There has been quite a lot of buzz around coconut oil for reducing the effects of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease. MCI is the polite medical term for the slowing and disassociation which is found in conventional aging.<\/p>\n
Recently there have been a few small, controlled trials which have borne out the anecdotal evidence. The best one used twenty adults with MCI in a randomised, double-blind, crossover study that lasted six months, or more in the case of some subjects. Double-blind means neither the subjects or the experimenters know which is the active medication and which the placebo. Crossover means that half-way through the active medication and placebo are swapped in the subjects, so everyone gets both. This is pretty much to \u201cgold standard\u201d for good experiment design.<\/p>\n
The experiment used MCT oil (which is a refined and concentrated version of coconut oil) consumption was 1.8 tablespoons\/day (25.2 g, 234kcal). Some consumed up to three tablespoons per day.<\/p>\n
Cognition was regularly tested with the Mini\u2010Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Cognigram\u00ae. Of the twenty subjects, average age 72.6 years, 45% women, 70% university educated, 80% remained stable or improved during the test.<\/p>\n
Some of the testing continued for nine months. Those who did this continued to improve.<\/p>\n
Cold-pressed extra-virgin coconut oil and its derivative, MCT oil, have plentiful Medium-Chain Triglycerides. Your brain usually runs on glucose, but can also run on MCT fatty acids \u2013 this is the process behind the famous \u201cketo\u201d diets.<\/p>\n
The upshot of this experiment is that declining brains need the extra assistance of MCTs. The daily dose can be mixed in hot drinks, to create a simulation of Tibetan Yak Butter tea or coffee (Yak butter is an ancient brew which also contains MCTs, allowing Tibetan shepherds and sherpas to function mentally and physically at high altitudes where oxygen is scarce).<\/p>\n
It can also be used as an oil for dressings and cooking. Coconut oil has a relatively high smoke point so is functional for cooking. It is reasonably priced. Most health food stores have it and also the more concentrated MCT oil, which is higher priced. It is also neutral tasting, compared to the flavourful coconut oil \u2013 which you prefer depends on your taste. Best practice is to keep them in dark, glass containers in a cupboard. They do not need to be refrigerated. Obviously coconuts come from a hot climate!<\/p>\n
Dosage is 1-3 tablespoons per day \u2013 spreading that out it could be 9 teaspoons, if that makes it easier to ingest. I use both olive oil, coconut and MCT oil mainly, for the health benefits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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