Why should you include MCT oil in your diet?

MCT, which stands for medium-chain triglycerides, is a trendy oil known for its fatty acids that offer satiating and energy-boosting benefits. It is often confused with coconut oil, but you should never be sold coconut oil as MCT. Coconut oil contains only about 60% of these medium-chain fatty acids, whereas MCT contains 100% of them. This is why it is recommended to include MCT oil in your diet.

Did you know that the ketogenic diet was first used to treat children with epilepsy?

In 1920, two Parisian scientists concluded, after numerous studies, that during fasting periods, patients with epilepsy experienced less severe seizures caused by their illness. This created a social stir that led to further research, which effectively sought an alternative to this period of starvation. They aimed to find a diet that offered the same benefits and could be maintained for a long time: this is where the ketogenic diet¹, as we know it, was born.

Keto Diet

The keto or ketogenic diet can be summarized in three points:

1. Reduction of carbohydrate intake to 5-10% of your daily diet.
2. Increase in healthy fat consumption to 60-70% of your daily diet.
3. Protein intake of 20-30% of your daily diet.

What does the ketogenic diet consist of?

The mechanism used in the ketogenic diet is different from other diets:

Carbohydrates are the main fuel that provides energy to our cells. By providing small amounts of this macronutrient, the metabolism uses another pathway to provide energy, which it does from fats. This generates compounds called ketone bodies, which are the energetic alternative for our cells. This metabolic pathway is effective because it requires large amounts of fat to have the same effect as if the pathway were from carbohydrates. Consequently, it aids in weight loss.

This type of diet, like many others, can be applied in different ways. Among the varieties of the ketogenic diet, we find the ketogenic diet with MCT (Medium-chain triglycerides). Numerous studies support the benefit of this variety over others in this group².

How does MCT oil consumption benefit us?

MCT is a medium-chain triglyceride oil. This chain length of fats allows them to be easily digested, in addition to many other benefits related to how the body processes these fats instead of storing them directly as body fat. It is mainly extracted from coconut oil, and the main benefits we can find are the following:

• Energy boost for our brain: MCT works as fuel, its effect is much faster than that of long-chain triglycerides (LCT).
• Promotes weight loss.
• Reduces lactate accumulation: this benefit allows athletes, in particular, to use fat more easily for energy.
• Provides fatty acids that combat bacterial and yeast growth: MCT has antimicrobial and antifungal effects that reduce the growth of yeasts such as Candida albicans, the precursor fungus of the well-known disease candidiasis.

MCT is often added to smoothies, coffees, or even as a salad dressing. In our portfolio, we have a product with these characteristics. This is Collagen Creamer, a keto-friendly product with all the benefits of MCT and collagen, perfect for including in your first coffee of the morning.  

References:

¹History of the ketogenic diet. James W Wheless 1

²Medium-chain Triglyceride Ketogenic Diet, An Effective Treatment for Drug-resistant Epilepsy and A Comparison with Other Ketogenic Diets. Yeou-mei Christiana Liu1 , Huei-Shyong Wang2