There's an interesting article in the current issue of Bruce Fife's newsletter:
Quote:
How do the medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil fight Alzheimer�s disease? During digestion, MCTs are broken down into medium chain fatty acids, some of which are converted into ketones. Nerve tissue, including the brain, relies on glucose for energy. Nerve cells can also convert ketones into energy. When food is restricted and adequate glucose is unavailable, the body converts fat into ketones, which supplies the brain with the energy it needs to function properly.
Certain conditions, such as chronic inflammation, can cause cells to become insulin resistant. Insulin is a hormone that takes glucose from the bloodstream and shuttles it into the cells. Glucose cannot enter cells without the aid of insulin. In insulin resistance, insulin receptors do not function properly and cannot adequately transport glucose into the cells. When inflammation affects nerve tissue, nerve cells become insulin resistant. Therefore, the brain is unable to get the glucose it needs and nerve cells degenerate and die, leading to neurological problems such as Alzheimer�s disease, Parkinson�s disease, Huntington�s disease, and other neurological disorders.
That's interesting, as I don't know if you know this, but the body produces something called Ghrelin.
Ghrelin is produced in an upper area of the Stomach called the Fundus, and apart from Interacting with the Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland, to help produce more Growth Hormone, it has the rather intruiging effect of converting energy into Fat.
Though Ghrelin production is more potent when hungry than when sated.
So perhaps the lack of Glucose, (in hunger situations), means the body can produce more Ghrelin, to convert existing energy to Fat, for the Ketones to convert Fat back into energy.
In effect the two would be working as an energy recycling system.
This is such a devastating disease, with few allopathic options (at this time). Anything that may work (and that is not likely to harm) would be worth considering.
The only problem is, of course, Ghrelin increases occur when hungry, so ideally Ghrelin could be seen as not so good.
Of course Glucose metabolism and Lipid Metabolism, are also to some extent governed by another hormone of type called Adiponectin, and then there's the Fat burning Leptin, that is produced by Fat cells, another intruiging substance. Again Leptin interacts with the Hypothalamus to stimulate hunger signals, probably when hungry the Fat gets stripped to produce more energy.
So it's all vey interesting how these things play their part in Fat and Glucose usage.
Harry, I read a book about the ketogenic diet and epilepsy years ago (got it at the local library). after that, I looked up studies on ketogenic diet, ketones, that kind of thing.
They seem to have a lot of effect on the brain, some balancing effects. for some kids that are on the ketogenic diet, the seizures are gone.. PERMANENTLY, even after they go off the diet. It is like the diet "fixes" something.
but.. they really don't understand why.
but, i've seen studies with parkinsons, alzheimers, different psychotic disorders.. do a search on ketogenic brain and you will see what I mean.
Doug Kaufmann at www.knowthecause.com says that fungus causes Alzheimer's. A ketogenic diet is actually an antifungal diet. A diet high in fat and protein, with no carbs or sugar, except for most vegetables and low sugar fruits and berries, starves the fungus.
Coconut oil is an excellent antifungal.
It is actually fungus that causes our cells to become "insulin resistant." Fungi attack the beta cells in the pancreas to produce less insulin which raises the blood sugar levels. They do this because they cannot live without sugar. Without insulin, cells cannot absorb glucose.
I have read almost all of Doug Kaufmann's books. I highly recommend them. The Fungus Link to Diabetes was his last book that I read. If you decide to read his books, you will not regret it. They make sense out so much confusion!
Coconut Oil and Alzheimer's
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