Coconut Oil for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Leilani Doty University of Florida Cognitive & Memory Disorder Clinics, Department of Neurology, Florida, 32610-0236, USA

Abstract 

An estimated 5.4 million people in the United States diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders (ADRD) receive about $210 billion worth of unpaid care annually from about 15 million loved ones. As these numbers grow, the urgency builds to discover causes, treatments, and cures. Ever searching for promising, effective, and less expensive treatments, family caregivers are eager to adopt treatments, promoted strongly in the media. Coconut oil, especially virgin coconut oil, has starred in recent years in several internet and newspaper anecdotes as providing significant cognitive improvements in people with ADRD. A comprehensive literature review found only two studies examining the impact of coconut oil in humans though neither study dealt with ADRD. Research on dementia leading to diminishing cerebral glucose metabolism has reported on the benefit of ketone food. More controlled research is needed about the value of ketone foods, such as the varieties of coconut oil and MCT Oil. Though well researched the FDA-regulated (2009) ketone-medical-food Axona® which contains some coconut oil ingredients has shown evidence of cognitive improvements in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease but more research is needed to clarify individual sensitivities, side effects, and health risks such as acidosis or hypocalcemia, possible with long-term use by people with ADRD.