New Study Claims: There Is a Connection Between Coconut Oil Consumption and Alzheimer’s Treatment

For many years, the world of medicine and science has been trying to find a satisfactory solution to Alzheimer’s disease, but to no avail. All chemical and natural compounds researched to date emerged with extraordinary 'promises' for a period, but soon faded from the headlines due to a lack of proven efficacy.

However, a study recently published by a researcher named Dr. Mary Newport sheds light on a new finding — no less promising than its predecessors, claiming it can fight Alzheimer’s and dementia: coconut oil. Dr. Newport began her research after her husband Steve developed Alzheimer’s at the relatively young age of 51. "It reached such a severe state that even a simple action like tying shoelaces became complicated for him," Dr. Newport explains and adds that the deterioration came quickly, forcing her to try to help her husband in ways other than the medications he was receiving or the doctors he visited.

While researching the biological changes occurring in her husband's brain due to the disease, the idea to try treating him with coconut oil and observing how the brain reacts to the change flashed in her mind. "Steve received four teaspoons of coconut oil daily, and within a month I noticed changes in the brain's physical responses to the innovative treatment. From a husband unable to perform the simplest of tasks, I gradually got back a husband whose cognitive abilities improved each day and was becoming the husband I knew all my life," Dr. Newport explains.

When her success rates proved themselves, Dr. Newport approached the University Alzheimer’s Research Institute in Florida (USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute) and requested funding for the first of its kind clinical study, aimed at examining the validity of her findings regarding the effectiveness of coconut oil treatment compared to placebo treatments.

The study included patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, not exceeding the age of 65. According to Dr. Newport, the disease arises when there is some problem in metabolism and the brain struggles to 'digest' glucose molecules it needs for proper functioning. "In such cases, someone needs to provide the brain with an alternative fuel, and that is exactly the role of coconut oil," Dr. Newport explains but cautiously adds that so far, her study's successes revolve mainly around the initial stages of Alzheimer’s disease.