New Important Article on Ketone Ester from Dr. Richard Veech NIH

A groundbreaking research study of a ketone ester in an Alzheimer's mouse model was released for publication January 4, 2012 in Neurobiology of Aging by Yoshira Kashiwaya, M.D. and others in the laboratory of Dr. Richard L. Veech at the NIH in Rockville, Maryland. This study showed that, compared to animals fed a normal control diet, the Alzheimer's model mice who were fed the ketone ester (D-beta-hydroxybutyrate-(R)-1,3-butanediol) had significantly less amyloid and tau protein that form the plaques and tangles in the Alzheimer's brain, and the animals showed reduced anxiety, and improved learning and memory compared to the mice fed the control diet.

The Alzheimer brain in people becomes resistant to insulin beginning at least ten to twenty years before symptoms appear and this affects the ability of the brain cells to use glucose causing them to malfunction and die. It was discovered in the late 1960's in the laboratory of George Cahill, M.D. (now deceased) that the brain easily switches over to using ketone bodies as an alternative fuel during starvation when glucose supplies are used up. This new research is the culmination of decades of research that followed, and, for the first time, shows that ketones could lessen the changes that occur in the brain and also improve cognitive function in this disease. In addition to acting as an alternative fuel, ketones mimic some of the effects of insulin and are also anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is another key feature affecting the Alzheimer's brain.

Toxicity studies have already been conducted of the ketone ester in people showing there are no adverse effects and it has been approved by the FDA as "Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS)". Funding is now urgently needed to mass produce this ketone ester and conduct human clinical trials.

A copy of the entire article may be obtained on my website at the top of the first page www.coconutketones.com.

The 700 Club in the USA and the Daily Mail in London

The 700 Club aired a wonderful follow-up story today about coconut oil and Alzheimer's but this time featuring a man with Parkinson's and another man with ALS (Lou Gehrig's) who have also seen improvement with coconut oil.

Coincidentally, the Daily Mail in London is publishing a story by reporter Jerome Byrne on the subject of Alzheimer's disease and coconut oil on January 8, 2013.  This article will feature Kal Parmar a filmmaker whose father responded to coconut oil rather dramatically.  Mr. Parmar has volunteered to help others in the UK who want further information (kparmar81@gmail.com).

Information about how to use coconut oil is in Diet Guidelines that can be printed from my website at www.coconutketones.com. There are many other materials that can also be printed out there.



The 700 Club story from Jan 7, 2013

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2013/January/Alzheimers-Doctors-Taking-Note-of-Coconut-Oil-/

Daily Mail Article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2258665/Alzeimers-Can-coconut-oil-ease-Families-whove-given-loved-ones-swear-it.html

Ketogenic Diet for Cancer - Clinical Trial

The University of Pittsburgh will be conducting a clinical trial of the ketogenic diet to treat cancer.  Here is a link with more information about the trial.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01716468?term=NCT01716468&rank=1
The concept here is that cancer cells use glucose or the amino acid glutamine as their source of energy but cannot use ketones.  On a ketogenic diet with caloric restriction, there is very little glucose for the cancer cells to feed off of and they die, causing the tumor to shrink.  This could allow for more easily removing the tumor by surgery, or weaken it so that it is more susceptible to chemotherapy, for example.  Small metastases could outright die.

Normal cells can use glucose or ketones as fuel and so, while cancer cells are deprived of their energy source with the ketogenic diet, normal cells can readily switch over to using ketones and are not affected.

This concept is discussed in detail in the book Cancer as a Metabolic Disease by Dr. Thomas Seyfried of Boston College, who has done extensive work studying this in glioblastoma.  Animal studies conducted at University of South Florida by Dr. Dominic D'Agostino and others have shown tremendous promise.  They have been looking at various combinations of ketogenic diet with other treatments, such as ketone esters and 1,3 - butanediol to raise ketone levels, other agents to lower blood sugar, and also use of hyperbaric oxygen.  The results with shrinking cancerous tumors in mice have been quite dramatic for several of these combinations.  A number of cancer patients are now trying this treatment with success as well.

This treatment was featured on The 700 Club recently. The video can be seen here:

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2012/december/starving-cancer-ketogenic-diet-a-key-to-recovery/

The 700 Club

The 700 club will air a follow up story on coconut oil and neurodegenerative diseases on Monday, January 7, 2013.