medical food made from caprylic acid, which is FDA-
approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. (Its use
as a preventative strategy for Alzheimer’s is currently being
studied.)
MARY NEWPORT: A COCONUT OIL PIONEER
I became familiar with Mary Newport’s work with coconut
oil early on. Her husband, Steve, was diagnosed with
Alzheimer’s disease and became unable to perform many of
his daily activities, including some of his favorite pastimes.
After trying all available pharmaceutical options without
much luck, Mary set out to look for something better.
She stumbled upon a press release for a “medical food”
being developed that was composed of caprylic acid, an
MCT. The press release claimed that by supplying ketones
to the brain, it improved memory and cognition in nearly
half the Alzheimer’s patients tested. With the disease now
seven years advanced and quickly ravaging her husband’s
brain, Mary was desperate to get her hands on this
experimental product, but FDA approval would not happen
for another year. That’s when she had a revelation.
Mary Newport happens to be a physician in
neonatology, a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the
medical care of newborn infants. She was already familiar
with MCTs because they are a component of breast milk and
were commonly used in the seventies and eighties to help
very premature newborns gain weight. Since then, MCT and
coconut oil have been added to virtually all infant formulas.