Alzheimer's disease is tricky to manage. Once traditional medications have failed, it seems that people are willing to try just about anything in a bid to improve their loved one's condition.
Coconut oil and your brain: What you need to know
As society becomes is increasingly concerned about diet, we in the medical profession have discovered that certain previously fairly "obscure" foods can instantaneously gain fandom if they are found to be beneficial against common diseases like hypertension or diabetes.
This is a very helpful coincidence because doctors can become easily frustrated when medications are not as impactful as we would hope. More and more resources are now starting to highlight the importance of diet on overall health, so if more people focus on what they eat, they will likely have better health and a lower need for medications.
Coconuts are one of these types of foods. They may be very common food in the tropics, but they do not receive the same consideration as you work your way towards the poles of the globe.
The brain requires a lot of fuel to function properly. It has a unique metabolic profile, because it needs to be able to generate this energy quickly to function.
In a resting state, the brain is able to consume about 420 calories per day and uses about 60 percent of the glucose that we ingest daily as its primary energy source. If we are fasting or don't have time to grab a bite to eat, our sugar levels will fall. Obviously, the body would not be able to function very well if the brain only relied on one source of fuel for energy. So, in the event that we haven't eaten, an alternative pathway activates to generate more energy for the brain from proteins. These proteins are digested and turned into ketones that can also provide the brain with energy. It is not as effective as sugar, so this is just a back-up plan to hold you over until your next meal.
You may already think that a simple solution to bypass the need for coconut oil entirely would be to just eat something with sugar but in most cases, people over-consume sugar. In small amounts, sugar is a perfect fuel for our body. It is high in energy and easy to digest.
When we consume too much of it, however, sugar turns from a blessing into a curse. In excessive levels, not only does sugar lead to obesity but it can also be toxic to our blood vessels and predispose us to heart problems, kidney problems and dementia.
Considering how addictive sugar is as well, it is better to try to limit sugar intake to prevent much more significant health problems. Just to give you a frame of reference, people eating an average Western diet can consume over 10 times the required amount of sugar on a daily basis.
Could coconut oil actually be helpful in the fight against Alzheimer's?
The reasoning behind coconut oil as a potentially helpful remedy against Alzheimer's disease symptoms makes sense.
If the brain is starved of energy, it will require more complex sources of fuel. If you are already dealing with a patient with dementia, you do not want to increase sugar intake due to the risk of future damage, potential stroke, and the likelihood of diabetes. Giving a supplemental source of energy would be a better alternative in that case.
These results are interesting based on the fact that energy is an important aspect of Alzheimer's disease symptoms. Because of conditions associated with Alzheimer's, such as major depression and difficulty with motor movements, many patients with Alzheimer's disease become undernourished.
When sugar levels drop, it is likely that energy reserves found within the body may not be enough to supply the brain and cognition and brain function will decline. When patients reach a more severe form of Alzheimer's disease, added difficulty with swallowing will become another hurdle that can make nutrition a very difficult challenge.
When consumed as a beverage, coconut oil will be easier for patients to ingest and will provide the boost of energy that these patients may require as they are calorically starved.
It may become a challenge in later stages of Alzheimer's to consider this type of therapy due to the risk of aspiration. This is a phenomenon that occurs when a patient has difficulty swallowing liquids and the fluid can accidentally travel into the lungs. Patients to whom this happens will likely need to be hospitalized — so be cautious when using this type of therapy on more severe cases.
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