years in his disease process,” says Mary. On two days that
Steve missed his dose, she recalls a marked regression in his
abilities–a sign that the coconut oil may have been
responsible for Steve’s improvement. She continued to give
Steve coconut oil for nearly a decade, and implemented diet
and lifestyle changes similar to those I recommend in this
book.
Mary’s coconut oil experiment, which has since been
published as a case study in the journal Alzheimer’s &
Dementia, began seven years into her husband’s disease,
which we now know had actually started in Steve’s brain
decades prior. Ultimately, Steve lost his battle with
Alzheimer’s disease and passed away in 2015, but his story
continues to live on in Mary’s advocacy.
For those that are cognitively healthy and accustomed to
a high-carbohydrate diet, MCT oils and fats might also help
supplement brain energy while you reduce your
carbohydrate load—but this is currently just informed
speculation. For many adopting a lower-carb diet for the
first time, the “low-carb flu” can be a common occurrence
for the first few days, characterized by feelings of lethargy,
brain fog, and irritability—so anything with the potential to
help give your brain a boost and push you through this
period would be worthwhile. There’s certainly no harm in
trying, and some of the brain benefits of ketones may still be
attained by including these oils in your diet as you reduce
your dependence on glucose. Feel free to experiment—just