In 2005 when Dr. Suzanne de la Monte, a neuropathologist at Brown University, reported that Alzheimer’s disease was a form of diabetes, there was much skepticism from the medical community. But since then the evidence has been overwhelming and now Alzheimer’s disease is commonly referred to as Type 3 diabetes.
Researchers discovered that in addition to insulin being released from the pancreas, it is also released from the brain. This presents a new perspective on diabetes in general as well as Alzheimer’s specifically which is a degenerative disorder that progresses over time resulting in memory loss, decline in reasoning capacity, and even dramatic personality changes. Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases progressively destroy the brain.
Alzheimer’s is the most common degenerative dementia with more than 115 million new cases being projected worldwide over the course of the next 40 years. There is clinical evidence that treatment with insulin can enhance cognitive function and in some cases may help slow the rate of cognitive decline.
Type 3 diabetes is an extension of Types 1 and 2, but more closely resembles Type 2. According to Dr. de la Monte, brain insulin resistance (diabetes) is much like “regular” diabetes and since the underlying problems are about the same, it is believed that the development of new therapies would be applicable to all types of diabetes.
Alzheimer’s May be Preventable and Even Reversible
While Alzheimer’s has long been perceived as mysterious, inevitable and without meaningful treatment, Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist and author of Grain Brain, states that Alzheimer’s is largely preventable and is modifiable based upon lifestyle choices and in many cases completely reversible. He recommends a low carb/high fat diet consisting of, but not limited to, organic butter, organic virgin olive oil, organic virgin coconut oil and high-fat foods such as nuts and seeds, free-range chicken, wild salmon and avocados.
He further states that the “fat phobia” we experience in the United States has been the cornerstone of our most common degenerative diseases of the day, including Alzheimer’s. He goes on to say that high carbohydrate food, specifically grains, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the cornerstone of our most devastating diseases including Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
What if There Really is a Cure?
In 2008 Dr. Mary Newport, a neonatologist practicing in Florida, and author of Alzheimer’s Disease: What if There was a Cure? began to notice changes in her husband, Steve. He had a degree in accounting, managed her office and did the billing, bookkeeping and payroll. He began forgetting things like going to the bank or the post office and once he realized what was happening to him he became severely depressed, which is one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s. At 58 he was diagnosed with “early onset Alzheimer’s” which means it occurs before the age of 65. He was given the standard Alzheimer’s treatment drugs of Arisept and Namenda, but he got worse. Eventually he developed a tremor, and became basically unable to communicate.
For many days in a row, he was in a fog, unable to find a spoon or figure out how to get water out of the refrigerator. Then for a few days, he’d seem to go back to his old self. Steve didn’t qualify for a clinical trial because his test score was too low, but Mary’s research found that the main ingredient in the drug they were using was Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT oil) which is derived from coconut oil.
Steve couldn’t remember where he lived, the day of the week or what county they lived in. At the time Mary didn’t realize she could order MCT oil over the Internet, so she bought coconut oil from the health food store. She stirred 2 tablespoons in Steve’s oatmeal in the morning and the effects were apparent the very same afternoon. Steve took a similar test that he had previously scored a 14 on and this time he scored an 18.
According to Dr. Newport, he continued to improve significantly over the next year and began doing household projects, working in the yard and “walks into the kitchen each morning happy and alert, talkative and making jokes.” Until he started coconut oil, his prognosis was bleak and he was steadily becoming worse.
An Inventor Gets His Mind Back
Ian Blair Hamilton, an Australian inventor, began to notice a mental decline. He had always been mentally sharp and now he was forgetting words and couldn’t remember a short list of items when he went to the grocery store. Alzheimer’s tends to run in families and his father had had Alzheimer’s, but initially Ian was in a state of denial about himself. As his symptoms progressed he became depressed. At the time he had basically no hope because there was no significant help from the medical community and he knew his fate because of his experience with his father. His wife Cassie was a diligent medical researcher and she discovered Dr. Mary Newport’s book. They both decided to start therapeutic doses of coconut oil. Ian said he noticed very quickly (within a few days) that his depression lifted and he felt his brain “clicking back into place.” He divided his doses throughout the day and found that if he skipped a day or two, his fuzzy thinking and foggy brain would return. Thanks to coconut oil and a sugar-free low-carb lifestyle, Ian is now back to inventing and is CEO and co-founder of Alkaway UltraStream water ionizers . Ian and Cassie share their story in this video.
What’s the right amount of coconut oil to take?
Each person is different, so their needs and amount will vary. Coconut oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal, so it may cause a laxative effect in the beginning. It is suggested that you begin slowly with maybe a tsp. per day and work up. Dr. Newport’s husband ultimately took 2 tablespoons 3 times a day and she reports mixing it with MCT oil to an 8 oz. MCT oil and 6 oz. coconut oil ratio, but others may notice improvement with much less.
How can you consume enough coconut oil without having to eat it straight off a spoon?
There are many ways to incorporate coconut oil into your diet.
- Adding it to coffee or hot tea
- Adding it to a fruit or vegetable smoothie
- Frying or sautéing with it
- Scrambling or frying eggs
- Replacing other oils in your kitchen with coconut oil
- Adding it to soups, stews or casseroles
Will this work the same for everybody?
While many are reporting “miracles” of cognitive function returning and “getting their lives back,” coconut oil may not work the same for everybody. Each individual’s results will vary. However, as stated previously, coconut oil is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral and is considered a “superfood” so other than an initial laxative effect and possible Herxheimer’s reaction (die-off), coconut oil is great to start incorporating into your diet for many, many reasons.
Resources:
http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2014/09/04/8373/alzheimers-new-name
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120626115249.htm
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-diseases/type-3-diabetes-metabolic-causes-of-alzheimers-disease/
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/sugar-and-your-brain-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease-actually-type-3-diabetes
http://bigthink.com/devil-in-the-data/alzheimers-is-type-3-diabetes
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/29/dr-perlmutter-gluten.aspx
http://www.womentowomen.com/insulin-resistance/type-3-diabetes/
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/type3-diabetes.html
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/02/alzheimers.aspx
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/Conquering%20Alzheimers%20with%20Coconut%20Ketones.htm
Kellie says
Can you advise the author of this article? I’d like to know if this person has a regular blog I could follow. Thanks!
Lisa Johnson says
Hi Kellie! We compiled this article. We continue to hopefully post things that are informative to the Diabetic community. Thanks for letting us know this was a good article for you.