how to get water out of the refrigerator,” she said.
They started him on Alzheimer’s drugs—Aricept, Namenda, Exelon—but his disease worsened steadily. (It should be noted that the latest research shows that the various Alzheimer’s drugs, like Aricept, have proven disappointing, with little real benefit and often distressing side effects.) When Dr. Newport couldn’t get her husband into a drug trial for a new Alzheimer’s medication, she started researching the mechanism behind Alzheimer’s.
She discovered that with Alzheimer’s disease, certain brain cells may have difficulty utilizing glucose (made from the carbohydrates we eat), the brain’s principal source of energy. Without fuel, these precious neurons may begin to die. There is an alternative energy source for brain cells—fats known as ketones. If deprived of carbohydrates, the body produces ketones naturally.
But this is the hard way to do it—who wants to cut carbohydrates out of the diet completely? Another way to produce ketones is by consuming oils that have medium-chain triglycerides. When MCT oil is digested, the liver converts it into ketones. In the first few weeks of life, ketones provide about 25 percent of the energy newborn babies need to survive.
Dr. Newport learned that the ingredient in the drug trial which was showing so much promise was simply MCT oil 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. Moreover, this is also a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), drug-resistant epilepsy, brittle type I diabetes, and type II (insulin-resistant) diabetes.
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.
Let’s take a moment to consider what actually happened here. Synthetic (patentable) Alzheimer’s drugs have failed. A drug company reluctantly decides to put a non-patentable natural substance (medium-chain triglycerides derived from coconut or palm) through an FDA trial. It works. But, darn it, a smart doctor figures out that a natural food can be substituted for the super-expensive drug. Not only that, the ketones from natural coconut oil last in the body longer than the drug version—eight hours instead of three hours. This is enough to make a drug company start worrying about its future. What if this natural health idea really catches on? Goodbye to monopoly profits!
Coconut oil can be found in many health food stores and even some grocery stores. One large chain sells a non-hydrogenated (no trans-fat) brand of coconut oil in a one-liter size (nearly 32 ounces) for about $7. It can be purchased in quantities as small as a pint and up to five gallons online. It is important to use coconut oil that is non-hydrogenated and contains no trans-fat. We would also strongly encourage the use of virgin oil (chemicals used to extract non-virgin oil are potentially dangerous, and better still, virgin organic, still quite reasonably priced.)
For more information, see Dr. Newport’s website. Sadly, you will not find any information on ketones, or the use of coconut oil or MCT oil, on the Alzheimer’s Association website.
Coconut oil is not the only natural product that has the potential to turn Alzheimer’s around. We will cover some other ones, and drug industry efforts to steal some of them, in a future issue.
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Coconut oil amounts to be taken daily varies. Spoonfuls to tablespoonfuls / twice to three times a day. What is the CORRECT dosage?
my mother has alzheirmer’s she is 71 years old to day is jan 11 will start to give her the organic extra vrgin coconut oil that i got from gnc store.doc newport website say about 4tsp. i hope and pray to god that it work. if not a lot than a little i would be thanks. it’s so hard to see my mother.like she is no medication seem to work they have her on three type.god be with us as we try this.
How much coconut oil should be consumed each day? I don’t see any amounts of use anywhere.
My true story. I am 50 years old, and I noticed my memory is going bad…forgetting phone numbers, difficulty doing multiplications on top of my head, forgetting names of people I have meet… I attributed the problem to getting older. But since I started eating raw coconut for the past five weeks…my memory recall had improved a lot…and my blood pressure have gone back to 125/80 from 140/90..
How much coconut do you eat daily? Have to tried the oil?
People need to be careful about this. Please see the MedFriendly.com blog which documents cautions you need to take about the claim that coconut oil can effective treat or cure Alzheimer’s disease: http://blog.medfriendly.com/2011/10/five-ways-to-evaluate-suspicious.html
Peroxynitrites are held to be the main cause of short-term memory impairment in Alzheimer’s disease. Peroxynitrites damage the function of receptors involved in short-term memory (acetylcholine muscarinic), mood (serotonin), sleep (melatonin), alertness (dopamine), and smell (olfactory). Peroxynitrite scavengers such as ketones from coconut oil, minocycline and other tetracycline antibiotics, and phenolic compounds including rosmarinic acid, grape seed extract, cinnamon extract, Cinnamomum zeylanicium (Ceylon cinnamon) essential oil, lemon balm essential oil, sage essential oil, and rosemary essential oil have led to improvements in cognitive function in animal models, clinical trials, and case studies (for the clinical trials see Jimbo et al. and Akhondzadeh et al.). Jimbo and colleagues used aromatherapy and noticed significant improvements in all patients with demenitia, but especially those with Alzheimer’s disease. This may be due to the fact that the essential oils directly reach the part of the brain most damaged by the disease–the hippocampus. However, the clinical trial seems to indicate that peroxynitrites may be at the root of other forms of dementia as well. Unfortunately, so far all the large Alzheimer’s organizations and many researchers have ignored the evidence that Alzheimer’s disease can be treated with essential oils. Profit is driving the process, which is sad since the knowledge already exists to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Lane I have a dad that has vascular dementia can you please tell me what essential oils you are talking about? I am a young living distributor. Appreciate your help. I am always trying to find new ways to help him as he is a high functioning demintia person.
Wouldn’t any anti-oxidant counter-act the effects of peroxynitrates? How about vitamin C?
My husband has advanced AD. How many tablespoons of Coconut oil should he have a day?
I read an article in 2oo5 that placed coconut oil in the same category as olive oil. This counters the claim that coconut oil causes cholesterol problems. A nurse-practitioner who is near 80years, has flawless complexion and has the gait of a well-kept 40year-old. She attributes much of these youthful qualities to her use of coconut oil all her life.
Alzheimers is rife in my family so I am really excited about these findings. I trust that more research will go into controlling the diseases that have been destroying our coconuts.
They say that when the Earth is uninhabitable (there will be many reasons for this in the near future. One of them is THEIR addiction to oil, not the everyday consumer. We have no CHOICE but to use oil. If the government really cared, they would ban all oil-based motors and introduce electric cars or water-fueled cars. But that would kill the oil industry – an industry that kills the Earth! And an industry that causes war! They don’t care, they’re making money!) we will be able to easily terraform Mars over a couple human generations and we’ll be just as good. Don’t they realize that Mars is now a DEAD planet that does NOT support life!? If we can’t get along as a race on our OWN planet, are we really going to be successful Are they just saying these things because they ONLY care about they moneymaking endeavor in their own lifetime? This topic is deeply saddening when you think of the current status, but humans can perform great things when they work together…let us care for Earth..
I would like to know how the coconut oil is used in the preperation of food? What do you put it on?
Check out my book, Alzheimer’s Healing, for great suggestions on how to use coconut oil. I wrote the book specifically to help people know how to do this.
Fractionated coconut oil makes an excellent lubricant for massage and is gentle enough to be used as a facial moisturizer. I wonder if the topical application of coconut oil would have an effect similar to ingesting it.
I wish this information was available to me a long time ago. My grandmother and her daughter, my mother both had Old Timers disease. It’s a horrible disease and one that affected their life even before it we really accept the reality that there is a problemf. Even around the age of 55 she began showing signs.
Both of them had a problem with having to drink alcohol every night. They didn’t have the superfood our Creator intended them to eat. It was mostly supermarket food. Now on the other hand my Father’s mother was raised on a farm, she even continued vegetable/fruit/flower gardening throughout her life as long as she could and she passed away a few days before her 103rd birthday. She had a brighter outlook on life and she loved making her own bread, putting away for a rainy day etc…she was charitable, loved flower gardening, and appreciated what our Creator gave to her…non GMO seeds
Yes, I also have witnessed several clients whose alzheimers and general health have improved markedly due to consuming fresh coconuts and coconut oil. However, it is essential that the oil be not only organic and virgin (and fresh rather than rancid) but also raw. How may one know if it is raw? It almost always reads “raw” somewhere on the bottle. Furthermore, on the other hand, cooking with coconut oil is particularly deleterious because the fats are transformed from health-giving to the reverse during the chemical process.
Actually, coconut oil has a fairly high smoke point, so it is quit good for cooking. Use that rather than olive oil. I like the products from Tropical Traditions.
For an even more concerntrated source of MCT’s, NOW Foods has a MCT oil product you can get at most health food stores.
Please keep me posted on this information. Many thanks.
This is the first I’ve heard about coconut and Alzheimer. I eat coconut once a year maybe but now I’m going to be doing it a lot more. I have been diagnosed with dementia and if this would help it would make me so happy.
You might want to add Turmeric and Ceylon Cinnamon to your supplement regimen as well. Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and the Ceylon Cinnamon helps stabilize insulin levels. Note that Ceylon cinnamon is NOT the usual cinnamon you find in the grocery stores in the US.
My mother-in-law was telling me how she has started using the coconut oil with my father- in law who has Alzheimers and the results that she has had up to this point. She reports that he seems more alert and I have seen him at the kitchen table reading the funnies and working puzzels which all he use to do was sit in his recliner and sleep. He is sleeping better at night. But what impressed me most of all was the report she gave me about his cholesterol test. His numbers so much better. His HDL is now at 45 improved from 25, tryglycerides are below 200 from over 300 and his overall is 185 which is also way down. I went out the day she told me about the labs and purchased some coconut oil for my husband and myself. My cholesterol is borderline and my husband is on medication for both cholesterol and his triglycerides. His triglycerides are over 400 with medication. He is also a type 2 diabetic. I figure the cocout oil will not hurt and therefore am giving it a try.
I have worked with Alzheimers patients since the early 80’s. I also have a sister, uncle and 2 cousins that have died from Alzheimers, this is exciting news. The SAD (standard american diet) I believe has brought this on. Lo fats, no fats and bad fats has taken a toll on the American people. I just hope that the behind the scenes powers in this country do not stop the importation of coconut oil to America.
There is a huge link between the increase of Alzheimer’s and increased use of nitraites and nitrates in processed foods. Sad thing is, there are other food preservatives available but our government choses not to use them. And in countries that don’t eat the SAD type diet…incidence of Alzheimer’s type diseases is much lower.
Just wanted to note; How Oil pulling helps with gum disease(periodontal) and sinus problems.
Does anyone know if coconut oil can also help with dementia not just Alzheimers? My darling Mum has just been diagnosed with a form of dementia called Lewy Body. She’s only 65. We are devastated.
You have nothing to lose by giving this a try. You will know if it works because she will start to improve in just a few days time. Please let us know how it goes.
My Mom (76) was diagnosed with dementia too. I took her off the statin drug she was on. Within 3 days, the fog started to lift. It seemed that as the cholesterol increased in her body and brain, the better she got. It has been 5 weeks now, and she is almost back to normal. This might explain why the coconut oil is helping–it could just be the cholesterol injection into the system.
can you benefit from coconut oil gel tablets same as with the coconut oil in the jar?
My mother is 92 and has Alzheimer’s disease. I discontinued her Lovastatin a week ago to see if there is any improvement in her memory. I have not as yet seen the dramatic improvement you report but I’m patient. She had been taking this drug for at least several years.
Hi
I have been giving my mom the oil blend for about 6 months and I think that it has stopped the dementia in it’s tracks, but I’m not expecting that her memory is going to get any better, but what I am expecting is that she won’t get worse. This is what the oil is proving, at least the symptoms are gone, because they were the hardest to deal with. Go to alzorganics.com
We know that sertss can affect people in different ways and one of those wayshappens causes increase blood pressure, and very easily dampen your mood with depression.Anxiety problems are becoming more common in the present day. There are numerous herbs for anxietyrelief medication available as treatment, they are proving to be very effective in reducing sertss and anxiety. Anxiety disorders can be effectively cured by using natural remedies.
I am 55 years old. A couple of years ago I noticed that my memory was failing, though I didn’t think much of it. I had scheduled a visit to my parents a few months ago. My husband dropped me off at the airport, as always, and I went inside. Went to my gate and waited for my flight to board. I’m not sure how much time passed, but when i went to the boarding counter, the flight had left two hours prior. My husband called to make sure I had boarded……long story short….I couldn’t remember where I was going. Finally made my flight 2 hours later. i am now on medication (Arocept). and doing fairly well. I’ve been on coconut oil for about a month and a half (approximately). The coconut oil had made an incredible difference. 2 Tablespoons 3 times per day. Life is funny sometimes…I’ve disliked anything coconut my entire life….now it’s my best friend……..
Hi. My mom has Lewy Body Dementia also, since 2002. I give her a coconut oil blend from alzorganics.com. It has worked wonders, as long as I keep giving her the blend all of her symptoms are gone. It took from 1 month to start seeing results and then up to 3 months and we have our mom back. It costs me about 75.00 a month, but it is well spent. You really should try it, we are so happy that our mom enjoyed Christmas and was aware of her surroundings.
Hello arlie from Woody’s Mom (at alzconnected). Thanks for the info you posted there… it lead me to find this website.