MCT

From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
Revision as of 18:49, 18 November 2013 by User:Fellrnr (User talk:Fellrnr | contribs)

Jump to: navigation, search

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.

Ambox warning blue construction.svg

This article is under construction.
Caution: This a skeleton article, so only a rough outline exists. This may consist of semi-completed sections, isolated bullet point and notes to the author.
You are welcome to read what exists so far, and feedback is welcomed. Email "feedback <at> fellrnr <dot> com"

1 MCT digestion and the Ketogenic Diet

2 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.

2.1 Sources of MCT

The composition of common sources of MCTs is shown below:

Coconut Oil[2]

Palm Kernel Oil[2]

Butter[3]
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

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 (Overfeeding with medium-chain triglyceride diet results in diminished deposition of fat). 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. Read Overfeeding with medium-chain triglyceride diet results in diminished deposition of fat references 8, 16, 17, 18,

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[4]:

  • 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. However, mixing MCT with other things caused no issues. Calories in MCT MCT has is often considered to have a slightly lower calorie density (8.2 Calories/gram) compared with LCT (9.1 Calories/gram). MCT and Ketosis Giving 40ml of MCT raised blood BOHB levels to 0.43-0.68 mM[5]. MCT and Alzheimer's There is evidence that MCT can help reduce peoples' memory impairment without carbohydrate restriction[5]. A study using elderly dogs showed a long lasting improvement in cognitive ability with MCT supplementation[6]. There are other anecdotal reports of MCT helping with Alzheimer's symptoms[7].

5 See Also

6 References

  1. Eric. Kossoff, Ketogenic diets : treatments for epilepsy and other disorders, date 2011, publisher Demos Health, location New York, isbn 1-936303-10-8, Kindle Offset 1809
  2. 2.0 2.1 Richard D. O'Brien, Fats and Oils: Formulating and Processing for Applications, Third Edition, date 12 December 2010, publisher Taylor & Francis, isbn 978-1-4200-6167-3, pages 49–
  3. NDL/FNIC Food Composition Database Home Page, http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/, Accessed on 18 November 2013
  4. Ira Wolinsky !!author1!!, Judy A. Driskell !!author2!!, Nutritional Ergogenic Aids, date 25 June 2004, publisher Taylor & Francis, isbn 978-0-203-50770-4, pages 196–
  5. 5.0 5.1 Mark A. Reger, Samuel T. Henderson, Cathy Hale, Brenna Cholerton, Laura D. Baker, G.S. Watson, Karen Hyde, Darla Chapman, Suzanne Craft, Effects of β-hydroxybutyrate on cognition in memory-impaired adults, Neurobiology of Aging, volume 25, issue 3, 2004, pages 311–314, ISSN 01974580, doi 10.1016/S0197-4580(03)00087-3
  6. Yuanlong Pan, Brian Larson, Joseph A. Araujo, Winnie Lau, Christina de Rivera, Ruben Santana, Asa Gore, Norton W. Milgram, Dietary supplementation with medium-chain TAG has long-lasting cognition-enhancing effects in aged dogs, British Journal of Nutrition, volume 103, issue 12, 2010, pages 1746–1754, ISSN 0007-1145, doi 10.1017/S0007114510000097
  7. Doctor says an oil lessened Alzheimer's effects on her husband, http://www.tampabay.com/news/aging/doctor-says-an-oil-lessened-alzheimers-effects-on-her-husband/879333, Accessed on 20 October 2013