TY - JOUR
T1 - Potential of coconut oil and medium chain triglycerides in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease
AU - Chatterjee, Pratishtha
AU - Fernando, Malika
AU - Fernando, Binosha
AU - Dias, Cintia B.
AU - Shah, Tejal
AU - Silva, Renuka
AU - Williams, Shehan
AU - Pedrini, Steve
AU - Hillebrandt, Heidi
AU - Goozee, Kathryn
AU - Barin, Edward
AU - Sohrabi, Hamid R.
AU - Garg, Manohar
AU - Cunnane, Stephen
AU - Martins, Ralph N.
PY - 2020/3/1
Y1 - 2020/3/1
N2 - 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 review 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 review 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.
AB - 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 review 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 review 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.
KW - Alzheimer's disease
KW - Amyloid-β
KW - Cerebral glucose hypometabolism
KW - Coconut oil
KW - Medium chain triglycerides
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077975209&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.mad.2020.111209
DO - 10.1016/j.mad.2020.111209
M3 - Review article
VL - 186
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
JF - Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
SN - 0047-6374
M1 - 111209
ER -