Ok girls, if you haven’t heard me say this yet hear it now: Fat is not the enemy!

Healthy fats, monounsaturated and some polyunsaturated, even saturated fats all have beneficial effects on every system in the body. Fat actually powers our metabolism. It causes no blood sugar spikes which lead to inflammation which puts us at increased risk of the diseases of aging. It is critical for preservation of bone, immunity, and energy throughout the day.

Adding fat to a carb will slow down the blood sugar response and it will help you feel full–one key way to prevent overeating. But this post is about Alzheimer’s and related kinds of disease processes and how you can help someone you love and yourself.

Today I read in Dr. Whitaker’s newsletter a story about a new Alzheimer’s drug which is actually fat in a pill. A man who at 59 was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, put on Aracept and a few other drugs, but declined over the years following his diagnosis.  His wife, a doctor, (Dr. Newport) was made aware of a clinical trial evaluating a new Alzheimer’s drug. When her husband was not approved for the trial she did some research to find out what the active ingredient in this new drug was. To her surprise, the active ingredient was medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). These are natural fatty acids abundant in coconut oil.

She started giving her husband coconut oil and with the first dose, “a light switch came on” said the patient. Maybe I should tell you that at this point he was unable to use a calculator, work, type or remember to eat.

One dose! Why it worked is too long to go into here but it has to do with ketones which are the body’s alternative energy source. These are the very things produced and burned as fuel when you do an Atkins type eating program.

It’s a remarkable story and just one example of how a food we’ve been told for years is a “bad, saturated fat” is being rightfully shown as an important part of a healthy diet. Even Big Pharma found something to love in this healthy fat.

The drug they based on MCTs is called Axona and is available as a “medical food.” That phrase makes me laugh just thinking about it. Now the medical world wants to claim natural foods as their own? If you were to take enough of this “food” to help brain function throughout the day you’d have to take it three times per day at a cost of $300/month. According to Dr. Whitaker, insurance companies are not reimbursing for it at this time.

Dr. Newport has a website with more information. 

Food for thought and for those who want to keep on thinking clearly.