Medium-chain Triglycerides

I Fats for energy and weight loss

When we talk about the cardiac dangers of high triglycerides, we are referring to long-chain fats: fatty acids that, biochemically speaking, have a long chain of carbon atoms attached to them. Because of this chain, they aren’t metabolized very well and are thus able to accumulate in the bloodstream. Worst of all, they are stored in fat cells.

However; when the carbon chain is a little shorter; the triglycerides behave in an entirely different manner. They’re absorbed rapidly and transported directly to the liver for use as energy. These medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), as they’re called, don’t get rancid, won’t linger in the blood, and won’t build up in fat tissue. Such properties don’t qualify MCTs as essential fats, but they do present enough therapeutic might to be regarded as a valuable supplement.

MCT oil, the most common and versatile supplemental form, provides a rapid source of sustained energy. That’s why it’s popular among athletes. Rats that were fed MCTs, for example, significantly increased their swimming endurance compared with rats that were fed long-chain triglycerides. As a supplement, MCTs will also figure into your weight-loss programme. They share with dietary fats the virtue of providing satiety and not affecting blood sugar. But because they are burned almost immediately, they won’t deposit themselves on your abdomen or hips Additionally, some research suggests that they might increase the body’s resting metabolic rate, which burns off additional fat.

– Medicinally, MCTs can contribute to cancer therapy, particularly brain malignancies. Cancer cells feed on sugai; and MCTs help the body to mimic a ketogeniclike metabolic state that deprives cancer cells of nourishment.

– Other research has suggested an MCT role in managing cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, cholesterol gallstones2 and cirrhosis. Because they’re absorbed so quickly from the intestines, these nonstorable fats have also become an established part of nutritional therapies for digestive disorders.

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS

Though MCT oil is available in 1,000 mg capsules, the liquid form offers more palatable consumption possibilities. Substitute the oil any time you otherwise would use butter (or margarine), I vegetable oil or salad dressing. With a high smoke point and thin consistency, it’s perfect for a quick saute and can be mixed with virtually any spice. Butter-flavoured MCT oil is delicious when spritzed on a bowl of popcorn. For more mundane supplemental purposes, such as a general increase in energy, a standard daily dosage is 1 teaspoon or five 100 mg capsules, taken with meals. To enhance endurance for sports, try taking 1-3 teaspoons of the oil a day. The upper dosage range has a self- limiting drawback; if you take more than your intestinal tract can handle, you will experience diarrhoea and loose stools or perhaps a little nausea. So build up your quantities slowly.