MCTs, or medium-chain triglycerides, are one of those products that seem to have been around forever (the medical community has been experimenting with it since the 1950s), but never really caught on with the mainstream. You probably remember Robb Wolf mentioning them and that they exist in coconut oil and coconut milk. With the rise of paleo, low-carb, and ketogenic diets in the past several years, MCTs may finally take a place among the staple foods of lean, healthy people.
Body First brand 100% Pure MCT Oil is derived from coconut and palm kernel oils. It is pharmaceutical grade, suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and contains nothing but MCT oil – no flavors, preservatives, or additives of any kind.
In the food and supplement industry, ingredients are subjected to “organoleptic analysis.” This is a fancy way of saying that we taste, smell, touch, and view a product to characterize it. Body First MCT oil has no smell, no flavor, and is a completely clear, slightly viscous fluid at room temp. This is great news. This means it will disappear into your foods and leave their flavor and odor unchanged.
If you’ve ever tried to add lean muscle, you know that eating lots of extra calories every day can feel like a chore and add fat to your waistline. A single tablespoon of MCT oil contains 100 calories. MCT oil is rapidly absorbed and transported to the liver for metabolism into usable energy. This unique quality allows it to be available quickly, similar to a carbohydrate, while sparing the user the glycemic reaction associated with carbohydrate intake.
MCT oil can be used as a substitute for conventional oils in salad dressings, sauces, or cooking and as a source of beneficial fatty acids. It does have a low boiling point, though; so don’t fry with it.
MCT oil has been shown in research to increase lipid oxidation, improve insulin-mediated glucose metabolism in both diabetics and non-diabetics, and increase fat loss when used in place of long-chain fatty acids (such as olive oil) in an otherwise identical diet.
It should be noted that some users report gastric upset with large initial doses of MCTs, so it is recommended to begin with small amounts (¼ to ½ teaspoon) several times/day until tolerance is known. I have personally taken 1-tablespoon shots of it without any unpleasant effects.
If you are trying to get or stay lean, increase endurance, improve your blood lipid profile, add lean mass, or reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet, you may want to experiment with MCT oil in your cooking, on your salads, or even by the spoonful. Body First MCT oil is a pure, easy-to-use way to do just that.
Body First MCT Oil is available at AllStarHealth.com for $14.29.
References:
1. Marie-Pierre St-Onge and Aubrey Bosarge, “Weight loss diet that includes consumption of medium chain triacylglycerol oil leads to a greater rate of weight and fat mass loss than does olive oil,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 87 (2008): 3 621-626
2. Hiroaki Tsuji, Michio Kasai, Hiroyuki Takeuchi, Masahiro Nakamura, Mitsuko Okazaki, and Kazuo Kondo, “Dietary Medium-Chain Triacylglycerols Suppress Accumulation of Body Fat in a Double-Blind, Controlled Trial in Healthy Men and Women,” Journal ofNutrition131 (2001): 11 2853-2859
3. “Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) Beneficial Effects on Energy, Atherosclerosis, and Aging,” Nutrition Review, accessed November 29, 2012
4. Eckel RH, Hansen AS, Chen AY, Berman JN, Yost TJ, Brass EP, “Dietary substitution of medium-chain triglycerides improves insulin-mediated glucose metabolism in NIDDM subjects,” Diabetes 41 (1992): 5 641-647
