The empirical way to test coconut oil is through cycles of introduction and elimination. For me, skin benefits are noticeable, such as getting rid of recurring athlete's foot. The saturated fat lauric acid (C12:0) is evidently both a fungicide and anti-viral. The other dominant saturated fats (MCT oil) are metabolized by the liver into ketones. This is easily verified by measuring ketones. Ketones are the preferential fuel of the brain (supply driven rather than demand-driven like glucose). A lot of research has been done on the brain benefits of ketone-fuelling, especially by nutrition scientists at Johns Hopkins, Harvard and the Mayo clinic in respect of epilepsy and other neurological conditions. There is also research for ketones to boost mental performance of US Navy Seals at University of South Florida. Coconut oil and ketones have had measurable benefits for Alzheimer's. Dr. Mary Newport and Dr. Bredesen's Alzheimer's protocols use MCT oil and are now in clinical trials.