Effects of coconut oil on Alzheimer’s disease: a literature review

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease whose main characteristic is the progressive loss of cognitive functions, affecting millions of people worldwide. In this sense, there is a continuous search for therapeutic tools that act in the prevention and treatment of the disease. In addition, research using coconut oil as a therapeutic tool has demonstrated a potent anti-inflammatory effect of this substance. Thus, a literature review was conducted to investigate the possible effects of coconut oil on AD. This article is a literature review using the PubMed, Science Direct, SciELO and LILACS databases. From the search with specific descriptors, studies were included referring to the last five years, published in English, Portuguese and Spanish with pre-clinical and clinical data. The included preclinical studies demonstrated that coconut oil interferes by inhibiting important metabolic pathways that act in the promotion of euroinflammation, amyloid plaque formation, neurotransmitter imbalance, and signaling pathway dynamics. In addition, the use of coconut oil increased the levels of ketone bodies. To some extent, many clinical trials have already shown favorable support for the use of coconut oil as an adjuvant in the treatment of AD. However, there is still a need for more randomized, controlled clinical trials that evaluate the optimal dosage, as well as whether or not coconut oil is effective against Alzheimer's disease.

Keywords

• alzheimer's
• coconut oil
• beta-amyloid peptides
• ketone bodies