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KETO CONVERSATIONS are an opportunity for you to gain valuable insights from the leading experts in the Prüvit community. In this episode, CEO Brian Underwood speaks with Dr. Mary Newport about the health-boosting powers of MCT//143®, her passion around the Ketone Conversation™, and MØRE!

BRIAN UNDERWOOD: I’m joined today by Dr. Mary Newport, a great friend, a friend of the company, and someone I consider a pioneer of the Keto Conversation. Dr. Newport, could you tell everyone a little bit about your background and what got you involved in the whole keto conversation? Where does your passion come from?

DR. MARY NEWPORT: Certainly, I am a board-certified Neonatologist. That’s a doctor that takes care of premature newborns. I’ve worked in newborn intensive care units in Florida for 30 years, and møre recently, I’ve been doing home visits for people with chronic illnesses.

I came into the keto conversation in 2008 because my husband Steve developed early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He had symptoms for about seven years, but he wasn’t diagnosed until 2008 when his symptoms began to verge on the severe range. 

I just happen to come across a press release about a medical food coming out that improved memory and cognition in people with Alzheimer’s. We know it now as MCT oil, which back then, almost nobody had ever heard about. 

But again, because I worked in the newborn ICU, I knew what it was because we had added it to the feedings of our tiniest preemies. And then they began to add it to infant formulas. I also learned, at that time, that coconut oil was actually the richest natural source of MCTs. 

So I started giving Steve coconut oil and he had a very dramatic improvement. He improved from one day to the next, his testing improved, and I guess you could say he kind of came back to life. In 2016 he did eventually pass away, but I like to say he got four møre good years out of his life thanks to the MCT oil and ketone salts. 

UNDERWOOD: It’s funny, because the first time I heard you speak was four years ago, maybe even longer now, but it was right after your husband had passed. My dad wasn’t officially diagnosed then, but I think he had early Alzheimer’s probably 10 years ago, and it had started progressing rapidly. So your story really hit hard with me, and I remember being so inspired by your book.

DR. NEWPORT: That would’ve been my first book, “Alzheimer’s Disease: What if There Was a Cure? The Story of Ketones.” At the time, I was just trying to get the message out that this was possible. That there was medical food out there that could help, and it wasn’t getting to Neurologists and other doctors that could possibly prescribe it for their patients. 

There was research being done on ketones at the time but it needed very large funding. It was being developed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by Dr. Richard V, but he was having difficulty getting with mass production for testing, so I wrote the book to try and raise awareness. 

And then my second book, “The Coconut Oil and Low Carbs Solution for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Other Diseases,” was to try and make it less complicated. I was also learning møre about the damage caused by sugar and diabetes. People with diabetes are many, many times møre likely to develop Alzheimer’s. I mean, Alzheimer’s is a form of diabetes of the brain. So if you can avoid sugary foods and refined carbohydrates, you could potentially slow down its progression.

And for my most recent book, I tried to take a broader approach. I was able to interview 16 people, many of them are researchers. I titled one of the chapters “Pioneers and Rising Stars,” but I also have the history of ketones in the book. Ketones had been a fuel since the very first single-cell organisms appeared on Earth. And they’re still a fuel today for those same bacteria and amoeba. It’s a basic part of our evolution. 

UNDERWOOD: That’s great, I know there is a lot of value in those books. Now, I know a lot of people are very interested in optimizing their immune systems right now. But what are some ways that you think people should be optimizing themselves or maybe what are some of your favorite biohacks so to speak?

DR. NEWPORT: One thing that I’ve know for a long time, and it’s been studied møre lately, is coconut oil. And not just as a dietary supplement, but also as a cleaning agent. About 55-60% of the fat in coconut oil is anti-microbial, meaning it kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi.  

And ketones, in general, do support the immune system and white blood cell function. So shifting to ketone supplements could help, and so could eating keto and less sugar especially. 

Another one that many people might not know, is to buy frozen vegetables. Vegetables lose their nutrients over time and when they sit out in the open air they deteriorate. Frozen vegetables can sometimes be møre potent. 

UNDERWOOD: That’s a great one. Now, I know you’ve worked with us closely as a formulator, a consultant, and a friend. I wanted to ask you, what has been your favorite part of working with the prüvit community? 

DR. NEWPORT: I think it’s the excitement and enthusiasm, and the fact that the community is actually a community that has really connected with one another. 

UNDERWOOD: Well, I know that you’re a favorite within our community and I appreciate you so much.

To watch the full video conversation, click here.