claim: Coconut oil is an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
origin: The cause of Alzheimerâ€™s is unknown, although theories abound. SomeÂ evidenceÂ suggests that one cause could be related to lack of glucose metabolism in certain parts of the brain, asÂ describedÂ in a 2014 case study published inÂ Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience: < The brain is one of the most metabolically active organs in the body, and under most conditions, relies almost exclusively on glucose for its energy needs. Using [a chemical tracer], the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) can be measured. [Chemical tracer] studies in the early 1980s compared AD subjects with normal controls and found significant diminished cerebral glucose metabolism (DCGM) in AD patients. > Coconut oil contains relatively high levels of medium-chain fatty acids, which break down into ketones in your stomach. Ketones can also be used as a source of energy for the brain (a process called ketosis) and there are at least some suggestions that ketones can help pick up the slack in a glucose-deprived brain suffering from Alzheimerâ€™s.Â A 2014Â studyÂ published inÂ Neurobiology AgingÂ compared the cognitive effects of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimerâ€™s after being treated with either a single dose of a specific chain fatty acid found in coconut oil, or a placebo: < A single 40â€‰g dose of [caprylic triglyceride, a fatty acid] induced mild ketosis and a significant positive correlation between performance on [a] paragraph recall task and [concentrations of ketones in the blood] was found. > The scientific research in this area is in its infancy, and claims that coconut oil specifically, or ketosis in general, can play a role in ameliorating the affects of Alzheimerâ€™s disease require more research.Â