Coconut Oil and your Coconut (I mean your Brain)

Degenerative diseases such as cardio vascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's are often called modern diseases or even western diseases because they were very rare up until about 100 years ago and very common in western cultures.  This is due in large part to the increase in processed vegetable oils and increased carb consumption in the form of sugars and grains.  I am sure we can list a few others such as exposure to toxins and less exposure to sun light but we will keep it simple for now.  

One of these modern diseases that has continued to rise is Alzheimer's.  Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease that causes dementia and memory loss to name a few.  It is commonly associated with senior citizen's but is now being found in individuals as young as 30-40 years old.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, the deaths caused by this disease have risen more than 65% in the last decade, pretty crazy.  Here are a couple more statistics:

One in eight older Americans has Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.

That last statistic is what we are going to focus on.  According to the Alzheimer's Association, the disease cannot be prevented or cured.  Well, recent studies say otherwise.  First we have to understand what the disease is.  It occurs when the brain is no longer able to uptake or use glucose.  If you have read my previous articles the next part may be a little repetitive.  The brain uses glucose for energy, about 4-6 grams per hour.  It cannot use fat, thank goodness, because the brain is made up of primarily fat.  What is another disease where the body cannot use glucose effectively?  That's right.  Diabetes.  There is type-I, juvenile, and type-II, adult onset that we develop.  Another term for diabetes is insulin resistance.  How do we get insulin resistance?  Eating too many carbs, which causes our body to make too much insulin.  So how do we fix it?  Well modern medicine prescription is to give us more insulin, which further increases our insulin resistance or we can go to the cause...carbs...and simply reduce them. 

Now back to the brain.  If Alzheimer's is a condition where the brain is not effectively utilizing glucose, isn't that a form of diabetes? Yes, it is.  Alzheimer's is also called type-III diabetes.  So it would stand to reason that by going to the source, carbs, and reducing the load there should be improvement?  Well, unfortunately once damage occurs in the brain, that portion may never be able to effectively use glucose.  But wait, there is another fuel source the brain can use.  Ketones, which are a type of clean burning fuel made from fats.  Yes, fats.  Ketones are generally not produced in the presence of carbs.

Anyone who has had to make weight for an event is probably familiar with the term of ketones or ketosis, a state where our body makes and uses ketones as a primary fuel source.  In this state, the body burns fat and leans out very quickly.  Ketosis is not to be confused with ketoacidosis, a toxic state usually brought on by disease where the body is making too many ketones that it cannot use and, as a result, the body becomes toxic.  Generally, to enter a state of ketosis, a person has to consume less than 20g of carbs a day for several days.  I describe it as shifting gears.  Feeling tired or lethargic on a low carb diet is normal, but after a few days to two weeks the body enters ketosis.  And when it does, energy levels shoot up and it feels like the fog has been lifted and mental clarity greatly improves.   This is because ketones are a very clean burning fuel unlike glucose, which oxidizes easily and leaves residue and increases free radical production.  Ketones are sucked up by the cells, without the use of insulin, and burn very efficiently yielding more energy per gram. 

By using ketones we also improve our insulin sensitivity.  I compare glucose to ketones as unleaded low-octane gasoline to unleaded high-octane gasoline.  The high-octane gasoline burns more efficiently, yielding more energy and less waste.  So how does all this relate to the brain? 

Hang on, here we go. Saturated fats, animal fats, comprise up to 50% of our cell membrane walls, they resist oxidation, cannot be turned into trans fats, hold up to high heat and are vital for hormones, brain, cancer prevention, skin, and immune function. We have to have them to be healthy.  It is when we started taking saturated fats out and replacing them with processed vegetable oils that we, as a country, began to have serious health problems. Saturated fats, or any other type of fat, can still be problematic to folks who are already sick or continue to eat high carb/high grain diets…either way, saturated fats are much healthier that the processed, omega-6 rich vegetable oils that most consume.

One of those fatty acids is lauric acid, which is found in large amounts in coconut oil and has been shown in some studies to have a neutral effect on cholesterol but according to the Journal of Clinical Nutrition “Comparison of Effects of Lauric acid and Palmetic Acid on Plasma Lipids and Lipoproteins” 1992, it did show to increase cholesterol slightly. Another study showed that Lauric acid increases primarily HDL. Study showing Lauric acid elevates HDL. Additionally, Lauric acid is converted to Monolaurin, which is a potent antimicrobial and immune system supporter. Lauric acid is a medium chain triglyceride (MCT).  Coconut oil is loaded with lauric acid and other MCT's.  What is unique about MCT’s are they up regulate mitochondrial activity in our cells enabling them to burn fat at a higher rate. Mitochondria are the “powerhouse” or “motors” of the cells. Any of you who attended any of my classes will forever remember what mitochondria are.

Mitochondria love MCT's.  Normally fatty acids need a substance called carnitine to transport them across the membrane.  Not with MCT's, they are absorbed as they are right across the membrane of the mitochondria.  If there is an abundant supply of MCT's and we are not engaged in high intensity aerobic activity, the Krebs cycle (process in our cells by which fat is converted to energy) can't keep up with this influx of MCT's and has to do something with them.  So what does it do? It converts the MCT's into ketones.  Even with the presence of carbohydrates.  Amazing.  This means, without going on a long-term low carb diet, the body can make ketones in the presence of carbohydrates.

Now back to the brain...remember I mentioned how the brain can use ketones for energy in addition to glucose?  To be more specific, the brain could work just fine utilizing 75% ketones and 25% glucose for its energy!  Ketones do not require insulin to be absorbed by the neurons in the brain.  So if someone has insulin resistance in the brain (Alzheimer's), thier brain can use ketones if they are present.  How do we do this without drastically reducing carbs?  Add coconut oil.  Extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil, not  processed.

It is the very diets high in carbs and low in cholesterol that linked are to insulin resistance, Alzheimer's,  in the brain.  The whole cholesterol myth really irritates me.  I have written about it several times, so I won't go into too much in this article.  But we have to remember that it is cholesterol that is essential for the growth and repair of the myelin sheath, which is the insulation of all the "wiring" in our brain and nervous system.  When people start consuming too many carbs and eliminating cholesterol, the building block of all hormones, we are welcoming diseases just like Alzheimer's.  I'm rambling...again.  Back to ketones.

This is an incredible revelation for those who suffer from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia or knows someone who does.  Some of the people leading this research is Dr. Mary Newport and Dr. Mary Enig.  According to Dr. Newport, who's husband suffers from Alzheimer's, the optimal dose is about 4-6 tablespoons of coconut oil per day.  This is something to work up to.  Here is an article written by Dr. Newport about coconut oil curing Alzheimer's.  In the article, Dr. Newport chronicles her experiences with her husband and the improvements he made.

Here is Dr. Mary Newport's blogsite

Here is another article about ketones and alzheimer's.

Dr. Mary Enig has been around for quite a while and still gives lectures at major universities around the country.  She has done a lot of research on coconut oil, and fats in general, and believes we should all consume about 3 tablespoons per day.

Does a person have to be suffering from Alzheimer's to get the benefits of coconut oil?  Absolutely not.  Remember, our cells love ketones, we just need to supply them.

The ketone benefit from coconut oil is just one of many of the benefits of coconut oil.  Coconut oil is among the most stable of all oils, it's slow to oxidize and thus resistant to rancidity. In comparison to most oils, coconut oil has a long shelf life (up to 3 years), which is due to its natural ability to be unaffected by fluctuating temperatures and oxidation. 

The evidence supporting the use of coconut oil to treat Alzheimer's is so strong, pharmeceutical companies have already started clinical trials using "prescription" coconut oil to treat patients.

So to sum it up, there are many health benefits of coconut oil.  One just happens to be that coconut oil is full of MCT's which make ketones even if we are eating carbs.  And those ketones provide our body, and more importantly, our brain, with a clean burning fuel source.  It is this ability to make ketones that can help those suffering from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, and according to some research even stop and reverse the symptoms.

Here is an article by Dr. Mary Enig on coconut oil listing even more benefits of coconut oil.  Coconut oil is getting easier to find in stores now.  I usually order mine from Tropical Traditions.  Well that's a lot to think about, so if your brain hurts go have some coconut oil...until next time, be sure to get some sprints in and pick up something heavy.