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If you’re living with multiple sclerosis (MS), you might be curious about natural remedies to help with your symptoms. No single food or diet has been proven to cure MS or slow its progression. But some recent research on coconut oil has MyMSTeam members talking.
“It’s supposed to help with brain functions. I will say it’s not the best-tasting to have a spoonful, but it’s supposed to have tons of benefits,” said one member.
There isn’t enough evidence to draw conclusions about whether coconut oil can help repair myelin or slow MS progression. But researchers have speculated about how it may help protect your nerves from damage in MS or other neurodegenerative diseases. In this article, we’ll explore why coconut oil has been proposed as a myelin-repairing remedy and whether it might benefit people with MS.
The myelin sheath is the protective covering over all of your body’s nerves. It’s a fatty material that protects nerve fibers from damage while helping signals travel along the nerves efficiently.
In people with MS, the immune system breaks down the myelin. With damaged myelin, nerves can’t communicate as effectively. This can result in common MS symptoms such as numbness, pain, and balance problems.
The breakdown of myelin is what causes MS progression and complications. That’s why researchers are working to identify treatments that help repair damaged myelin to slow MS progression. Alongside treatments that target the immune system, myelin-repairing treatments could potentially reduce or eliminate MS symptoms in relapsing or progressive MS.
Coconut oil is plant-based and has a rich flavor. It consists of 100 percent fat, almost all of which is saturated fat. That’s why it often looks firm at room temperature. Coconut oil is extracted from kernels of mature coconuts harvested from coconut palm trees.
Coconut oil has several properties that some say may support myelin repair or protection in people with MS.
Ketones, Brain Energy, and Neuroprotection Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). These are a type of fatty acid with a short chemical structure that are quickly and easily absorbed by your body. They’re then stored in the liver as an energy source.
MCTs are your body’s most important source of ketone bodies. Ketone bodies, or ketones, are what your brain and body use as energy when glucose isn’t available.
One specific type of ketone is called B-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). BHB has shown evidence of protecting nerves from damage in people with neurodegenerative diseases.
MS symptoms tend to improve in people who follow the ketogenic diet, also called keto. Keto is a low-carb eating program designed to make your body produce more ketones. This has led some people to suspect that MCTs in coconut oil may improve MS symptoms.
Anti-Inflammatory Theories BHB also appears to have anti-inflammatory effects. This means it may help reduce inflammation. In general, anti-inflammatory eating patterns and treatments have been linked to improved muscle function in people with MS.
Many health claims about coconut oil revolve around coconut oil being full of MCTs, which are quickly absorbed and used by the liver for energy. But the most plentiful fatty acid in most coconut oil products is lauric acid. Lauric acid isn’t an MCT — it’s a long-chain fatty acid that is absorbed slowly.
Research has shown that the lauric acid in coconut oil has some of its own anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects — at least when used topically (on the skin). While it’s too early to tell from the research, there is interest in studying coconut oil to treat inflammation for people with MS.
Inflammation is a key driver of the demyelination process in MS. This means fighting inflammation may help prevent damage to the myelin sheath and slow disease progression.
What Research Shows About Coconut Oil and MSThere is very little solid research on how coconut oil may impact MS symptoms. At this point, most claims about coconut oil’s benefits in MS are from individual accounts. The exception to this is a 2023 research study conducted in Spain.
This clinical trial included 51 people with MS who were being treated with standard MS medications. Participants were asked to take coconut oil and epigallocatechin gallate (green tea extract) while eating an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet for four months. A control group ate a Mediterranean diet but took a placebo instead of the supplements.
The study found that those who took the coconut oil and green tea extract had measurable improvements in walking speed, balance, and muscle strength. They also had increased BHB in their blood. But many participants reported that they couldn’t personally perceive the improvement in balance the researchers noticed.
The researchers found that study participants also had lower levels of depression, anxiety, and abdominal fat at the end of the study. But because this study group was small and included multiple strategies alongside the coconut oil, it’s hard to know whether coconut oil alone was linked to these benefits.
Future research may look into benefits specific to coconut oil for people with MS, including anti-inflammatory properties and neuroprotection. Further studies should also use larger sample sizes to explore the possible benefits of coconut oil.
Coconut oil has about 50 percent more saturated fat than butter and far more than common cooking oils like olive or canola. Saturated fats are known to cause your body’s cholesterol levels to rise.
A 2020 analysis of research on coconut oil found that eating coconut oil significantly increased the amount of LDL cholesterol in the body compared to consuming more common vegetable oils. LDL is also known as “bad cholesterol.”
When bad cholesterol levels rise, plaques can accumulate in your arteries. This may lead to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. This is particularly important for people living with MS, since having MS already puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting your daily intake of saturated fats to less than 10 percent of the total number of calories you consume. Oils that have been verified as heart-healthy — such as extra virgin olive oil — may be better choices than coconut oil for daily cooking.
Eating too many calories, or too many calories from fat, can lead to weight gain as well. Maintaining a healthy weight is important to helping with MS symptoms like fatigue and daytime sleepiness.
It’s important to note that coconut oil cannot cure MS or slow its disease progression. Only disease-modifying therapies are known to effectively treat MS.
Even if you believe coconut oil improves some of your MS symptoms, any supplement or food you take for MS, including coconut oil, should be used in addition to the regular MS treatment plan you create with your neurologist.
Always ask your doctor before making changes to your diet or overall treatment plan. Even natural foods and supplements, including those that contain coconut oil, can interfere with your prescribed medications.
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I was thinking about buying some coconut oil from Walgreens or whole foods. Which one?
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I was getting bi weekly massage for lymphatic drainage for a while.the masseuse used warm coconut oil for the massage and had the thermostat in the room set at 60 degrees which helped with… read more
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