6 Health Benefits of MCT Oil Is

It Better than Coconut Oil?

MCTs are medium-chain triglycerides, a form of saturated fatty acid that

has numerous health benefits, ranging from improved cognitive function to
better weight management. Coconut oil is one great source of MCTs
roughly 6265 percent of the fatty acids in coconut oil are MCTs but
recently more concentrated MCT oils have also been growing in popularity.
MCTs, also called MCFAs for medium-chain fatty acids, are believed to be
largely missing from the diets of people eating standard Western diets,
most likely because the public has been led to believe that all forms of
saturated fats are potentially harmful. However, recently research has shown
a lot of evidence about the real truth regarding saturated fats.
We now know that ideally MCT oils like coconut oil should actually be
consumed every day. Certain saturated fats, especially MCTs and other
healthy fats found in things like coconut oil or grass-fed beef, are in fact
easier to digest than long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) and might even have
more benefits related to heart health, obesity prevention and brain health,
too.
In fact, traditional populations living in tropical areas have been consuming
saturated fats, including sources of MCTs like coconuts, for thousands of years
without any ill effects so consider the idea that a low-fat diet is healthy
to be one of the biggest nutrition lies there ever was!
Aside from coconut oil, smaller amounts of MCTs can also be found in certain
other foods with saturated fats including butter (especially butter from
grass-fed cows), cheeses, palm oil, whole milk and full-fat yogurt.

What Makes MCT Oils So Special?

MCTs get their name because of the length of their chemical structure. All
types of fatty acids are made up of strings of connected carbon
and hydrogen. Fats are categorized by how many carbons they have: short-
chain fats (like butyric acid) have fewer than six carbons, medium-chain fats
have between 612 carbons and long-chain fats (like omega-3s) have
between 1321.

What makes MCTs a top source of essential healthy fats? Medium-chain

fats are digested easily and sent directly to your liver, where they have a
thermogenic effect and the ability to positively alter your metabolism. This is
one reason why many people claim that MCTs, including coconut oil, are
burned by the body for energy, or fuel, instead of being stored as fat.
Compared to longer-chain fats, MCTs are absorbed more easily since theres
less work for the body to do breaking apart carbon bonds. MCTs are smaller,
so they can permeate our cell membranes more easily and dont require that
we use special enzymes in order for our bodies to utilize them.

MCTs and saturated fats are good for you in other ways, too: They reduce
the risks of low-fat diets, and theyre supportive of your gut environment,
especially since they have the capability to combat harmful bacteria, viruses,
fungi and parasites. Additionally, MCTs contain antioxidant properties, which
is why coconut oil has far-reaching inflammatory benefits that have led it to
be used to treat dozens of health problems in folk medicine for centuries.
Medium-chain fatty acids are capable of helping you:
Maintain a healthy weight since they both make you feel full
Specifically reduce stored body fat since they also raise your
metabolic function
Have more energy
Think more clearly
Experience better digestion
Balance hormone levels
Improve your mood
Fight bacterial infection and viruses
Absorb fat-soluble nutrients from various foods
MCT Oil Nutrition Facts
There are actually a few different forms of MCT oils, some that are likely more
effective than others. The four different kinds of MCTs: caprioc (C6:0), caprylic
(C8:0), capric (C10:0) and lauric (C12:0) acids. Generally speaking, the
shorter the chain (meaning the lower the number of carbons the acid has),
the faster the body can turn the fatty acids into usable energy, in the form of
ketones. Ketones are what the body produces when its using fat for energy
instead of glucose.

Regardless of the exact kind of MCT, all are still beneficial for overall health
especially for people who have a difficult time digesting other forms of fats,
including anyone with malabsorption problems, digestive disorders like leaky
gut syndrome, Crohns disease, gallbladder infections and so on.

MCT Oil vs. Coconut Oil

Theres been no shortage of coconut oil uses and treatments proven by
recent research it provides not only MCTs (especially abundant levels of
lauric acid) but also antibacterial properties, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories
and more. The difference between MCT oil and coconut oil is that MCT oil is
more concentrated and contains different proportions of MCTs. While coconut
oil certainly has MCTs in it, concentrated MCT oil is almost entirely MCTs.
There are four different kinds of MCTs, which differ depending on the number
of carbons there are connected to the fat molecules (this ranges between 6
to 12 carbons long). The MCTs in coconut oil are made up of about 50 percent
of one kind (lauric acid), so the fact that coconut oil is mostly just one type of
MCT is one reason that some people prefer concentrated MCT oils more.
MCT oils usually have all four types of MCTs that can be difficult to get from
other foods.

Coconut oil is one of the best sources of lauric acid as you can see, which
many studies have shown has antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiviral
properties. Although about ninety percent of the fats found in coconut oil are
saturated, a high percentage is not the very short chain MCTs that have less
carbons (lauric acid has 12).

The fatty acids termed MCTs and lauric acid act somewhat differently in the
body, although in the US, coconut oil and MCT oil manufacturers are legally
allowed to claim that lauric acid is a type of MCT. Some people claim that
lauric acid doesnt biologically act like other forms of shorter MCTs (or at
least as quickly), which is one reason why MCT advocates believe that MCT
oil is somewhat superior.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons that MCT oil sales have skyrocketed in
recent years is due to growing popularity of The Bullet Proof Diet. The
Bulletproof Diet, written by Dave Asprey, is a dietary approach for rapid
weight loss and better cognitive health that recommends you receive 5070
percent of your energy from healthy fats, especially MCT oil, grass-fed butter
and coconut oil. The plans signature breakfast, bulletproof coffee a mix
of coffee, MCT oil and butter promises decreases in hunger levels, the
ability to fast easily, better brain function and mental clarity. While coconut
oil benefits are still recognized by Bulletproof dieters, MCT oil is considered
the gold-standard.
On the other hand, coconut oil does have some well-documented health
benefits that concentrated MCT oils might be lacking. The biggest drawback
to buying manufactured MCT oil is that you might not really know what youre
getting. In order to produce a liquid MCT oil that does not become solid at
colder temps, it might need to be more refined than regular coconut oil. MCT
oil might also remove some of the very beneficial lauric acid, which is the star
ingredient in real extra-virgin coconut oil.

So while some marketers of MCT oil might claim that their product contains
more concentrated and diverse MCTs than real coconut oil does, it might be
because its chemically altered and absent of lauric acid. It could even have
filler oils like omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. Another factor to consider is
that most MCT oils on the market are manufactured via chemical/solvent
refining, which can mean they require using chemicals like hexane and
different enzymes and combustion chemicals.
The bottom line? Enjoy both coconut oil and quality MCT oil for their
numerous benefits, just make sure you buy a high quality MCT oil that clearly
states what the ingredients are and how it was produced.

6 Health Benefits of MCT Oil

1. Can Help with Weight Loss or Maintenance
Compared to other types of oils and fats, MCTs seem to have positive effects
on fat burning and weight reduction. As part of a healthy diet, MCT oil can
help increase satiety and even raise the metabolic rate at which the body
functions. Does this mean eating large amounts of MCTs daily will make you
drop pounds? Not quite. Not every study has shown that MCTs can produce
weight loss necessarily, but some definitely have shown the positive effects
of MCTs on metabolic function.
For example, a 2003 study published in The Journal of Obesity and Related
Metabolic Disorders showed that after comparing long-term consumption of
MCTs and LCTs on energy expenditure, body composition and fat oxidation in
obese women, the MCTs have more significant effects. Substitution of MCTs
for LCTs in a targeted energy balance diet proved to offer better prevention of
long-term weight gain due to increases in energy expenditure and fat-
burning.
Another 2001 study published in The Journal of Nutrition compared body
weight and body fat in groups of adults either consuming long-chain fats or
medium-chain fats over a 12-week period. The energy, fat, protein and
carbohydrate intakes did not differ significantly between the groups, only the
types of fats they were receiving. After 12 weeks, the decrease in body
weight and body fat was significantly greater in the MCT group than in the
LCT group. The decrease in the area of subcutaneous fat in the MCT group
was also significantly greater than that in the LCT group, which suggests that
the MCT diet might be able to help reduce body weight and fat in individuals
who need to lose weight.

How do MCTs help with weight loss? Experimental studies demonstrate that
dietary MCTs suppress fat deposition through enhanced thermogenesis and
fat oxidation in both animals and humans. In other words, its believed that
they help the body produce ketones, which gives you the same benefits as
the ketogenic diet without needing to cut carbs to drastically low levels. In
fact, MCTs are sometimes called the ultimate ketogenic fats because of
their heating effect in the body and ability to rapidly be used for energy,
especially when someone is not eating a lot of carbohydrates.

2. Help Protect Heart Health

A 2010 study published in The Journal of Neutraceuticals and Functional
Foods reported that MCTs can help prevent the development of metabolic
syndrome a term given to a cluster of metabolic disorders such
as abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and impaired fasting
glucose levels. MCTs seem to be able to help decrease cardiovascular
disease and mortality risk in general due to helping lower odds of becoming
obese. Most likely, they have this positive effect because they are anti-
inflammatory, easy to digest, satiating and easily used for energy as
described above.

3. Helps Improve Energy Levels and Your Mood

Your brain is largely made up of fatty acids, so you need a steady supply from
your diet to feel your best, think clearly, perform well at work and stay sharp
well into older age. Medium-chain fats are believed to be one of the most
easily digested, utilized and protective fatty acids that exists.

A 2004 study published in The Journal of Neurobiology of Aging they found

that the MCTs in coconut oil helped improved memory problems including
Alzheimers disease in older adults. It only makes sense that a food that
supplies fuel for your brain and also helps you absorb vitamins and minerals
better will also make you feel more clearheaded, energetic and positive.
MCT oil helps not only feed your brain cells, but also improves your gut health
which is largely connected to cognitive functioning thanks to the gut-brain
connection. In one animal study published in The Journal of Animal Feed and
Sciences, when pigs were either fed a standard feed mixture (the control) or
the same mixture supplemented with two grams each of caprylic or capric
MCTs, the pigs receiving MCTs showed improvements in bacterial gut health,
performance, growth and digestion of nutrients, including proteins and fiber.

4. Helps Improve Digestion and Nutrient Absorption

Both MCT oil and coconut oil are beneficial for balancing bacteria in the gut
microbiota, which in turn has positive effects on digestive symptoms, energy
expenditure, and the ability to absorb vitamins and minerals from the foods
you eat. Medium-chain fats can help kill a wide range of pathogenic viruses
and strains and bacteria that cause digestive issues, including candida,
constipation, diarrhea, food poisoning, stomachaches and so on.

You also need to consume healthy fats in order absorb fat-soluble nutrients
found in various foods. These include nutrients like beta-carotene (a
precursor of vitamin A found in plants like berries, squash and leafy greens),
vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and lutein. When you consume
a healthy diet filled with lots of different whole, plant foods but dont get
enough healthy fat sources at the same time, your body is basically not
capable of utilizing these nutrients as well.

5. Has Antibacterial, Antiviral and Antifungal Properties

MCTs are powerful, natural antibiotics that help balance bacteria in the gut. In
the age of antibiotic resistance, its meaningful to have natural methods to
kill some harmful types of bacteria. Here are some known to be killed by
medium-chain fats: streptococcus (which causes strep throat, pneumonia and
sinus infections), straphylococcus (which causes food poisoning and urinary
tract infections), neisseria (which causes meningitis, gonorrhea and pelvic
inflammatory diseases), and some other strains that cause stomach viruses,
candida, ulcers and sexually transmitted diseases.
In fact, there are at least a dozen pathogenic viruses that have been
inactivated at least partially by lauric acid. Another great thing about MCTs is
that they are capable of reducing bad bacteria without harming or
removing good bacteria. Thats important, considering we need the good
kind for intestinal health and digestive functioning.

According to some studies, medium-chain fats offer better protection from

infections than longer-chain fatty acids do. A study published in The Journal
of Nutritional Biochemistry found that fatty acids and monoglycerides with
chain lengths varying from 812 carbons were found to be more strongly
antiviral and antibacterial when added to milk and formula than long-chain
monoglycerides. Medium-chain lipids added to milk and formula inactivated a
number of pathogens including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), herpes
simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), haemophilus influenzae and streptococcus.

6. Can Withstand High-Heat Cooking

MCT oils are particularly good for cooking with because they have a high
smoke point, meaning they dont oxidize from heat easily and can
withstand high temperatures. This is crucial, because even certain good
fats are not well suited for cooking (like extra virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil
for example) and can become rancid oils somewhat easily. Both coconut oil
and MCT oil can be used for the most part in baked goods, sautes, stir-fries
and grilled foods without oxidizing.

How to Use MCT Oil in Recipes

Some people are firm believers in taking MCT oil daily just like a
supplement, straight from the spoon or mixed into drinks. MCT oil has no
taste or smell, so this is an option if youre really looking to increase your
intake quickly.

How can you use MCT oil creatively at home without needing to simply drink
bulletproof coffee every morning? Some clever ways to get more MCT oil
into your diet include:

Making homemade mayonnaise in a blender (using MCT oil, an egg

yolk, extra virgin olive oil, lime juice and salt)
Whisking together a salad dressing (using MCT oil, raw honey, Dijon
mustard and your favorite herbs)
Adding some MCT oil to smoothies, shakes or yogurt (which stabilizes
your blood sugar since it helps slow down the rate that glucose and
fructose sugar molecules are absorbed)
Using MCT oil in homemade baked goods instead of coconut oil (sub
out about 1/3 of the coconut oil for MCT oil instead)
Dont forget that just like with coconut oil being used for your hair, MCT
oil is great for your skin and hair. MCT oil can be used in homemade teeth
whitening treatments, moisturizer, lip balm, sunscreen, shaving cream,
conditioner, facial masks, salt scrubs and essential oil blends.