by THOMAS on Jul 26, 2012 • 8:02 pm
Another amazing property of coconut oil may be it’s ability to heal damaged nerve tissue. Current research into potential cures for Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia are recruiting patients to test the effectiveness of two experimental drugs. One of these drugs is Ketasyn, which is showing great promise. In preliminary studies persons with Alzheimer’s disease demonstrated overall improvement in mental ability in as little as 45 days. Some positive results were noticed in some subjects after just a single dose. This drug has the potential to be the most effective treatment for preventing and reversing the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The most interesting aspect of this new drug is that the active ingredients are medium chain trigylcerides (MCTs) which are derived from coconut oil. The daily dosage of the MCT oil used in these studies was the equivalent of about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil per day.
How do these medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) from coconut oil fight Alzheimer’s disease? During digestion, MCTs are broken down into medium chain fatty acids, some of which are converted to ketones. Nerve tissue, including the brain, relies on glucose for energy but is also capable of converting ketones into energy.
Glucose can not enter cells without the aid of insulin. Insulin is the hormone that takes glucose from the blood and shuttles it into the cells. Certain conditions, such as chronic inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s, MS, Parkinson’s, and peripheral neuropathies, can cause cells to become insulin resistant. Insulin resistance prevents glucose from being adequately transported into cells. When inflammation affects nerve tissue, nerve cells become resistant. Therefore, nerve tissue, including the brain, is unable to get the glucose it needs and thus degenerates and ultimately dies. This leads to the degenrative conditions of nerve tissue such as AZ, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, MS, and other neurological disorders.
Ketones, on the other hand, do not require the aid of insulin to pass through cell membranes. Therefore, they are capable of supplying nerve tissue, including the brain, with needed energy regardless of the insulin status. Nerve compromised brains that are starving for nourishment can get the energy they need from ketones the body manufactures from coconut oil. Other fats and oils will not convert to ketones unless a state of starvation exists, so they are of no benefit.
The sad fact is that the science behind this research has been around for a number of years, but little has been done to use this knowledge to develop treatments for these neurologic diseases. (I think the reason for this is obvious)Drug manufacturers have little use for research involving natural products that are not patentable. So the government and the medical establishment have also shown little interest. But why wait, the research is there. I would encourage anyone with a neurological disorder to try coconut oil and particularly extra virgin organic coconut oil. Do it now!
Be well
Dr. T