Ketone Found in Coconut Oil Improves Brain Disorders From Alzheimer's and Dementia to Autism and Epilepsy and More.

Everybody knows someone who has Alzheimer's disease, autism, dementia, or epilepsy. I know too many of people who are related to someone who has these mental diseases. What these diseases all have in common is that they are all brain disorders. Recent discovery shows that these conditions may improve with the aid of ketones.

What are ketones?

Glucose is the main source of energy for the body. Glucose comes from the carbohydrate in our food. When the body is low on glucose, the body steps up with the production of another fuel called ketones. Ketones are fuels that are produced in the fat stored the liver to nourish the brain. When the body is low on glucose, the brain uses ketones.

Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association website, is the sixth leading cause of death. Some have described Alzheimer’s disease as diabetes of the brain because the brain cells have trouble metabolizing glucose. Naturally, the solution is to find a way to replenish the fuel to the brain. In the past, with all of these diseases, studies have shown that a ketogenic diet (high in protein and low in carbohydrates) improve the conditions of these brain disorders. The problem lies in the difficulty of patients to stick with ketogenic diet.

Fortunately, there are certain fats known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) that convert into ketones regardless of blood glucose levels or type of diet. Although there are MCT medications, doctors have found that they are expensive and may not be necessary. Dr. Mary Newport discovered that coconut oil alone or a combination of MCT oil can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and improve the symptoms. She observed the significant improvement of her husband who went from dementia to a more productive life.

In Dr. Mary Newport’s 2008 article called “What If There Was A Cure For Alzheimer’s Disease And No One Knew?” she believes that MCT oil such as coconut oil may be 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 diabetes type II, where there is insulin resistance.”

Dr. Newport describes other potential health benefits:

Ketone bodies may help the brain recover after a loss of oxygen in newborns through adults, may help the heart recover after an acute attack, and may shrink cancerous tumors. Children with drug resistant epilepsy sometimes respond to an extremely low carbohydrate ketogenic diet. MCT oil appears to be useful as an aid in weight loss and body builders use it already to improve their lean body mass (MCT oil can be easily purchased on the internet.) Athletes and soldiers could use MCT oil as a source of fuel when the body runs out of carbohydrates, which occurs rather quickly when food is not readily available.

Dr. Mary Newport's Recommendation

Dr. Newport recommends 4 teaspoons of coconut oil twice per day. She suggests that you can substitute coconut oil for butter and add it to your rice, potatoes, or pasta. In addition, one can use coconut milk, which is a combination of coconut oil and water, whenever one needs to use milk. She advised that coconut oil can be used with other olive oil or butter but also recommends eating salmon twice per week if coconut oil is the only oil being used so that you can gain the omega 3s fatty acid.