Dementia can be very scary. Increasing episodes of forgetfulness can leave someone feeling helpless and confused.  If not addressed, symptoms can gradually worsen. Fortunately, for those looking for a natural dementia treatment, there is hope! Some people have success using high doses of coconut oil, or a derivative of coconut oil called medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil to slow or even reverse dementia. Of the many coconut oil uses, this could be the most exciting.

Medical Doctor Helps Her Husband Regain Some Cognitive Function

Mary Newport, MD, a neonatalist, was furiously researching solutions for dementia treatment to help her 58-year-old husband when she stumbled across studies of MCT oil to combat the progression of Alzheimer’s. The body digests MCT oil differently than other fats. Instead of storing MCT as fat, the liver converts it directly to ketone bodies, which are then available for use as energy. Because the brains of people with memory loss, MCI, and Alzheimer’s are unable to utilize glucose properly, MCT oil provides an immediate source of energy for function.

Dr. Newport began her husband on a course of 20 grams a day of MCT oil, and he quickly began recovering his memory and cognitive function. Before the use of MCT oil, he was not able to draw a clock, a common test for Alzheimer’s. After taking the oil for two weeks, his clock-drawing skills improved considerably, and even more so 37 days after taking the oil.

Because glucose metabolism is impaired in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, MCT oil delivers quickly energy in the way of ketones, making it a novel dementia treatment. Newport went on to publish the book Alzheimer’s Disease: What if There Was a Cure?. Another book that discusses the use of a ketogenic diet, coconut oil, and MCT oil for memory loss, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological diseases is Stop Alzheimer’s Now! By Bruce Fife, N.D., a long-time coconut oil educator.

Following are Newport’s guidelines for introducing MCT oil and coconut oil as a dementia treatment:

• Start with 1 teaspoon per meal of MCT oil or coconut oil. If you take too much at once in the beginning, you are likely to experience stomach cramping, indigestion, and diarrhea.
• Increase your dose slowly over a week or longer. If diarrhea develops, drop back to the previous level.
• For most people, the goal is to increase to 4–6 tablespoons a day, depending on the size of the person, spread over 2–4 meals.
• Mixing MCT oil and coconut oil provides a higher and more steady level of ketones. One formula is to mix 16 ounces of MCT oil with 12 ounces of coconut oil in a quart jar. Start with 1 teaspoon a day of this mix and increase slowly. This mixture will stay liquid at room temperature.

What Has Been Your Experience with Coconut Oil for Dementia Treatment?

Dr. Newport certainly has a compelling success story in helping her husband. But she is only one person. What about you? Have you tried it for yourself or a love one and found it to be effective? If so, what did you find to be the key factors to making it work as intended? If it didn’t work well for you, tell us that too. Share your experience with our readers in the Comments section below.

Read more about natural treatments for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in these blog posts:

• The Best Magnesium Supplement for Memory Loss
• B Vitamins for Memory
• Probiotics Are One of the Best Memory Supplements

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[9] A ketogenic diet delays weight loss and does not impair working memory or motor function in the R6/2 1J mouse model of Huntington’s disease. Physiol Behav. 2011 Jul 6;103(5):501-7. Epub 2011 Apr 9.

[10] Kim DY, Hao J, Liu R, Turner G, Shi F-D, et al. (2012) Inflammation-Mediated Memory Dysfunction and Effects of a Ketogenic Diet in a Murine Model of Multiple Sclerosis. PLoS ONE 7(5): e35476. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0035476.

[11] Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiology of Aging. Volume 33, Issue 2 , Pages 425.e19-425.e27, February 2012.

[12] L.C. Costantini, L.J. Barr, J.L. Vogel and S.T. Henderson, “Hypometabolism as a Therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease” BMC Neurosci (2008) Vol. 9, Suppl. 2, S16. doi: 10.1186/1471-2202-9-S2-S16.

[13] M.A. Reger, S. T. Henderson, C. Hale, B. Cholerton, L.D. Baker, G.S. Watson, K. Hyde, D. Chapman and S. Craft, “Effects of Beta-hydroxybutyrate on cognition in memory-impaired adults,” Neurobiology of Aging (2004) Vol. 25, No. 3, March, pp. 311-314.

[14] What is there was a cure for Alzheimer’s and no one knew? A case study by Dr. Mary Newport. July 22, 2008.

This blog was originally published in 2012 and has been updated.