There always seems to be some new diet fad that takes the population by storm every year. Often times, these fads have little or no scientific evidence to support them.
So when a dietary supplement promising to provide people with a natural source of energy is also backed by research, it gets health conscious people very excited.
MCT oil, which is a staple supplement in keto diets, has proven to be an excellent source of energy and weight loss tool for people to use on a daily basis.
Along with providing a natural energy boost, MCT oil also has a wide variety of other benefits people are now discovering.
In this blog, we’ll discuss all of the benefits of MCT oil that you need to know about so you can start implementing it into your diet.
An Introduction to MCT
Before discussing the benefits of MCT oil, it’s important to go over what exactly MCT oil is, what types there are, and how MCT oil is made.
What is MCT Oil?
MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) are a type of saturated fatty acid. They are also referred to as medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA).
MCTs are a fantastic source of energy because they don’t need other enzymes to be absorbed by the body. Also, although they are saturated fats, they do not add any excess fat to your body.
They are extremely effective because they’re quickly absorbed by your body so you have a fast-acting source of energy.
MCTs create an energy molecule called ketones. Ketones basically turn saturated fats into energy. This is the basis of the popular keto diet.
MCTs come from foods, particularly coconut oil, palm oil, and dairy products. Coconut oil is the best source because it has the highest percentage of MCTs.
What Are the Types of MCTs?
There are four main MCTs you can get from coconut oil.
- Caprioc Acid (C6)
- Caprylic Acid (C8)
- Capric Acid (C10)
- Lauric Acid (C12)
Lauric Acid makes up the majority of MCTs, adding up to about 50% of fatty acids. Caprylic and Capric make up around 10% of fatty acids each. C6 is less than 1% of fatty acids in coconut oil.
Each type of MCT is defined by the number of carbons it has. The less carbons an MCT has, the easier it is for the body to absorb.
Long-Chain Fatty Acids
MCTs are a great supplement for energy and weight loss because they can be so quickly absorbed and metabolized by the body. This is because they have chains of 12 or fewer carbon molecules.
Long-chain triglycerides (LCTs), on the other hand, are made up of 13 or more carbon molecules. This makes it more difficult for the body to process and requires much more energy to metabolize.
Some unsaturated LCTs are good for your health, such as Omega-3 fatty acids. But other saturated LCTs can lead to health problems including clogged arteries.
Coconut oil includes three types of LCTs:
- Stearic Acid (C18)
- Oleic Acid (C18:1)
- Linoleic Acid (C18:2)
This is why extracting the MCTs from coconut oil is important. It allows you to get the benefits of MCT oil while leaving behind the unhealthy LCTs.
Why MCT Oil is Different From Coconut Oil
Many people take coconut oil as a daily dietary supplement for energy production. While coconut oil isn’t bad for you and certainly does have health benefits, it does not have all the health benefits of MCT oil.
As we mentioned above, coconut oil is the number one food source for healthy MCTs, but it also has plenty of LCTs which are not great for your health.
Coconut oil’s main component is Lauric acid. This is technically a medium-chain fatty acid, but it acts like a long-chain fatty acid due to its slower metabolic rate.
Lauric acid isn’t bad for you, it’s just slower to be converted to energy.
How is MCT Oil Made?
MCT oil is a combination of the two most beneficial MCTs found in coconut oil: caprylic and capric acids.
They are absorbed the fastest and are, therefore, more efficient at producing energy when compared to other fatty acids.
These two fatty acids are extracted from coconut oil and go through filtration and deacidification before turning into the final MCT oil product.
The Main Benefits of MCT Oil
Whether you’re getting into a new keto diet, or you just want to add another healthy supplement to your daily regimen, its important to know about all the benefits of MCT oil.
Now that we’ve established what MCT oil is and why it’s special, let’s dive into the reasons why people rave over it.
Here are eight benefits of MCT oil that you need to know about.
1. Weight Loss
One of the most common benefits of MCT oil supplements is for weight loss. There are a number of reasons why MCTs successfully aid fat loss.
The first reason is because saturated fats make you feel more full. You can eat the same amount of food in the morning every day, but if you start adding MCT oil to your meal, you’ll feel like you’ve eaten more.
This fullness will carry on through the day, meaning you won’t be as hungry or want to eat as much food as you normally would.
Another reason MCTs help people lose weight is because of how quickly they absorb and are processed. This efficiency actually speeds up your metabolism as a whole, allowing other foods to be processed more quickly.
Finally, unlike other saturated fats, MCTs don’t remain stored as fat on your body because they are so quickly absorbed. This means you can take MCT oil daily without worrying about putting any extra weight on.
2. Increases Energy
Out of all the benefits of MCT oil, the most well-researched and proven benefit is that it efficiently increases energy production.
Because MCTs are able to be quickly and easily digested, they are transferred into energy without the body having to use up energy to metabolize them.
In comparison, other saturated fats that have additional carbons are more difficult for the body to metabolize. This is because they have to go through more steps to be converted due to their more complicated makeup.
The body will take longer to process these more complex fats, and will also use more energy on them making them less effective for providing people with the boost they need.
3. Natural Antibiotic
One of the great benefits of MCT oil is that it is actually a natural antibiotic, so it’s great for fighting off unwanted and foreign bacteria that enter your body.
They remove several types of harmful bacteria but don’t affect the good kinds of bacteria our body houses.
By naturally fighting off these bacteria, your body will not need to use as much energy on keeping dangerous bacteria out of your system. You’ll also be safer from contracting different bacterial viruses.
Also, MCTs are fats that are highly soluble towards vitamins and minerals. This means that your body will absorb more vitamins that will also protect against harmful bacteria.
4. Supports Brain Health
Fatty acids act as fuel for the central nervous system, which includes the brain. Because MCT oils are able to pass through the blood brain barrier and are easily absorbed, they can quickly fuel our brains with energy and focus.
MCT oil has also been shown to possibly help treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. In addition, it can be used as a way to prevent the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Lab studies have indicated that one of the benefits of MCT oil is the improvement of brain cell function and increase in learning ability in older mammals.
5. Protects Against Diabetes
Research has shown that MCTs may also help prevent diabetes from developing. MCTs can preserve insulin and aid in fat deposition which helps prevent people from becoming obese.
Obesity leads to higher chances of developing diabetes, so MCTs work as a great tool for preventing obesity and decreasing the likelihood of getting diabetes.
6. Improves Quality of Exercise
As we discussed earlier, MCTs are a fantastic way to produce fast and clean energy for people who use the supplement. This has led to athletes to add MCT oil as a staple to their daily regimen.
By increasing energy production in athletes, they are able to perform harder and longer than they would without consuming MCT oil prior to their workout or training.
7. Enhances Keto Diets
A ketogenic diet focuses on using ketones as your body’s energy source. Ketones are products of the body that break down fats and transfer them into energy.
This occurs when carbohydrate intake is low. So a keto diet would stress reducing carb intake and increasing saturated fats so that the body can easily process these fats as energy.
This not only gives you more natural, clean energy every day, but will increase your metabolism, making it easier to lose weight.
With MCTs being the most efficiently absorbed saturated fat, it only makes sense that it would work great for keto diets.
8. Easy to Use
One of the benefits of MCT oil is that it’s an extremely easy product to incorporate into your everyday life. It’s something that will benefit your health in a wide variety of ways, without you really having to input any effort.
All you have to do is mix it in with your food or drink and take it each morning for a healthy and natural energy boost. You’ll also get a ton of additional health benefits along with that energy boost. You can also grab a delicious Fat Fit Go anytime, it’s a great source of MCT Oil (among other healthy fats).
How to Use MCT Oil
Now that we’ve established all the benefits of MCT oil, let’s talk about how exactly to take it properly so that you get the most positive effects from the supplement.
MCT Oil or MCT Powder?
You can get MCTs in two forms: oil or powder. However, there’s really no difference between the two. They both contain the same exact composition of medium-chain fatty acids.
So it really comes down to your preference. They both have no taste or odor, so they can be used to cook with or be put in drinks.
Compare prices and reviews online to make sure that no matter what form of MCT you’re getting, that it’s the highest quality.
Proper Dosing of MCT
The amount of MCT oil you take each day is dependent on what you’re using the MCT for.
If you’re taking MCT oil for weight loss or energy production, 1 tablespoon each day is a good dose for you to take each morning.
However, if you’re new to MCT, start out with just a single teaspoon and work your way up until you find a comfortable dose that works for you.
For people taking MCT oil as an aid to their keto diet, you’ll want to increase to 2 or 3 tablespoons per day (or whatever your stomach will allow). But don’t take it all at once, as this can lead to an upset stomach. Instead, take one tablespoon every 4-6 hours for the most effective results.
Be sure to take your MCT oil with a meal to reduce the likelihood of getting a stomach ache. If you have a weak stomach, take smaller doses or eat more food with each dose to make the absorption less intense for your body.
For Additional Information
There are a ton of benefits of MCT oil in addition to the natural energy boost it gives people each day. It’s also an incredible supplement for people on a keto diet. Add your comments on how you use MCT oil or ask questions!