Coconut Oil and Alzheimer's Is the
Misguided Low-fat Dietary Philosophy Primarily
Responsible for Alzheimer’s Disease?
Population studies in tropical cultures that consume
coconuts seldom see diseases like Alzheimer's.
The harm of low-fat high-carbohydrate diets in
cholesterol uptake in the brain
The role of diet in Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
is continuing to make strong headlines here in 2011
as hundreds of millions of dollars in drug research
have yet to produce any significant cure. One of the
latest studies published appeared in the European
Journal of Internal Medicine: “Nutrition and
Alzheimer's disease: The detrimental role of a high
carbohydrate diet”1.
The authors of this study have noted how researchers
have begun to direct their energies towards
understanding the earlier stages of AD, since drug
research in later stages has not been very
successful. They note that several researchers have
noticed a strong correlation between insulin
resistance in the brain and early AD, suggesting
that AD might be considered a neuroendocrine
disorder of the brain or so-called “type 3
diabetes.” Other observations have noted an
association of AD with mitochondrial dysfunction,
which is also common in Parkinson's disease, and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
But the authors’ main conclusions regarding the
early causes of AD center around the transport of
cholesterol from the blood stream to the brain. They
state that there is mounting evidence which suggests
that a defect in cholesterol metabolism in the brain
may play an important role in AD. They give a nice
summary of the brain’s dependency on cholesterol:
The brain represents only 2% of the body's total
mass, but contains 25% of the total cholesterol.
Cholesterol is required everywhere in the brain as
an antioxidant, an electrical insulator (in order to
prevent ion leakage), as a structural scaffold for
the neural network, and a functional component of
all membranes. Cholesterol is also utilized in the
wrapping and synaptic delivery of the
neurotransmitters. It also plays an important role
in the formation and functioning of synapses in the
brain.
They point to several studies that show a lack of
cholesterol present in the brains of AD patients
which is so vital for several functions, and also
note that other studies show this cholesterol
deficiency in dementia and Parkinson's disease. In
contrast, high cholesterol levels are positively
correlated with longevity in people over 85 years
old, and in some cases has been shown to be
associated with better memory function and reduced
dementia.
The authors go on to explain that the lipid theory
of heart disease started by the work of Ancel Keys
in the 1960s led to dietary beliefs that cholesterol
was to be avoided in the diet, and with that belief
came the “over-zealous prescription of
cholesterol-reducing medications over the same
decades in which there has been a parallel rise in
AD prevalence.”
Another result of the low-fat dietary belief was the
replacement of fats in the diet with refined
carbohydrates, which leads to a rise in blood
glucose levels and over time to insulin resistance
and diabetes. They point out that the prevalence of
fructose, mostly in the form of high fructose corn
syrup, is ten times more reactive than glucose in
inducing glycation. This impairs serum proteins, and
they hypothesize that this leads to a depletion of
much needed cholesterol and fat in the brain. Strong
evidence in favor of their hypothesis is the fact
that studies show patients with type-2 diabetes are
at two to five times increased risk to AD.
Increased lipid peroxidation is also shown to be an
early cause of Alzheimer's disease. Liquid vegetable
oils, the polyunsaturates, are highly prone to
oxidation and rancidity, and it is now well known
that in the form of trans fatty acids (through the
process of hydrogenation) they are extremely toxic.
(More research onpolyunsaturated
oils here.)
Dr. Raymond Peat has talked about the difference
between polyunsaturated oils and saturated oils in
their importance for brain tissue for years now:
Brain tissue is very rich in complex forms of fats.
The experiment (around 1978) in which pregnant mice
were given diets containing either coconut oil or
unsaturated oil showed that brain development was
superior in the young mice whose mothers ate coconut
oil. Because coconut oil supports thyroid function,
and thyroid governs brain development, including
myelination, the result might simply reflect the
difference between normal and hypothyroid
individuals. However, in 1980, experimenters
demonstrated that young rats fed milk containing soy
oil incorporated the oil directly into their brain
cells, and had structurally abnormal brain cells as
a result. Lipid peroxidation occurs during seizures,
and antioxidants such as vitamin E have some
anti-seizure activity. Currently, lipid peroxidation
is being found to be involved in the nerve cell
degeneration of Alzheimer's disease.2
How Coconut Oil Can Help
Coconut oil, by contrast, is highly saturated, and
in its natural unrefined form has a shelf life of
more than 2 years. Unlike unsaturated oils, it is
not prone to oxidation.
Also, 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.3
Much research is also being uncovered now on the
advantages of high HDL cholesterol levels, besides
the study we mentioned above in direct relation to
Alzheimer’s. A study appearing in the American
Journal of Cardiology earlier this month (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 85.4A
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.5They
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.
As coconut oil's use becomes more accepted and
widespread, and as people begin to realize the
dangers of the low-fat dietary belief, we expect to
see more testimonies in relation to diseases like
Alzheimer's. One of the most widely
published reports recently was from Dr. Mary Newport
as reported by the St. Petersburg Times on October
29, 20086.
Dr. Newport's husband had been diagnosed with early
onset Alzheimer's and was watching her husband
quickly deteriorate. After using drugs that slowed
down the effects of Alzheimer's, she looked into
clinical drug trials and found one based on MCTs
that not only slowed the progression of Alzheimer's,
but offered improvement.
Not being able to get her husband into one of these
trials, she began to give him Virgin Coconut Oil,
and saw incredible improvement in his condition.
The coconut oil he'd ingested seemed to "lift the
fog." He began taking coconut oil every day, and by
the fifth day, there was a tremendous improvement.
"He would face the day bubbly, more like his old
self," his wife said. More than five months later,
his tremors subsided, the visual disturbances that
prevented him from reading disappeared, and he
became more social and interested in those around
him.7
Carol Flett came across Dr. Newport's research while
praying for a solution to her husband's worsening
dementia. In her blog post Can
God Use Facebook to Answer Prayers? she
reports:
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. I
told him about the answer to prayer. He believes in
God. He didn't scoff. He just said, "Keep doing what
your doing because it's is working." I believe God
can use whatever method he chooses. If He chooses to
use part of his creation such as coconut oil, I
won't complain, and if He gives direction to His
praying child through Facebook, that is His
prerogative as well.8
She has since posted a video of Bruce thanking
people for praying for him, and explaining how his
condition changed dramatically after taking coconut
oil. He reports how he was diagnosed with dementia
and could no longer care for himself, and that the
doctors recommended that he be put in a nursing
home. Watch and listen to him now:
Dietary Advice for Alzheimer’s Sufferers
Coconut oil does offer hope as nature's most
abundant source of MCTs, and it is an easily
convertible fuel source for ketones. In addition, it
is one of nature’s richest sources of saturated fat
which is needed to produce HDL cholesterol to feed
the brain. People suffering from Alzheimer's should
immediately start avoiding polyunsaturated forms of
oil such as soy and corn oils, especially if they
are hydrogenated and in the form of trans fatty
acids. These are prone to oxidation and potentially
mitochondrial dysfunction. Other healthy fats would
include butter from the milk of cows that are
grass-fed, and Omega 3 fatty acids from high quality
fish oil, cod liver oil, or krill oil.
Refined carbohydrates in the form of refined wheat
products and refined sugars should be strictly
avoided! High protein foods such as eggs from
pastured chickens (preferably fed a soy-free chicken
feed), pastured poultry, and grass-fed meats are all
desirable proteins for brain health.
I started checking into Coconut oil because I saw on
the news that Alzheimers patients were dramatically
improving after taking this oil. I bought some for
my father who had recently been diagnosed and he now
thinks the Alzheimers has gone away! I'm using it
too and I feel so good, physically and MENTALLY
better! Roxie
(Coconut
Diet Forums)
