MCTs – Magic Potion Or Myth?

healthy fats of real butter, olives and mct and coconut oil for a ketogenic diet on a wood plank board

Medium-chain triglyceride oils and supplements are the much-talked-about ingredients behind weight loss and weight loss acceleration for those on the ketogenic diet and athletes alike. But what exactly is the hype about and do MTCs really take centimeters off your belly fat bottom line?

What Exactly Are MCTs?

MCTs are saturated fats found in coconut oil and palm kernel oil, with the word ‘triglycerides’ being a technical term for ‘fats’. As should then be quite apparent, there are three of these fats in MCTs – capric acid, caprylic acid and lauric acid.

The bone of contention is the word ‘saturated’ though. Previously, it was presumed that all saturated fats are bad, but the January 2014 issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and other studies have since led a more nuanced approach to these fats. We now know that the structure of a saturated fat is what’s important, as this is what determines how the body metabolizes it.

Consequently, as medium-chain triglycerides are shorter than their long-chain counterparts, they are broken down and absorbed as energy by the body more easily. MCTs are moved from the digestive tract straight to the liver, where it is made available as fuel for the body and dispatched as oxygen-carriers to the muscles. This is why studies such as in the Journal of Obesity and Research in 2013 have shown that coconut-rich diets in control groups taking the MCTs led to these individuals losing more belly weight compared to those who did not consume MCT-rich foods.

MCTs As A Suitable Dietary Treatment For Epileptics

When your carbohydrate intake is low – such as on the keto diet – the body breaks down fat to use as energy and ketone bodies are formed. The great thing about MCTs is that they have been shown to increase ketones regardless of whether carb intake was lowered or not. As epileptic seizures, for example, can be influenced by diet and may get better, but also worse, if carb levels decrease, MCT is often used in the treatment of epilepsy.

Will MCT Dietary Increases Cause Digestive Disturbances?

Digestive disturbances reported include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea but it seems to be linked to the amount of MCT taken and the length of time the body takes to adapt.

In one study, 50g MTC caused these side effects in all participants but when the amount was lowered to 30g, only 10% of participants continued to show digestive distress.

Studies also show that the body adapts to MCT intake over several days. Participants who ingested 60g over two weeks showed no symptomatic side effects by the end of the trial period. These studies also showed that when taken with food, the body adapted better and quicker to MCT intake.

MCTs come with a host of benefits to weight watchers, athletes and epileptic sufferers most of the time, so it looks like these short-chain fatty acids are here to stay regardless of any persistent negative stigma around saturated fats.

Do you want to find an effective Keto treatment? Check out our top rated Keto products

Heather Acott, MPH

As a health and medical freelance writer for a number of online publications, Heather has lived the life of a nomad for the past 12 years, soaking up different cultures and ways of life. A California native, Heather received her undergraduate degree from UCLA and went on to study at San Jose State University to obtain a Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis on health communication. Before embarking on her current career path, she used her excellent communication skills and in depth knowledge of the healthcare industry as a grant writer for many years. Heather is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and American Public Health Association. As part of her job she interprets outcomes of medical studies, reports on annual scientific meetings and regularly interviews physicians, patient advocates and other healthcare professionals. Her areas of expertise include low-carb diets, biotechnology, metabolic disease, diabetes and When Heather is not writing or researching for her latest article, she can be found meditating, exploring whichever city she’s in and religiously following the ketogenic diet.

Different Types of Keto Diets

What all of these types of the keto diet have in common is their goal to get your body into the natural metabolic state of ketosis so you can burn fat, instead of carbs, for energy.

Standard ketogenic diet (SKD)

Consuming a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carb diet. The percentages of your daily diet should be about 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs.

High-protein ketogenic diet

Similar to the SKD, but with added protein. The ratio is about 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD)

Involves 5-6 days of the SKD followed by 1-2 days of refeeding days where the majority of calories come from carbohydrates.

Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD)

Eating carbohydrates around the times that you exercise. Meant for people who are regularly working out at a very high-intensity or for an extended period of time.