The coconut’s other brain-saving secret

Did you know the onset of Alzheimer’s dementia is thought to begin 17 to 20 years before any observable symptom?

That means it’s never too early to do things now to try and prevent it from ever happening to you.

Risk factors for Alzheimer’s dementia include age, genetics, environment, lifestyle and metabolic disease such as obesity and diabetes. And one very modifiable thing you do daily plays a significant role…

Feed your brain better

That thing is your diet. While making changes such as quitting the processed packaged junk and switching to real whole foods is a recommended goal, there is one tropical fruit that we know has brain-boosting benefits above and beyond most others — the coconut.

Over the last several decades so-called health experts have tried to scare us away from coconut oil — and the American Heart Association recently joined them… all because coconut is high in saturated fat. But they are dead wrong about coconut oil…

It’s certainly true that coconut is 92 percent saturated fat. But it’s not true that it needs to be avoided…

You see, 62 to 70 percent of that fat is made up of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). MCFAs are metabolized more rapidly than other types of fats. They don’t form lipoproteins and contribute to cholesterol. Instead, they get sent straight to the liver where they are immediately used as a valuable source of fuel for organs and muscles.

And amazingly, this rapid utilization has serious benefits for your brain…

Around 98 percent of all drugs, chemicals and substances cannot go beyond the blood-brain barrier (a protective layer that surrounds the brain). This makes it very difficult in terms of assisting with the treatment of Alzheimer’s. The unfortunate thing is, many therapeutic endeavors just can’t reach into those deep brain regions they need to go.

So you’ll be amazed to learn, coconut’s MCFAs can get in — and here’s why…

Caprylic acid, a component of coconut oil, is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, enter the central energy core of cells and provide neuroprotective effects.

And it offers other great advantages…

Alzheimer’s disease develops when tangles in neurons and deposits of beta amyloid proteins occur in the brain. These alterations influence nerve connections and even cause neuronal death — two major reasons people’s behavior and cognition is affected. Miraculously, researchers have discovered coconut oil oil has the capacity to directly prevent beta amyloid toxicity and prolong neuronal survival.

But the benefits don’t stop with coconut oil…

Coconut water is brain-saving too

In the Islands, cracking open a fresh coconut and enjoying its juice is common practice. And while a fresh coconut may be out of your reach, bottled coconut water is now readily available so you might want to make drinking it a common practice, too.

Coconut water contains amino acids, enzymes, growth factors and nutrients. But it also contains something that’s showing promising benefits to beat Alzheimer’s — phytohormones.

Researchers have been studying two particular types of phytohormones found in coconut water and have found their potent antioxidant activity directly protects nerve cells in the brain. And in animal studies, these phytohormones have even been shown to help reduce amnesia, improving brain recall and function.

Coconut really is the best brain food. Add it to your daily diet today for a better tomorrow.

Editor’s note: 38.6 million Americans take a single drug every day that robs their brain of an essential nutrient required for optimal brain health, and it’s taking their memories. Are you one of them? Click here to find out!