Coconut Oil Can Benefit the Brain and Ketones Can Improve Brain Function
Learn about how coconut oil, MCT oil, and exogenous ketone supplements (ketone salts and esters) work and how to use them to increase blood levels of ketones, which provide fuel for the brain, can bypass insulin resistance, and reduce brain inflammation.
Also see ketone supplements and links page.
How much coconut or MCT oil?
To enjoy the benefits of coconut oil for brain health, here are easy step-by-step instructions for how to add coconut and/or MCT oil to your diet, what products to look for, how to mix the oils, and food ideas.
Coconut and MCT oil FAQ
Answers to “frequently asked questions” about coconut and MCT oil such as what to buy, how to store and cook with the oils, in what types of food the oils work well, how much oil to give children and pets, how to avoid gaining weight, and coconut oil benefits for skin, hair, and teeth.
Also see Coconut, MCT oil, Ketones for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s & Dementia
Analysis of 26 Studies of the Impact of Coconut Oil on the Lipid Profile: Beyond Total and LDL Cholesterol
by Mary T. Newport, M.D. and Fabian M. Dayrit, PhD.
Click here for direct link to PDF
Published ahead of review on PrePrints, November 17, 2024
We analyzed 984 lipid profile datasets from 26 studies conducted between 1985 and 2024 of people consuming coconut oil. When all data were combined, we found that coconut oil tends to increase so-called good cholesterol, HDL-C, and decrease triglycerides but does not increase tend to increase LDL-C or total cholesterol; the response of individuals was highly variable. This article is currently submitted and under review for publication and we were invited by the editors to pre-publish the paper on PrePrints!
Ketogenic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and other memory impairments: History, rationale, and 288 caregiver case reports. By Mary T. Newport, M.D. Medical Research Archives April 30, 2024
This article explains how coconut, MCT oil, and ketones can benefit the Alzheimer’s brain and presents the case report of my husband Steve with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease who had a dramatic improvement when he was 58 years old that lasted nearly four years from taking coconut oil, MCT oil, and taking a ketone ester two years later which was developed by Dr. Richard Veech at the NIH. The article also presents a report on my collection of anecdotal reports of the responses to coconut and MCT oils of 288 people with Alzheimer’s, dementias, Parkinson’s with dementia, and other conditions with memory impairment.
A New Way to Produce Hyperketonemia: Use of Ketone Ester in a Case of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Newport MT, VanItallie TB, Kashiwaya Y, King MT, Veech RL Alzheimers Dement. 2015 Jan;11(1):99-103.
This is a case report of the response of my husband Steve to coconut, MCT oil, and later a ketone ester that I was honored to collaborate on with Dr. Richard Veech, Dr. Theordore VanItallie, Todd King, and Yoshira Kashiwaya. This was the first case report ever published of improvement in a person with Alzheimer’s taking coconut oil as well as a ketone ester.
The Lipid-Heart Hypothesis and the Keys Equation Defined the Dietary Guidelines but Ignored the Impact of Trans-Fat and High Linoleic Acid Consumption. By Mary T. Newport, M.D. and Fabian M. Dayrit, Ph.D., Nutrients May 11, 2024
Are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans which recommend a low-fat diet and replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat really justified? We reviewed the dietary fat studies of the lipid-heart hypothesis conducted between the 1950s and 1980s and found that any solid fats, including both animal fats (butter, lard) and hydrogenated oils and fats with trans-fat (margarines and shortenings), were considered to be saturated fat when the studies were designed and, therefore, the effects of natural and man-made sources of saturated fat on serum cholesterol were not studied separately. In addition, even though replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat often reduced serum cholesterol on average, doing so did not reduce deaths or other serious adverse events from heart disease. Some polyunsaturated oils actually increased deaths from all causes and from heart disease compared to groups eating more saturated fat.
Mixing Coconut Oil and MCT Oil/MCT//143
This is the mixture Dr. Newport developed for her husband Steve and has taken herself since 2008. The mixture was formulated by Dr. Newport for the Pruvit company and combines MCT oil (from coconut oil), organic virgin unrefined coconut oil, and pure concentrated phosphatidylcholine, an important substance that is abundant in brain cell membranes and is needed to make acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory and learning that is deficient in Alzheimer’s disease. You can make your own (see How Much Coconut or MCT Oil?) or buy a bottle for home or convenient sachets for work, travel and people in assisted living. BUY MCT//143. Find MCT//143 under “Support Products”.
Biochemistry 101: What Are Ketones and Where Do They Come From?
Ketones for brain health: This basic lesson in chemistry explains how ketones are made naturally from fat during fasting to provide fuel for the brain and body and can also provide fuel in place of glucose in people with diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions with brain insulin resistance which decreases glucose uptake in the brain.
Also see ketone supplements and links page.
Ketone Salts Explained
Ketone salts are the first product on the market to the public to contain the actual ketone betahydroxybutyrate combined with sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium and can be combined with liquid to make an energy drink. They were developed at University of South Florida and the Pruvit company has been the leader in formulating new products and educating the masses on ketones and what they do at their Ketokademy events. Pruvit Ketone Salts and Carbonated Beverages | Also check out Audacious Nutrition Ketone Salts
Combining Ketone Salts with a Low-Carb Keto Diet for Fat Burning and Weight Loss
Ketones salts work especially well to reduce body fat when combined with a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. This article provides step-by-step instructions. Pruvit Ketone Salts | Audacious Nutrition Ketone Salts
Two Helpful Charts to Plan a Keto (Ketogenic) Diet
The ketogenic diet is actually a spectrum of diets that can provide mild to deep nutritional ketosis depending on how little carbohydrate and how much fat you eat. These charts can help you figure out how much protein, carbohydrate, and fat to eat based on how many calories you eat per day to get into ketosis. More fat and fewer carbs = higher ketone levels.
Using Ketone Salts in the Elderly and People with Medical Conditions
Ketone salts can have great effects but people with chronic medical conditions and people who are elderly need to be aware that blood sugar will likely drop, so should be monitored by people with diabetes. There can be large water loss from muscles as well as loss of sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium in early weeks while starting ketone salts, so it is important to stay well-hydrated and keep electrolytes in balance. This article explains more and is written so that people can share this with their physician to guide on what to watch for and how to avoid these and other problems. Pruvit Ketone Salts | Audacious Nutrition Ketone Salts
Ketone Esters: What, Why, and How
Ketones can protect brain function. Ketone esters became available to the public in early 2018 and can result in instant ketosis within 30 minutes at ketone levels much higher than with ketone salts or MCT and coconut oil when larger doses are taken. This article explains in detail information about what the ketone ester is, what effects may occur, potential issues and how to avoid them. This is written to educate the public but also physicians on what to monitor in people who are elderly or have chronic medical conditions such as diabetes. The ketone ester is GRAS and passed safety and toxicity testing with just six adverse events out of 2,016 large doses of 25 grams taken three times daily (nausea, headache or diarrhea). Many people with Alzheimer’s and other memory impairments report improvement with smaller doses of 5 to 10 grams once or twice daily. KetoneAid | Kenetik | Cognitive Switch
What If There Was a Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease… and No One Knew? (2008)
This is the first article written by Dr. Newport in June 2008 to spread awareness of an MCT oil medical food that was already on the shelf, my husband Steve’s dramatic response to coconut oil and MCT oil, and the urgent need for clinical trials of Dr. Richard Veech’s ketone ester which can rapidly increase ketone levels much higher than coconut or MCT oils.
Spanish Version of article: ÂQUã TAL QUE YA EXISTIERA LA CURA PARA LA ENFERMEDAD DE ALZHEIMERY NADIE LO SUPIERA?
Este es el primer artículo escrito por la Dra. Newport en junio de 2008 para difundir la conciencia sobre un alimento médico de aceite MCT que ya estaba en el mercado, la respuesta dramática de mi esposo Steve al aceite de coco y al aceite MCT, y la urgente necesidad de ensayos clínicos del éster de cetona del Dr. Richard Veech, que puede aumentar rápidamente los niveles de cetonas mucho más que los aceites de coco o MCT.
St. Pete Times Article about Dr. Mary and Steve Newport
The only thing that kept Dr. Mary Newport positive in the face of her husband’s early onset Alzheimer’s disease was that he didn’t seem aware of how much ground he was losing. A dietary intervention using coconut oil…
How To Grow A Healthy Baby With A Healthy Brain
By choosing a healthy well-balanced diet before you become pregnant, while you are pregnant, and while breastfeeding, you will greatly improve the chances of growing a healthy baby with a healthy brain.