8,153
edits
Changes
MCT
,no edit summary
* MCT can produce nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. Adaptation and mixing with other foods can reduce the problems.
* There are initial indications that MCT will reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's and other memory problems.
=MCT and the Ketogenic Diet=
Because MCT will increase [[Ketones|Ketone Levels]] without needing [[Low Carbohydrate Diets| Carbohydrate restriction]], they are often used for [[Ketogenic Diets for Epilepsy| epilepsy treatment]]. Small amounts of MCT can be used to increase the ketone levels, or to reduce elevated cholesterol levels while on the Ketogenic Diet<ref name="Kossoff-2011-1809"/>. Larger amounts of MCT are the basis of the [[MCT Diet]], which allow for a greater carbohydrate intake than the traditional [[Ketogenic Ratio Diet]] and therefore more food choices.
Personally, I found that even after weeks of taking MCT, I could not consume it on its own without incurring dramatic digestive problems. Mixing MCT with other foods greatly reduced, but did not completely remove, the issues.
=MCT and Athletic Performance=
=MCT and Alzheimer's=
There is evidence that MCT can help reduce peoples' memory impairment without carbohydrate restriction<ref name="RegerHenderson2004"/>. A study using elderly dogs showed a long lasting improvement in cognitive ability with MCT supplementation<ref name="PanLarson2010"/>. There are other anecdotal reports of MCT helping with Alzheimer's symptoms<ref name="www.tampabay.com"/>.
MCTs are sometimes recommended for weight loss. One study compared MCTs with Olive Oil and found a greater weight loss with MCTs<ref name="St-Onge-2008"/>. There is some evidence from an animal study that MCTs may be less palatable than other fats<ref name="Edens-1984"/>. However, an analysis of animal studies indicates that generally, replacing other fats with MCT does not reduce calorie intake<ref name="Bach-1996"/>. Based on my personal experiences with MCT, I would suspect that any weight loss benefit comes from the appetite reduction that comes from the associated nausea.
=MCT Safety=
MCT is considered safe at 1mg/Kg of body weight, and MCT has been shown as effectively non-toxic in high dose (9-12g/Kg) animal studies<ref name="TraulDriedger2000"/>.
=My Experiences with MCT=
* I've found that taking MCT on its own will often produce digestive problems, including nausea and apocalyptic diarrhea. Mixing MCT with other foods can reduce the problems, and I take MCT with cream or other foods.
<ref name="Edens-1984">NK. Edens, MI. Friedman, Response of normal and diabetic rats to increasing dietary medium-chain triglyceride content., J Nutr, volume 114, issue 3, pages 565-73, Mar 1984, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6699737 6699737]</ref>
<ref name="Bach-1996">AC. Bach, Y. Ingenbleek, A. Frey, The usefulness of dietary medium-chain triglycerides in body weight control: fact or fancy?, J Lipid Res, volume 37, issue 4, pages 708-26, Apr 1996, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8732772 8732772]</ref>
<ref name="Angus-2000">DJ. Angus, M. Hargreaves, J. Dancey, MA. Febbraio, Effect of carbohydrate or carbohydrate plus medium-chain triglyceride ingestion on cycling time trial performance., J Appl Physiol (1985), volume 88, issue 1, pages 113-9, Jan 2000, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10642370 10642370]</ref>
<ref name="Jeukendrup-1998">AE. Jeukendrup, JJ. Thielen, AJ. Wagenmakers, F. Brouns, WH. Saris, Effect of medium-chain triacylglycerol and carbohydrate ingestion during exercise on substrate utilization and subsequent cycling performance., Am J Clin Nutr, volume 67, issue 3, pages 397-404, Mar 1998, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9497182 9497182]</ref>
<ref name="Goedecke-2005"> JH. Goedecke, VR. Clark, TD. Noakes, EV. Lambert, The effects of medium-chain triacylglycerol and carbohydrate ingestion on ultra-endurance exercise performance., Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, volume 15, issue 1, pages 15-27, Feb 2005, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15902986 15902986]</ref>
<ref name="Goedecke-1999"> JH. Goedecke, R. Elmer-English, SC. Dennis, I. Schloss, TD. Noakes, EV. Lambert, Effects of medium-chain triaclyglycerol ingested with carbohydrate on metabolism and exercise performance., Int J Sport Nutr, volume 9, issue 1, pages 35-47, Mar 1999, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10036340 10036340]</ref>
<ref name="Massicotte-1992"> D. Massicotte, F. Péronnet, GR. Brisson, C. Hillaire-Marcel, Oxidation of exogenous medium-chain free fatty acids during prolonged exercise: comparison with glucose., J Appl Physiol (1985), volume 73, issue 4, pages 1334-9, Oct 1992, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1447077 1447077]</ref>
<ref name="Horowitz-2000"> JF. Horowitz, R. Mora-Rodriguez, LO. Byerley, EF. Coyle, Preexercise medium-chain triglyceride ingestion does not alter muscle glycogen use during exercise., J Appl Physiol (1985), volume 88, issue 1, pages 219-25, Jan 2000, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10642384 10642384]</ref>
<ref name="Jeukendrup-1996"> AE. Jeukendrup, WH. Saris, R. Van Diesen, F. Brouns, AJ. Wagenmakers, Effect of endogenous carbohydrate availability on oral medium-chain triglyceride oxidation during prolonged exercise., J Appl Physiol (1985), volume 80, issue 3, pages 949-54, Mar 1996, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8964761 8964761]</ref>
<ref name="IvyCostill2008">J. Ivy, D. Costill, W. Fink, E. Maglischo, Contribution of Medium and Long Chain Triglyceride Intake to Energy Metabolism During Prolonged Exercise, International Journal of Sports Medicine, volume 01, issue 01, 2008, pages 15–20, ISSN [http://www.worldcat.org/issn/0172-4622 0172-4622], doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1034624 10.1055/s-2008-1034624]</ref>
<ref name="ÖöpikTimpmann2001">Vahur Ööpik, Saima Timpmann, Luule Medijainen, Harry Lemberg, Effects of daily medium-chain triglyceride ingestion on energy metabolism and endurance performance capacity in well-trained runners, Nutrition Research, volume 21, issue 8, 2001, pages 1125–1135, ISSN [http://www.worldcat.org/issn/02715317 02715317], doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0271-5317(01)00319-0 10.1016/S0271-5317(01)00319-0]</ref>
<ref name="Décombaz-1983"> J. Décombaz, MJ. Arnaud, H. Milon, H. Moesch, G. Philippossian, AL. Thélin, H. Howald, Energy metabolism of medium-chain triglycerides versus carbohydrates during exercise., Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol, volume 52, issue 1, pages 9-14, 1983, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6360681 6360681]</ref>
<ref name="Sabatin-1987">Sabatin P, Portero GD, Bricout J, Guezennec CY. Metabolic and hormonal responses to lipid and carbohydrate diets during exercise in man. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1987;19:218-23</ref>
<ref name="Jeukendrup-1995">AE. Jeukendrup, WH. Saris, P. Schrauwen, F. Brouns, AJ. Wagenmakers, Metabolic availability of medium-chain triglycerides coingested with carbohydrates during prolonged exercise., J Appl Physiol (1985), volume 79, issue 3, pages 756-62, Sep 1995, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8567514 8567514]</ref>
<ref name="Van Zyl-1996"> CG. Van Zyl, EV. Lambert, JA. Hawley, TD. Noakes, SC. Dennis, Effects of medium-chain triglyceride ingestion on fuel metabolism and cycling performance., J Appl Physiol (1985), volume 80, issue 6, pages 2217-25, Jun 1996, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8806933 8806933]</ref>
<ref name="Kossoff-2011-1809">Eric. Kossoff, [http://www.amazon.com/Ketogenic-Diets-Eric-H-Kossoff/dp/1936303108 Ketogenic diets : treatments for epilepsy and other disorders], date 2011, publisher Demos Health, location New York, isbn 1-936303-10-8, Kindle Offset 1809</ref>
</references>