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MCT oil offers you an easy way to increase your performance in all areas. Use the special oil for yours Bulletproof coffee in the morning and start the day with full power. But what makes MCT oil so special? How does it work? What do you have to pay attention to? You can find the answers here.
What is MCT Oil?
MCT oil is made up of medium-chain fatty acids that your body can quickly and efficiently convert into energy. Medium-chain fatty acids are only found in small amounts in food. MCT oil provides you with the unique source of energy in its pure form.
MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides or medium-chain triglycerides. 90% of the fats we ingest with food are triglycerides. They consist of a glycerine molecule and three fatty acids. A triglyceride can have three different as well as three identical fatty acids. Fatty acids, in turn, are made up of different numbers of carbon atoms that are strung together in a chain. Depending on the length of these carbon chains, the fatty acids are called short, medium or long. Fatty acids with an even number of carbon atoms mostly occur in their natural form.
When talking about fatty acids, you will often find information such as C 8: 0 for caprylic acid or C 18: 1 for oleic acid. The C is the symbol of the carbon atom. The first number indicates the number of carbon atoms. The second number tells you how many unsaturated bonds the fatty acid has. C 8: 0 is saturated with eight carbon atoms, while C 18: 1 describes a monounsaturated fatty acid with 18 carbon atoms. In the medium-chain, they are always saturated fatty acids. However, that doesn't mean they are unhealthy. Researchers attribute a protective effect on the cardiovascular system to medium-chain as opposed to long-chain saturated fatty acids.1
According to its name, MCT only has medium-chain fatty acids. From a chemical point of view, medium-chain fatty acids include all those with a carbon number of C6 to C12. With C12 fatty acids, however, the biological way to generate energy is identical to that of long-chain fats. Therefore, C12 is often already counted among the long-chain fatty acids in the biological sense. However, it is factually not wrong that MCT oils also contain C 12 fats. However, it then does not optimally fulfill your desired purpose of providing energy as quickly and as long as possible. Therefore, when buying MCT oil, you should pay attention to what it is made of.
The medium-chain fatty acids include:
- Caproic acid (C6)
- Caprylic acid (C8)
- Capric acid (C10)
- Lauric acid (C12)
This is how MCT oil tastes: application
Good MCT oils are odorless and tasteless. Therefore, taking MCT oil in drinks is ideal. Here you can simply mix in MCT oil and consume it. Next to your Bulletproof coffee smoothies are also wonderfully suitable for this. For your BulletWe can also offer you proof coffee BULLET . Recommend
Mix in BULLET just stir it into your coffee and benefit from sustainable mental energy from pure caprylic acid C8 MCTs all morning. Your productivity boost comes with it BULLET and its irresistible creamy vanilla taste has never tasted so delicious:
Of course you can also mix MCT oil with your favorite dishes. The taste is not adulterated by the MCT oil, but it is enhanced. It has natural flavor enhancing properties. However, MCT oils are not suitable for frying. Due to the low smoke point of MCT oils, ingredients can be lost through the smoke even at relatively low temperatures. In addition, toxic substances can be produced.
MCT oil & effects
The Medium-chain triglycerides are broken down into their fatty acids in the stomach. The free fatty acids can enter the blood directly through the mucous membrane of the small intestine. As soon as they reach their target cells, they already reach the cell power plants, the mitochondria, where they are converted into energy and push your ketosis.
Due to the rather short fatty acid chains, MCT is oil water soluble and does not require bile acids or pancreatic juice to be digested. The fat-splitting enzyme of the stomach, the gastric lipase, is already sufficient for the cleavage of the medium-chain triglycerides into the free fatty acids and the glycerine molecules. Hence can the active components of the MCT oil pass into the blood as soon as they reach the small intestine. This is how they are then transported to the liver. In the case of long-chain fatty acids including C 12 lauric acid, significantly more steps are necessary before they reach the liver in broken down form.
Why is MCT metabolized faster?
The oxidation of fatty acids, i.e. the production of energy from fats, takes place mainly in the mitochondria of the target cells. In contrast to C8 and long-chain fatty acids, C10 and C12 do not require an additional transporter such as carnitine to get into the mitochondria.
So it is simply easier for the target cells to use fatty acids that are medium-chain. That is why the cells downright prefer medium-chain to long-chain fatty acids. This simplified transport into the mitochondria is another step that saves time in converting C8 and C10 into energy.
Researchers assume that these target cells also include nerve cells in the brain. According to them, at least C8 caprylic acid can cross the blood-brain barrier and be processed by the mitochondria in the nerve cells. Accordingly, energy can be obtained from the caprylic acid in the nerve cells directly and not only indirectly via the so-called ketone bodies, which are obtained in the liver from the MCT oil.2, 3, 4
What are ketone bodies?
In the liver, some of the medium-chain fatty acids are converted into so-called ketone bodies or ketone bodies. These serve as transportable fuels that the liver provides for other organs. In the mitochondria of these organs, the keto bodies can be quickly converted into energy if necessary.
Organs like The heart and kidneys even prefer ketone bodies to glucose as an energy source. Other organs have to switch to the primary use of keto bodies on a ketogenic diet. However, this habit does not seem to be as drastic as has long been assumed. The prevailing assumption is that the keto body is only used as an energy source by the brain in the absence of glucose and in certain diseases. Some scientific studies provide clear evidence that the brain may well be able to use ketone bodies in the presence of a normal glucose concentration in the blood.2, 3, 4
More keto bodies are formed from medium-chain fatty acids than when long-chain fats are metabolized. MCT oil is therefore also ideally suited to the ketogenic diet (ketosis). If you want to get started, you should start with a lower MCT oil dosage. Otherwise, you can get headaches, stomach cramps, or diarrhea.
Performance increase with MCT oil
MCT oil can be absorbed and processed by your body faster than other oils and fats. This gives you an energy boost that lasts for a long time and clears your head. MCT oil has several advantages over sugar. The energy from MCT oil is immediately available and sustainable. The generation of energy from sugar, on the other hand, is short-lived.
The Insulin level initially rises sharply through the intake of sugar, before it falls off again quite quickly. If that happens, you will find yourself in a performance slump. You perceive this as exhaustion and you will quickly get hungry again.
Do you cover your acute energy needs instead with MCT oil, it won't affect your insulin levels. As a result, you feel fit, full and satisfied for a long time. According to several scientific studies, the fatty acids from MCT oil are not stored in fat cells. It is therefore very unlikely that you will gain body fat by taking MCT oil in the recommended amounts. On the contrary, it is even possible to lose weight with the help of MCT oil. The stimulating effect on the metabolism also plays a decisive role here.5, 6, 7, 8
In addition, the ketones, which are increasingly obtained from the medium-chain triglycerides, play a certain role in increasing performance through MCT oil. Studies have shown that ketone bodies have neuroprotective potential. The scientists even report improved cognitive performance in Alzheimer's patients due to energy production from ketones.1, 9, 10 Other studies also describe that keto bodies can promote acetylcholine production.11, 12 Acetylcholine is a messenger substance that the nerve cells in your brain use to communicate. Acetylcholine plays a role in every thought process. In addition, acetylcholine is involved in the movements of your muscles.
MCT Oil & Side Effects: Which Is The Best?
High-quality MCT oil with the highest possible caprylic acid content is the best choice. C8-MCT oil is metabolized quickly and efficiently, but at the same time has the fewest side effects.
The C6 caproic acid can be digested just as easily as caprylic acid, however, leads to complaints more often such as headaches, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.
It takes a little more time for capric acid with 10 carbon atoms to be converted into energy than for the shorter caprylic acid. Especially when both MCT fats are taken together, the caprylic acid is metabolized first and then the capric acid. According to a study, this is particularly the case in nerve cells. If you want to increase the performance of your brain, you should definitely know and take this into account.13
Due to its metabolic pathway, the C 12 lauric acid is eliminated like a long-chain fatty acid. also it produces fewer ketones than the shorter fatty acids.
What is the difference between coconut oil & MCT oil?
MCT oil consists exclusively of medium-chain fatty acids, while coconut oil also contains long-chain fatty acids. MCT oil can be obtained from coconut oil. Good MCT oil is liquid at room temperature in contrast to coconut oil.
There is no such thing as pure MCT oil in nature. Mainly vegetable solid fats such as coconut oil and palm kernel oil contain medium-chain fatty acids. However, only to 50 to 60% if the longer lauric acid is seen as a medium-chain fatty acid. Only about 5 to 10% of the good caprylic acid is contained. The proportion of C 10 capric acid is in approximately the same range. The exact composition of the various fatty acids in coconut oil depends on the coconuts used and how they are made.
The right oil depends on the desired function
If you need quick energy, ideally you are taking MCT oil. You can always use coconut oil when you need oil for frying or cooking. The subtle coconut taste should of course go well with the corresponding dish. MCT oil and coconut oil are actually not competitors, but a great complement to each other.
Buy MCT fats: where can I get MCT oil?
If you intend to buy MCT oil, you can look around online, health food stores, or drug stores. It is important that your choice contains the high-quality caprylic acid in the highest possible proportion. MCT fats are also in some ahead Contain products that may be of interest to you, such as
Summary
MCT are medium-chain triglycerides, for example C 6, C 8, C 10 and C 12. If you want to buy MCT oil, you should look for high-quality and pure MCT oils in order to take advantage of the positive advantages, such as C8 or C10.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27547436
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24169853
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12843297
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8534586
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9570335
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17878693
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18296368
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25636220
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3810342/
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25301680
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7028919
[12] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9833403
[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28682459