A multi-university study on the role of dietary coconut for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease has revealed the potential for use in treatment.
The findings are published in the May edition of the British Journal of Nutrition.
Coconut, a tree cultivated in large numbers worldwide for its nutritional products and medicinal values, produces an oil that has high levels of saturated fat.
But upon closer scrutiny it is found that, unlike other dietary fats high in long-chain fatty acids, coconut oil is made up of medium-chain fatty acids that are unique because they are easily absorbed and metabolized by the liver and can be converted to ketones, the study said.
Ketone bodies are an important energy source for the brain, and may be beneficial to people with memory impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease.
As a highly nutritious functional food, coconut is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals – which can lend it to the treatment of obesity, dyslipidaemia, elevated LDL, insulin resistance and hypertension.
The study offers a review of literature related to coconut and discusses the potential role of it as a supplement and therapeutic option in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.