Cognition may improve with medium‐chain triglyceride oil supplementation: A pilot study

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Abstract Background Medium‐chain triglycerides (MCT), unlike other type of fats, are quickly digested into medium‐chain fatty acids (MCFA), which are metabolized by the liver into energy in the form of ketones. Ketones are then transported to the brain for energy supply. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the brain becomes less efficient in glucose uptake and metabolism, resulting in an energy deficiency. The only backup source of energy for the brain is ketones. In this study we examined the potential for MCT to serve as a fuel source during energy deprivation, such as what is observed in AD. Method Healthy males and females aged 50 to 77 years old (n=19) consumed MCT oil (40% caprylic acid, 28% capric acid, 32% lauric acid) for 7 weeks. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Executive Abilities: Measures and Instruments for Neurobehavioral Evaluation and Research (EXAMINER) neuropsychological battery was administered at baseline, midway and last appointment. Participants could discontinue at any time during the intervention period. Result Descriptive statistics determined the data were not normally distributed, therefor a non‐parametric Wilcoxon Rank Test was performed to compare cognitive performance at baseline to mid‐way, and baseline to last appointment. Baseline to mid‐way analyses showed significant (α=.05) improvement in performance for the Continual Performance Task (CPT) (p=0.012), N‐Back‐2 (p=0.049), and anti‐saccade (p=0.036). Baseline to last analyses showed significant improvement (α=.05) in performance for the CPT task (p=0.034), N‐Back‐1 (p=0.027), N‐Back‐2 (p=0.038), and saccades (p=0.036). Both the N‐back‐1 and Saccades measures for baseline to mid‐way analyses approached significance. No significant changes were observed in the remaining tasks of the NIH EXAMINER. Conclusion MCT oil may improve working memory, inhibitory processing, problem solving, and motor control in older adults with no currently diagnosed memory problems. However, a further longitudinal study with a larger sample size is required to validate these preliminary results.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.