My husband Steve, now 61-years-old, has
early onset Alzheimer’s disease. In May 2008, while he was screening
for clinical trials, I came across information about a potential
treatment in development: AC-1202, now called Axona.
As I learned about the potential
treatment, I learned that consuming medium chain triglycerides (derived
from coconut oil) resulted in improved cognition in about half of the
persons with Alzheimer’s or Mild Cognitive Impairment in their studies.
So, I gave my husband Steve some
coconut oil. He had a dramatic response with a remarkable improvement in
clock drawing and in his memory testing. Two months later, Steve
continued to improve and other people confirmed that it was not my
imagination.
Steve ‘s dramatic improvement began on
the very day he started taking coconut oil. This was consistent with
results of the first Axona study in which nearly half of the people had
improved memory scores after taking just one dose of Axona.
Since we had changed nothing else in
the months prior to or immediately after starting coconut oil, it ‘s
reasonable that it was the cause for his improvement.
The way Steve explains the change he experienced, it was like the light bulb came back on the day he started taking coconut oil.
Why is Coconut Oil Beneficial to Alzheimer ‘s Patients?
One important feature of Alzheimer’s
disease is that the brain gradually develops insulin deficiency and
resistance. As a result, glucose (which is the usual fuel for brain
cells) cannot enter the neurons, so the neurons malfunction before
eventually dying.
But there may be a way to help alleviate that problem.
Medium chain fatty acids are converted
in the liver to ketones. Those ketones can serve as an alternative to
glucose, which means they may potentially help cells stay alive and
function better.
Beyond Alzheimer ‘s
Increased ketones can also benefit
people suffering from other diseases, such as Parkinson ‘s, ALS (Lou
Gehrig ‘s), multiple sclerosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, autism,
Down ‘s syndrome, and Huntington ‘s chorea. Ketones can also serve as an
alternative fuel for other cells in the body that are insulin resistant
or cannot transport glucose, and could potentially lessen the effects
of Diabetes I or II on the brain and other organs.
So What ‘s the Problem?
Medium chain triglycerides are made in
the human mammary gland. But other than that, humans do not make medium
chain fatty acids–so we must acquire them from foods.
Unfortunately, most Americans consume
oils that don ‘t contain any medium chain fatty acids. But the good news
is that medium chain triglycerides make up 70% of the saturated fats in
coconut oil.
Complete article by Mary T. Newport, M.D., University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Complete article by Mary T. Newport, M.D., University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
