"And then it hit me," she said. "Why don't we just try coconut oil as a dietary supplement? What have we got to lose? If the MCT oil in it worked for them, why couldn't it work for us?"

"Our study was very successful for our patients," Dr. [Theodore VanItallie] said, explaining that the one drawback is that the ketogenic diet mimics starvation. It is low carb, low protein and nearly 90 percent fat, he explained. "People can't really stay on this diet for long, it's too restrictive."

PHOTO, Special to the Times: A test in early onset Alzheimer's is to have the patient draw a clock face. Dr. [Mary Newport] had her husband, [Steve Newport], take the test, above, before starting treatment with coconut oil. After two weeks there was marked improvement in his drawing, and after a month, even more. PHOTO, Special to the Times: Dr. Mary Newport researched experimental drugs for Alzheimer's and found hope after her husband, Steve, tried an oil. PHOTO, Special to the Times: Two weeks after starting coconut oil, Steve Newport's drawing looks more like a clock. PHOTO, Special to the Times: Thirty-seven days after starting coconut oil, Steve Newport's clock drawing gained even more clarity. The oil seemed to "lift the fog."