Potential of coconut oil and medium chain triglycerides in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease
Authors/Creators
Pratishtha Chatterjee, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Malika Fernando
Binosha Fernando, Edith Cowan University
Cintia B. Dias
Tejal Shah, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Renuka Silva
Shehan Williams
Steve Pedrini, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Heidi Hillebrandt
Kathryn Goozee
Edward Barin
Hamid R. Sohrabi, Edith Cowan University
Stephen Cunnane
Ralph N. Martins, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Currently, there is no effective medication for the prevention or treatment of AD. This has led to the search for alternative therapeutic strategies. Coconut oil(CO) has a unique fatty acid composition that is rich in medium chain fatty acids(MCFA), a major portion of which directly reaches the liver via the portal vein, thereby bypassing the lymphatic system. Given that brain glucose hypometabolism is a major early hallmark of AD, detectable well before the onset of symptoms, ketone bodies from MCFA metabolism can potentially serve as an alternative energy source to compensate for lack of glucose utilisation in the brain. Additionally, neuroprotective antioxidant properties of CO have been attributed to its polyphenolic content. This journalarticle discusses how the metabolism of CO and MCFA may aid in compensating the glucose hypometabolism observed in the AD brain. Furthermore, we present the current evidence of the neuroprotective properties of CO on cognition, amyloid-β pathogenicity, inflammation and oxidative stress. The current journalarticle addresses the influence of CO/MCFA on other chronic disorders that are risk factors for AD, and addresses existing gaps in the literature regarding the use of CO/MCFA as a potential treatment for AD.
RAS ID
31000
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2020
Funding Information
Funding information available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2020.111209
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
Copyright
subscription content
Publisher
Elsevier
Recommended Citation
Chatterjee, P., Fernando, M., Fernando, B., Dias, C. B., Shah, T., Silva, R., Williams, S., Pedrini, S., Hillebrandt, H., Goozee, K., Barin, E., Sohrabi, H. R., Cunnane, S., & Martins, R. N. (2020). Potential of coconut oil and medium chain triglycerides in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2020.111209
Comments
Chatterjee, P., Fernando, M., Fenando, B., Dias, C. B., Shah, T., Silva, R., ... & Barin, E. (2020). Potential of coconut oil and medium chain triglycerides in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 186, Article 111209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2020.111209