The greatest known risk is increasing age, and majority of people affected by Alzheimer's are over the age of 65, although it is not a normal part of aging. There is no known cure for this disease but treatments are available to temporarily slow the progression of dementia and to improve the quality of life for those affected and their caregivers. There is no known cause for this disease but risk factors such as aging and genetics have become associated with it. During Alzheimer's, there is a loss of connections between nerve cells, the neurons, in the brain. Also, abnormal clumps called Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain are two of the main features of the Alzheimer's disease. Recently, researchers have been trying to find non-invasive methods of treatment to help slow the progression and ultimately, help improve Alzheimer's.
Coconut oil is a saturated fatty oil found in the flesh of the coconut, commonly used in cooking and cosmetic products (Cunningham, 2001). It is very rich in medium chain triglycerides (Doty,2012). Brain tissue is very rich in complex forms of fats. An experiment (around 1978) in which pregnant mice were given diets containing either coconut oil or unsaturated oil showed that brain development was superior in the young mice whose mothers ate coconut oil. Because coconut oil supports thyroid function, and thyroid governs brain development, including myelination, the result might simply reflect the difference between normal and hypothyroid individuals (Peat, 1996). Also, A number of animal studies found that the intake of coconut oil led to improvement in mental skills (Doty,2012) The Medium Chain triglycerides (MCTs) in Coconut Oil have been found to trigger the activation of special proteins that function in brain cell maintenance, repair and growth. There have been very few associations between Coconut Oil and Dementia, Alzheimer's, specifically.
