Benefits for using Coconut or MCT OIL

What is MCT?

Medium-chain triglycerides (or MCTs for short) are made up of medium-chain fatty acids. The “medium” refers to the length of their chemical structure: all fats are made up of strings of carbon and hydrogen. Short-chain fats (e.g. butyric acid) have fewer than 6 carbons. Long-chain fats (for example, the long-chain polyunsaturated fats EPA and DHA) have 13 to 21. Medium-chain fats are in the middle, with 6 to 12. 

What are the Benefits of MCTs?

MCTs are very easy for the body to break down and use as energy. Think of long-chain fats as being like a whole piece of fruit and MCTs as being like a smoothie. If you eat the whole fruit, you have to put in a lot of effort chewing, but the smoothie you can just slurp right up almost without noticing. In your digestive system, MCTs are a little bit like that smoothie.

Because they’re so easy to absorb, MCTs are used therapeutically for people with malabsorption problems, like Crohn’s Disease. 

They’re also great for anyone missing a gallbladder.

You might think from this that MCTs would promote weight gain (after all, if they’re so easy to absorb, and they’re used as a treatment for malnutrition, they’ve got to be a great weight gainer food, right?) but in fact, this isn’t true. MCTs don’t cause instant weight gain, and in fact they may even be a benefit for weight loss. 

This study, for example, found that, over a 12-week period, subjects who got MCT oil lost about 2 pounds more than those who did not. 
Other studies aren’t quite so optimistic though, and overall the evidence for weight loss is mixed.

This review goes over the potential for MCTs to aid weight loss by increasing satiety and raising the metabolic rate. The studies so far are promising – but here’s the catch: the effect is pretty small. The authors of the paper use kilojoules to measure energy instead of calories, but when you convert the units, you’ll see that few of the studies showed a benefit relevant to the real world. For example, one study found that 5 grams of MCT oil did indeed raise the metabolic rate of healthy men…by 11 calories a day. And that’s just not such an amazing benefit: you could burn more calories than that by walking for 5 minutes, or jumping rope slowly for 2 minutes.

That’s a bit of a let-down, but don’t give up yet: the hormonal and metabolic benefits might be more impressive. 

This review covers the potential uses of MCTs for treating diabetes, hypertension, and the other elements of the metabolic syndrome: in various trials, MCTs have shown a lot of promise compared to other fats.

MCTs are also the ultimate ketogenic fat: in fact, they’re so powerful that adding MCTs to your diet can increase the number of carbs you can eat while staying in ketosis.

The bottom line: MCTs won’t necessarily help you burn a crazy amount of extra calories every day, but they may be beneficial to weight loss because they help in restoring normal metabolic function. And if you’re aiming for ketosis for any reason, MCTs will be your very best friend.

Doses in studies tend to vary from 5 to 50 grams – you could get the lower end of that from coconut oil used as part of regular cooking, but if you want closer to 50 grams, you’re going to need a supplement. You can take the supplement straight from the spoon, or put it into whatever you like; MCT oil has no taste or smell, so you can more easily blend it into smoothies (or yes, into your coffee).

On the other hand, coconut oil (and other food sources of MCTs) also has benefits above and beyond its MCT content. For example, the same grass-fed butter and dairy products that give you MCTs can also provide conjugated linoleic acid for a double whammy of weight-loss fats.

Ultimately, it comes down to whatever works for you. For general good health, cooking with coconut oil (or palm oil, or grass-fed dairy products) is probably completely adequate. But if you’re on the hunt for a weight-loss aid, you might need to get special MCT oil for the full effect.

Conclusion

MCTs aren’t a miracle weight-loss pill (nothing is a miracle weight-loss pill, unfortunately). But there’s some evidence that they’re mildly anti-obesogenic, and may help with weight loss. And if you’re really interested in MCTs specifically, adding MCT oil to your daily routine is one way to try a self-experimentand see whether or not they help you.

On the other hand, whole food sources of MCTs also have extra benefits (like other healthy fats) that pure MCT oil can’t provide. And some people just feel better getting their nutrition from whole foods, rather than relying on a lot of supplements. There’s no one right answer here; it’s all about what works for you – and now you have the information to choose wisely!

You can purchase MCT oil from my Amazon Store  

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Benefits of MCT Oil - Getting Your Sexy Back

I started using MCT oil in my shakes during the last 8 months.  I was doing some research on Dementia and what natural products are on the market to help slow it down, or delay the onset of it.  I came across MCT oil and the benefits of it are exponential.  Not only is it useful for healthy brain cells, but also other health illnesses also. 

What is MCT Oil?

MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride) Oil is an easily digested fat found in foods like coconut oil, palm oil, and some dairy products. In its extracted and pure form, it can be used as a nutritional supplement, for cooking and as a high quality salad oil.

MCT is a very healthy fat, which bypasses the normal process of digestion and fat break down. 

Instead it gets absorbed directly into your liver where it is metabolized and acts more like a carbohydrate, providing instant and sustained energy for your body.

MCT oil can help in losing weight and in maintaining your optimal weight by boosting your metabolism and helping to optimize the production of thyroid hormones. It has been shown to help treat seizures due to its ability to increase Ketone production. 

It is also beneficial in helping diabetics maintain blood sugar levels. 

Many athletes find that it is a great supplement to take prior to training or competitions since it seems to provide hours of sustained energy and helps maintain muscle strength and stamina.

MCT oil has also been shown to help people with digestive issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome, Chrones Disease, cystic fibrosis, and Alzheimer’s. People who are fighting fungal infections find that MCT oil accelerates their healing.

People with liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, difficulty digesting fats and high blood pressure should only take MCT oil under the supervision of a qualified health care provider.

MCT oil should be gradually added to your diet. Start with ½ tablespoon a day and slowly build up to one tablespoon in the morning and one tablespoon ½ hour prior to working out.

You can add it to shakes, drinks, salad and even cook and bake with it. Use it when your recipes call for melted oils.**

You can purchase MCT OIL from Amazon using the link to Colette's Amazon Online Shop here:

Colette's Health and Food Supplement Store:

** Information taken from the http://hilgartnerhealth.com

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