SynthesisAgeing research reviews2020
Medium Chain Triglycerides induce mild ketosis and may improve cognition in Alzheimer's disease. A systematic review and meta-analysis of human studies.
Synthesis in Ageing research reviews, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gastrointestinal issues predominate among side effects of medium-chain triglyceride consumption in humans.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Mapping new pharmacological interventions for cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Medium-chain triglycerides may improve memory in non-demented older adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.BMC geriatrics · 2022Pooled it
- Activities outside of the care setting for people with dementia: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2020Pooled it
- A randomized feasibility trial of medium chain triglyceride-supplemented ketogenic diet in people with Parkinson's disease.BMC neurology · 2024Trial
- An fMRI Investigation into the Effects of Ketogenic Medium-Chain Triglycerides on Cognitive Function in Elderly Adults: A Pilot Study.Nutrients · 2021Trial
- Tolerability and Safety of a Novel Ketogenic Ester, Bis-Hexanoyl (R)-1,3-Butanediol: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults.Nutrients · 2021Trial
- Ketogenic Diet and Brain Health: Cerebrovascular Mechanisms, Neuroprotection, and Translational Implications.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Ketosis as a Treatment for Severe Mental Illness: A Critical Review of Preclinical and Clinical Data.Current treatment options in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Metabolic Astrocytic Support with Decanoic Acid Enhances Energy Metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease Models.Cells · 2025Article
- Medium-chain triglycerides tricaprin TC10 and tricaprylin TC8 attenuated HFD-induced cognitive decline in a manner dependent on or independent of GLP-1.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- β-hydroxybutyrate is a metabolic regulator of proteostasis in the aged and Alzheimer disease brain.Cell chemical biology · 2025Article
- Article
- Bibliometric and visual analysis in the field of the ketogenic diet in relation to brain health from 2013 to 2024.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Guarding minds: a narrative review on how n-acetylcyteine and ketones could shield sensitive patients from antibiotic neurotoxicity.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Discovery of novel metabolic biomarkers in blood serum for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2024Article
- Blood metabolites, neurocognition and psychiatric disorders: a Mendelian randomization analysis to investigate causal pathways.Translational psychiatry · 2024Article
- Betanin combined with virgin coconut oil inhibits neuroinflammation in aluminum chloride-induced toxicity in rats by regulating NLRP3 inflammasome.Journal of traditional and complementary medicine · 2024Article
- Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) for the Symptomatic Treatment of Dementia-Related Diseases: A Systematic Review.Journal of nutrition and metabolism · 2024Review
- Investigating Owner Use of Dietary Supplements in Dogs with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
INTRODUCTION/
aimThe brain in Alzheimer's disease shows glucose hypometabolism but may utilize ketones for energy production. Ketone levels can potentially be boosted through oral intake of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate the effect of MCTs on peripheral ketone levels and cognitive performance in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.
methodsMedline, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for literature up to March 1, 2019. Meta-analyses were performed by implementing continuous random-effects models and outcomes were reported as weighted Mean Differences (MDs) or Standardized Mean Differences (SMDs).
resultsTwelve records (422 participants) were included. Meta-analysis of RCTs showed that, compared with placebo, MCTs elevated beta-hydroxybutyrate [MD = 0.355; 95 % CI (0.286, 0.424), I
conclusionsIn this meta-analysis, we demonstrated that MCTs can induce mild ketosis and may improve cognition in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. However, risk of bias of existing studies necessitates future trials.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.