09/08/2020
Taking a look at another formula deep dive ingredient: MTC oil 👀
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are fats found in foods like coconut oil. They’re metabolized differently than the long-chain triglycerides (LCT) found in most other foods.
Triglyceride is simply the technical term for fat molecule and they’re either burned for energy or stored as body fat. Triglycerides are named after their chemical structure, specifically the length of their fatty acid chains.
The majority of fat in your diet is made up of long-chain fatty acids, which contain 13–21 carbons. In contrast, the medium-chain fatty acids in MCTs have 6–12 carbon atoms. So, medium-chain triglyceride simply reflects the medium-sizes fatty acids used to make them. The following are the main medium-chain fatty acids:
C6: caproic acid or hexanoic acid
C8: caprylic acid or octanoic acid- Easily converted into caloric energy
C10: capric acid or decanoic acid- Easily converted into caloric energy
C12: lauric acid or dodecanoic acid
Given the shorter chain length of MCTs, they’re rapidly broken down and absorbed into the body. Unlike longer-chain fatty acids, MCTs go straight to your liver, where they can be used as an instant energy source or turned into ketones. Ketones are substances produced when the liver breaks down large amounts of fat.
In contrast with regular fatty acids, ketones can cross from the blood to the brain. This provides an alternative energy source for the brain, which ordinarily uses glucose for fuel. Ketones are one of the brain’s two primary fuel sources, and also a vital source of ATP energy for the body. ATP energy is what allows every muscle to move inside your body.
Ketones are only made when the body has a shortage of carbohydrates, for instance, if you’re on the keto diet. The brain always prefers to use glucose as fuel in place of ketones.
Because the calories contained in MCTs are more efficiently turned into energy and used by the body, they’re less likely to be stored as fat.
