Coconut oil, a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s disease?

Seven years ago, Dr Mary Newport wrote an article entitled “What if there was a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and no one knew it?”. Today she is publishing a book, “Alzheimer’s disease, what if there is a cure? The molecules of hope” which presents the story of her husband Steve’s reprieve from the spiral of Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to an unexpected treatment: coconut oil.

Director of a care unit in an American hospital, Mary Newport has chosen to accompany her husband Steve, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, in a surprising way. After much personal research, she discovered that medium chain fatty acids could stabilize or even prevent disease, thanks in particular to coconut oil. The brain of a person affected by the disease being resistant or deficient in insulin, the consumption of fatty acids contained in this oil would allow the formation of a substitute fuel for glucose. This would therefore stabilize the disease. A revolutionary theory that struggles to be recognized. Interview with its main instigator, Dr Mary Newport.

HealthPassport – Dr Newport, can you explain to us how the consumption of coconut oil could be beneficial in people with Alzheimer’s disease?

Doctor Newport – Glucose is the main fuel for our cells, including the brain. To enter these cells, it needs a well-known hormone: insulin. We don’t understand all the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease, but one thing is certain: some cells can no longer use insulin, so without fuel they end up shutting down. The connections between them then disintegrate, a process that seems to begin ten years or more before symptoms, such as memory loss and problems with common sense, become apparent. But our brains and most other organs have the capacity to use certain alternative fuels if glucose is not available. Without this ability, our species would be extinct by now. In the event of famine, for example, we start to draw on our fat stores and we release fatty acids, some of which are converted into ketones: these can cross the blood-brain barrier and provide other fuel to our brain cells. However, coconut oil contains specific fatty acids which are converted into ketones by the body and which can serve as a substitute fuel for glucose.

HealthPassport – Researchers doubt the effectiveness of this treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and consumption of coconut oil, which is high in saturated fatty acids, has long been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Is it really reasonable to recommend such a treatment?

Doctor Newport – In fact, there is a lot that has been said about coconut oil including that it is associated with a risk of heart attack. I think this is absolutely not proven: the premise is based on old studies done on animals and very little directly relates to coconut oil. I think given the seriousness of Alzheimer’s disease, which is inevitably fatal, and when you consider that thousands of people around the world consume coconut oil on a daily basis, I believe that it is reasonable to advise this treatment, including prevention for people who are at risk of the disease.

HealthPassport – An American association devoted entirely to the disease, The Alzheimer’s Association, has noted that several thousand people have tried this coconut oil remedy, but very few have reported any effects. similar to your husband’s. In your book, you have chosen to publish testimonials from people for whom the treatment has worked. Did you also receive any from people for whom it did not work?

Doctor Newport – Yes, of course. I would say about 90% of people reported improvement in symptoms or stabilization of the disease but there are people for whom it absolutely did not work indeed. What is interesting about this association is that it is in fact funding a three-year study on medium chain fatty acids, themselves extracted from coconut oil, and their effects on people with the disease. So, The Alzheimer’s Association, herself, is interested in this new treatment.

PassportSanté – Can you confirm that the consumption of coconut oil would be more of a treatment to stabilize the condition of the affected person and not to cure his disease?

Doctor Newport – Yes it is a treatment addressed to the symptoms of the disease: it does not cure it in the true sense of the word. About two-thirds of the people who wrote to me reported improvements in memory and cognition, others reported improvements in social reactions, behaviors, mood or the ability to hold on. a conversation. Many people also reported a resumption of activities that people could not do for a while, such as cleaning, cooking, or doing a hobby. In fact, what people are observing is that it can slow down or even reverse the course of the disease. For some people like my husband, it can even improve the general condition considerably beyond the first year. I also read some testimonials where affected people could again recognize their loved ones and talk to them. However, we still do not know the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, no one is able to explain its mechanism. So obviously, if the brain cells are dead, no treatment will be able to revive them. But if you are at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and can delay its onset by 5 or 10 years, you might be able to live the rest of your life without it …

Health Passport – Do you think that the effectiveness of such a treatment can depend on the patients?

Doctor Newport – It may depend on the patient, it is true, but also the circumstances. If you just use a little coconut oil here and there, it will probably be less effective than if you incorporate it into your meals every day. The brain needs fuel every day to function: if you don’t fuel it on a daily basis, the effects are likely to be felt. In many people, the difference after starting this dietary intervention is immediately apparent and can even be dramatic. For others, reprieve may manifest itself as stabilization rather than obvious improvement.

HealthPassport – What recommendations would you give to people who would like to incorporate coconut oil into their diet?

Doctor Newport – Usually I recommend consuming small amounts of coconut oil because if you ingest too much of it too quickly you may experience indigestion, cramps and even diarrhea. It is therefore necessary to start by consuming it in small doses, from 2 to 5 g per dose, 2 to 3 times per day, then increase the dose gradually as long as it is tolerated. Many people then increase up to 75g per day! When you add so much fat to your diet, you obviously risk putting on weight. This is the reason why I recommend reducing the consumption of other types of fat. I also recommend reducing sugary foods, to promote the use of ketones, produced from the fats contained in coconut oil.