Coconut Oil Leads To Dementia?

[haidut]

http://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(15)00392-1

This one uses what I can only presume is normal unhydrogenated coconut oil. And control chow is low fat.

ssniff EF R/M E15116-34 (feed composition on request) http://www.bio-services.nl/cms/file...10_catalogue_EF_new_Experimentele_voeders.pdf

Thank you for these links. It reminded me that some of the fatty acids in coconut oil are HDAC inhibitors and drugs with such effects are used to treat vascular dementia, not cause it. So, if coconut oil did not make things better there is probably another factor involved, not the oil itself.

 

[Badger]

We are grateful to you too, Haidut.

.

 

[sladerunner69]

So hydrogenated coconut "cooking" oil has been deemed unworthy? It appears I was right all along, it was too chemically obfuscated to retain healthy qualities. Naturopathy will never lead one astray!

 

[raypeatclips]

1. The Raney Catalyst is ancient, dating back to 1932.⁽¹⁾ To hydrogenate a lipid double=bond, it is first helpful to stabilize the H₂ by adsorbing it onto a metal. Palladium and platinum work the best but are expensive, so nickel is commonly used to hydrogenate the oils. To save the catalytic nickel, it is electroplated onto aluminum particles which are made porous—with an acid—to increase surface area. Hence, Raney particles are mostly nickel and aluminum.

'The Raney catalyst is prepared by alloying equal parts of nickel and aluminum and then dissolving out the latter with aqueous sodium hydroxide.' ―Covert⁽¹⁾​

These Raney particles adsorb hydrogen gas. The hydrogen atoms are then donated to lipid double bonds—saturating them with hydrogen.

2. Nickel in hydrogenated oils is usually stressed, as this is actually somewhat toxic, and is generally found at around one part per million.⁽²⁾⁽³⁾ But for some reason, aluminum isn't looked for as often. But it has been found, of course, since it's always associated with the Raney catalyst.

'This interest derives from the association of trace metals with the origin of oils (soils and fertilizers), metal processing equipment, and catalysts used for hydrogenation; toxicity of edible oils and fats; and the effect of trace metals on the characteristics of finished products, such as color and taste.' ―Farhan⁽⁴⁾​

In hydrogenated oils, aluminum can be found in part per million concentrations:⁽⁴⁾

View attachment 7823

Now this isn't your ionic, one atom aluminum (Al³⁺); these are small micro‐ and nanometer‐sized particles which cannot be chelated by citrate, malate, nor silica, in the body. Some of these particles would be expected to be persorbed, as particles of similar size have been shown to do.⁽⁵⁾

3. Aluminum partitions around nerves because it has a high affinity for phosphate and the microtubule‐associated proteins are highly phosphorylated. This has been detected by a number of ways, and there is certainly no lack of evidence for this.⁽⁶⁾

View attachment 7824

I think it would be fair to say that aluminum has a peculiar affinity for nerves.

4. Aluminum actively crosslinks phosphorylated nerve proteins in vitro more than any other physiological ion. This helps to provide a mechanistic explanation, as it's well‐known to strongly bind phosphoryl groups. The phophoryl groups on proteins are usually bound to the amino aid tyrosine, but also to serine and threonine—basically to any hydroxy amino acid.

This affinity has been shown by gel electrophoresis. The aggregates shift in a gradient as they increase in size and density:⁽⁷⁾

View attachment 7825

Aluminum has been used by the hide tanning industry for this very reason.⁽⁸⁾

5. Aluminum‐crosslinked myelin proteins cause an inflammatory response, which is sometime called an 'autoimmune disease.' This is a misnomer, as the Greek prefix auto denotes that the body is attacking itself. This is only partly true, since the Al³⁺ ion is unnatural and responsible for changing the geometry of the phosphorylated myelin proteins. This is another case of faulty, irresponsible, and perhaps even deceptive semantics used to hide the fact of what's really going on.

Macrophages and killer T cells try to engulf the Al³⁺–protein complexes, and this is the so‐called 'autoimmunity.' Another deceptive, although correct, term is 'misfolded tau:'

'It has been hypothesized that misfolded tau protein could be a mediator of the inflammatory response in human tauopathies. Here we show that neurodegenerative lesions caused by human truncated tau promote inflammatory response manifested by upregulation of immune-molecules (CD11, CD18, CD4, CD45 and CD68) and morphological activation of microglial cells in a rat model of tauopathy. In parallel, the innate immune brain response promotes activation of MHC class II positive blood-borne leukocytes and their influx into the brain parenchyma.' ―Zilka⁽⁸⁾​

The criticism of this term is similar to the criticism made of the 'passive voice,' as the adjective 'misfolded' does not imply attribution. A more accurate description, written in a more active voice, would be a τ‐protein–Al³⁺ complex.

The misfoled tau τ‐protein–Al³⁺ complex attracts leukocytes, or immune cell macrophages which then attempt to engulf this tangle.

6. Nonhydrogenated coconut oil is completely safe because it has no aluminum. Millions of people can testify that neither coconuts, nor its oil, will produce neurodegeneration. And such an idea hasn't even a logical explanation.

[1] Covert, Lloyd W. "Nickel by the Raney Process as a Catalyst of Hydrogenation." Journal of the American Chemical Society (1932)
[2]Nash, A. M. "Determination of ultratrace metals in hydrogenated vegetable oils and fats." Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (1983)
[3] Anwar, Farooq. "Rapid determination of some trace metals in several oils and fats." Grasas y Aceites (2004)
[4] Farhan, F. M. "Determination of traces of heavy metals in oils and fats by arc spectrography." Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (1976)
[5] Volkheimer, G."The phenomenon of persorption." Digestion (1968)
[6] Piccardo, P. "Histochemical and X-ray microanalytical localization of aluminum in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and parkinsonism-dementia of Guam." Acta neuropathologica (1988)
[7] Scott, Clay W. "Aggregation of tau protein by aluminum." Brain research (1993)
[8] Covington, Anthony D. "Modern tanning chemistry." Chemical Society Reviews 26.2 (1997): 111-126.
[8] Zilka, Norber. "Human misfolded truncated tau protein promotes activation of microglia and leukocyte infiltration..." Journal of neuroimmunology (2009)
[9] Perl, Daniel P. "Intraneuronal aluminum accumulation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism-dementia of Guam." Science (1982)​

Thank you as well for the posts you make on the forum , fascinating and very helpful.

 

[burtlancast]

Bruce Fife, a major coconut oil advocate, has written "Stop Alzheimer now" .
He shares the fact Asian countries like the Philippines consume the most coconut oil of any other nation, yet their incidence of brain diseases like Alzheimer and dementia are the lowest worldwide.

Dr Oz, together with Harvard-educated Andrew Weil, is one of the worst corporate hack to ever appear on the airwaves.

 

[jb116]

Sri Lanka was the leading consumer of coconut oil and used to have the lowest heart disease death rate.

Study Shows Heart Disease Absent in Coconut Eating Population – Coco Veda

"During this time, an interesting thing happened. As coconut oil consumption declined, the incidence of heart disease increased! As people began to eat less coconut oil and eat more soybean oil, the heart attack death rate climbed. Yet, among those populations within the country where coconut oil was still the primary source of fat in the diet, heart disease remained a rarity.

Today Sri Lanka no longer has the lowest heart disease death rate. While certain groups of people in the country who use coconut oil liberally are not as affected, the general population has experienced an epidemic of heart problems thanks to the introduction of imported polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Heart attack is now, like in most other countries, the number one cause of death, accounting for 11 percent of all deaths in the country. This is still lower than in the US and most other western countries, but far higher than it was just a few decades ago when coconut oil was a mainstay in the..."

 

[dookie]

I don't think it has to do with the aluminum in hydrogenated coconut oil. The amount is relatively small, and if anything, a saturated fat should be protective against heavy metals (and any toxins).

Some other factor must be at play here. Haidut's explanation in this case is more probable.

Recall that Peat uses hydrogenated coconut oil

@Travis
@haidut

 

[Travis]

I don't think it has to do with the aluminum in hydrogenated coconut oil. The amount is relatively small...
Some other factor must be at play here. Haidut's explanation in this case is more probable.

Recall that they were fed hydrogenated coconut oil at 10% of their diet for eight weeks, I do believe. The ranges found vary greatly; perhaps they had consumed part of the batch produced while the man charged with clearing the magnetic filter was on vacation.. . .

The true amount of residual aluminum, iron, and nickel in the oil fed to these rats is unknown—and unknowable.

...and if anything, a saturated fat should be protective against heavy metals (and any toxins).

How's that exactly?

Recall that Peat uses hydrogenated coconut oil

So there's not enough aluminum present to cause these subtle changes, because . . . because Ray Peat uses coconut oil?

[Grant Hill drinks Sprite™.]​

They had noticed microglial activation in the rats, a common finding in response to aluminum.⁽¹⁾

[1] Li, Xiao-bo "Glia activation induced by peripheral administration of aluminum oxide nanoparticles in rat brains." Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine (2009)​

 

[tca300]

Recall that they were fed hydrogenated coconut oil at 10% of their diet for eight weeks, I do believe. The ranges found vary greatly; perhaps they had consumed part of the batch produced while the man charged with clearing the magnetic filter was on vacation.. . .

The true amount of residual aluminum, iron, and nickel in the oil fed to these rats is unknown—and unknowable.
How's that exactly?


So there's not enough aluminum present to cause these subtle changes, because . . . because Ray Peat uses coconut oil?

[Grant Hill drinks Sprite™.]​

They had noticed microglial activation in the rats, a common finding in response to aluminum.⁽¹⁾

[1] Li, Xiao-bo "Glia activation induced by peripheral administration of aluminum oxide nanoparticles in rat brains." Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine (2009)​

I hate to bother you, but do you know how MCT oil is made? I cant find much info on the process of separating the fatty acids.

 

[Travis]

I hate to bother you, but do you know how MCT oil is made? I cant find much info on the process of separating the fatty acids.

Historically they had been purified through the distillation of palm oil. Oils separated in such a way were used as a basis for many classic metabolic studies on fatty acids. Since this method works, I think it is still in use because other separation methods appear more involved (i.e. chromatography). I suppose they could be separated by force since they do have different densities, but this would take a very large centrifuge (at the perfect temperatures) to be profitable.

It would seem that most short and medium chained fatty acids on the market are distilled.

Babayan, V. K. "Medium-chain triglycerides—their composition, preparation, and application." Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (1968)​

 

[Badger]

Called the producer of coconut oil I get in the store, and it's definitely non-hydrogenated. Don't know what Roizen is talking about when he says "most" coconut in stores is hydrogenated.

 

[Such_Saturation]

this would take a very large centrifuge to be profitable

I had been searching around for this technique for a while. Why wouldn't it be profitable? They could make it run perpetually and have in and out pipes.

 

[Travis]

Called the producer of coconut oil I get in the store, and it's definitely non-hydrogenated. Don't know what Roizen is talking about when he says "most" coconut in stores is hydrogenated.

No. Most is non‐hydrogenated. Full hydrogenated coconut oil seems rare; I have tried about ten different brands, yet none were hydrogenated. The one I like best was from Trader Joe's, which tasted the most like actual coconuts.

I tried so many brands because I had always forget to bring coconut oil when going to Minneapolis. A store in the mall, called Marshall's, sells many different brands—overstocked trendy ones that failed to catch‐on—for cheap. Whenever I see a jar of a new brand for $5 I compulsively buy it regardless of whether or not I actually need it.

 

[tca300]

Historically they had been purified through the distillation of palm oil. Oils separated in such a way were used as a basis for many classic metabolic studies on fatty acids. Since this method works, I think it is still in use because other separation methods appear more involved (i.e. chromatography). I suppose they could be separated by force since they do have different densities, but this would take a very large centrifuge to be profitable.

It would seem that most short and medium chained fatty acids on the market are distilled.

Babayan, V. K. "Medium-chain triglycerides—their composition, preparation, and application." Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (1968)​

Thank you!

 

[Such_Saturation]

Wasn't there talk about hexane in MCT oil? Or was that in refined coconut oil?

 

[Badger]

I just emailed Dr. Roizen to invite him to look at this thread and if possible, comment on it.

No. Most is non‐hydrogenated. Full hydrogenated coconut oil seems rare; I have tried about ten different brands, yet none were hydrogenated. The one I like best was from Trader Joe's, which tasted the most like actual coconuts.

I tried so many brands because I had always forget to bring coconut oil when going to Minneapolis. A store in the mall, called Marshall's, sells many different brands—overstocked trendy ones that failed to catch‐on—for cheap. Whenever I see a jar of a new brand for $5 I compulsively buy it regardless of whether or not I actually need it.

 

[Travis]

Wasn't there talk about hexane in MCT oil? Or was that in refined coconut oil?

I'm guessing hexane would be from the second extraction. After copra is pressed once, to yield 'virgin' oil, the remaining coconut solids are sometimes extracted again—with solvents! I had a bottle of such oil once that I had gotten for cheap from a Vietnamese grocery store; it had a yellow tint and actually smelled like solvents. I didn't eat any of it—not even cosmetic grade—so I had used it for general lubrication (I have an older car, and I do work on it sometimes).

I know there are legal restrictions behind the word 'virgin' as it applies to olive oil, but I'm not sure about coconut oil. But even with olive oil, it is often adulterated. This article from the New Yorker has good information on adulteration in the oil trade.

 

[Such_Saturation]

I'm guessing hexane would be from the second extraction. After copra is pressed once, to yield 'virgin' oil, the remaining coconut solids are sometimes extracted again—with solvents! I had a bottle of such oil once that I had gotten for cheap from a Vietnamese grocery store; it had a yellow tint and actually smelled like solvents. I didn't eat any of it—not even cosmetic grade—so I had used it for general lubrication (I have an older car, and I do work on it sometimes).

I know there are legal restrictions behind the word 'virgin' as it applies to olive oil, but I'm not sure about coconut oil. But even with olive oil, it is often adulterated. This article from the New Yorker has good information on adulteration in the oil trade.

Ah yes, and then they sit around for days waiting to be pressed... only found a couple brands that would guarantee same-day pressing, and I believe I only found one that was also organic and cold pressed. Doesn't the smoke point make it a bad lubricant?

 

[Travis]

Ah yes, and then they sit around for days waiting to be pressed... only found a couple brands that would guarantee same-day pressing, and I believe I only found one that was also organic and cold pressed. Doesn't the smoke point make it a bad lubricant?

It would on parts that get hot, but I had used to lubricate a rubber gasket: the largest one on the classic SAAB 900—the windshield gasket!

 

[Such_Saturation]

It would on parts that get hot, but I had used to lubricate a rubber gasket: the largest one on the classic SAAB 900—the windshield gasket!