Coconut Oil Alzheimer’s Disease Cure?

Coconut oil cures Alzheimers? While we’d all love to believe that this hideous disease could be easily cured with a natural, cheap and yummy food … the eviedence is sorely lacking!

I think this article on Snopes sums it up well. There’s isn’t any credible evidence to support the claim. Stories of AD victims who’ve been “treated” with coconut oil and who have had remarkable improvements are just that; stories. AD symptons can ebb and flow. Symptoms get better and get worse on they’re own, while remaining on a steady downward path.

And remember, taking massive doses of natural supplements can have serious effects:

Many health organizations advise against the consumption of high amounts of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat, including the United States Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, International College of Nutrition,[25] the United States Department of Health and Human Services,[26] American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association,[28] British National Health Service,[29] and Dietitians of Canada.

Thomas Brenna, a professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, stated that, “Most of the studies involving coconut oil were done with partially hydrogenated coconut oil, which researchers used because they needed to raise the cholesterol levels of their rabbits in order to collect certain data. Virgin coconut oil, which has not been chemically treated, is a different thing in terms of a health risk perspective. And maybe it isn’t so bad for you after all.”

Coconut oil contains a large proportion of lauric acida saturated fat that raises blood cholesterol levels by increasing the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.[31] It is also found in significant amounts in laurel oil, palm kernel oil (not to be confused with palm oil), human and animal breast milk and sebaceous gland secretions. This may create a more favourable blood cholesterol profile, though it is unclear if coconut oil may promote atherosclerosis through other pathways. The effects of coconut oil on the peripheral nervous system in animal models is that it is acutely anti-inflammatory, although chronically neutral. Because much of the saturated fat of coconut oil is in the form of lauric acid, coconut oil may be a better alternative to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil when solid fats are required. In addition, virgin coconut oil is composed mainly of medium-chain triglycerides,[36] which may not carry the same risks as other saturated fats.

Advocacy against coconut and palm oils in the 1970s and 80s due to their perceived danger as a saturated fat caused companies to instead substitute trans fats, unaware of their health-damaging effects.

source: wikipedia

 

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