MCT

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) are fats that are shorter in length than most normal dietary fats (Long Chain Triglycerides or LCTs). MCTs are found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil and butter, as well as being available in pure form. MCT produces Ketones even without being part of a Low Carbohydrate Diet.

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1 MCT and the Ketogenic Diet

Because MCT will increase Ketone Levels without needing Carbohydrate restriction, they are often used for 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. 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.

2 MCT and Ketone Levels

A study showed that giving 40ml of MCT raised blood BOHB levels to 0.43-0.68 mM. Unfortunately there were no details on how long the levels remained elevated, or how larger doses might further increase ketone levels.

3 MCT and Weight Gain

An animal study has shown that overfeeding that includes large quantities of MCT produced 20% less weight gain than the same level of overfeeding with LCT. The rats were fed a diet of 50% of calories as fat, with the MCT diet providing 45% of calories from MCT. The rats had similar levels of activity and insulin. This may because MCTs are raise body temperature (thermogenesis). MCT has is often considered to have a slightly lower calorie density of 8.3 Calories/gram compared with 9.1 Calories/gram for LCT. However, if thermogenesis is taken into account, a value of 6.72 Calories/gram would be more appropriate.

4 MCT and digestive distress

MCT frequently causes digestive problems, including nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. There may be several factors that influence the level of digestive distress:

• Quantity. Higher quantities of MCT are more likely to cause digestive distress. One study found that 50g of MCT caused all subjects digestive problems, but 30g only caused problems in 10% of subjects.
• Adaptation. There is adaptation that occurs with consumption of MCT over several days. Two studies showed a reduction in digestive distress over time; in one, subjects were given 34g/day for 7 days and the other, 60g/day for 14 days. By the end the subjects' distress had reduced or disappeared.
• Other Foods. Consuming MCT with other foods reduces the digestive distress.

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.

5 MCT and Alzheimer's

There is evidence that MCT can help reduce peoples' memory impairment without carbohydrate restriction. A study using elderly dogs showed a long lasting improvement in cognitive ability with MCT supplementation. There are other anecdotal reports of MCT helping with Alzheimer's symptoms.

6 Types of MCT

The 'medium chain' in 'medium chain triglycerides' refers to the length of the chain carbon atoms. Generally, chain lengths of 6 to 12 carbon atoms (C6 to C12) are considered 'medium'. The most common source of MCTs is in Coconut Oil, and typically pure MCT is refined from Coconut Oil. The mixture of oils in most MCT reflects that of Coconut Oil. MCT oils are fully saturated.

6.1 Sources of MCT

The composition of common sources of MCTs is shown below:

	Coconut Oil		Palm Kernel Oil		Butter
Fatty Acid	Typical %	Range %	Typical %	Range %	Typical %
6:0 Caproic	0.5	0.4-0.6	0.2	0.1-0.5	2.0
C8:0 Caprylic	7.8	6.9-9.4	3.3	3.4-5.9	1.2
C10:0 Capric	6.7	6.2-7.8	3.4	3.3-4.4	2.5
C12:0 Lauric	47.5	45.9-50.3	48.2	46.3-51.1	2.6
Total MCT	62.5	59.4-68.1	55.1	53.1-61.9	8.3

7 MCT Safety

MCT is considered safe at 1mg/Kg of body weight, and MCT has been shown as effectively non-toxic in high dose animal studies.

8 See Also

• The classifications and types of Low Carbohydrate Diet.
• An introduction to the Ketogenic Diet.
• My experiences with ultrarunning on the Ketogenic Diet
  • How the Ketogenic Diet can be used for the treatment and management of disease.
    • Using the Ketogenic Diets to mitigate and treat Epilepsy
    • How Ketogenic Diets might help with Cancer
    • A look at the possible mechanisms of action of the Ketogenic Diet
  • Health Risks of the Ketogenic Diet
    • Health Checks for the Ketogenic Diet
    • Supplements for the Ketogenic Diet
  • The time frame and changes that occur with Ketoadaptation
  • What are Ketones
    • How to measure Ketones
    • What ketone levels to aim for
  • The pros and cons of the Ketogenic Diet for athletes
    • The Science of Ketogenic Exercise
  • The Types of Ketogenic Diet
    • The "traditional" Ketogenic Diet based on the Ketogenic Ratio
      • The ways the Ketogenic Ratio can be calculated
        • The different definitions of Net Carbohydrates
    • Low Glycemic Index Treatment
    • MCT Diet
      • MCT
    • Modified Atkins Diet (M.A.D.)
• My Ketogenic Recipes
• Non-Ketogenic Low Carbohydrate Diets