MCT Oil: Benefits and protocl for Weight Loss by 3J

3J

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MCT Oil: Benefits and Protocol for Weight Loss
By: 3J
3J's Nutrition | Diet and fitness consulting to get you to the next level.

There has been a recent craze going on about MCT oil and its benefits to the human body. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are an interesting subcategory of dietary fats due to its unique properties. Unlike long-chain triglycerides (LCT), MCTs are composed of a shorter chain of carbon atoms (6-12 vs 12-18). If you understand the difference between a complex carbohydrate and a semi-simple/simple carbohydrate you can also understand the difference between a MCT and a LCT. Yet the effects of LCT and MCT are drastically different in the body vs complex and simple carbs. With carbohydrates the longer the chain is the better it is for you due to its ability to curve insulin response, a very important factor in weight loss. In retrospect, research has found that MCT oil is much more beneficial for weight loss than LCT. MCTs are naturally occurring and can be found in whole foods like cheese, coconut oil, and butter.


MCTs actually have a lower caloric value than LCTs. LCTs are about 9 calories per gram while MCTs are about 8 (1). That’s roughly a 10% reduction in caloric intake. Fats are usually known to reduce the digestive timeline; anything you eat with fats will slow down digestion. LCTs are known to have a slow digestion rate and increase the risk of the energy being converted into fat. Due to the reduced complexity of chain length, MCTs are actually digested at an accelerated rate allowing for conversion into fuel for immediate use by organs and muscles, greatly reducing the risk of fat conversion.


There is a complex process to the ********* conversion of MCTs. Usually, LCTs need the presence of carnitine (a derivative of the amino acid, lysine. Used in the body for the conversion of fat into energy) to be metabolized for energy. MCTs are exempt from this step in the ********* process. More importantly, the ********* conversion of MCTs results in the production of ketones (one of two energy sources the body can use for fuel). Now I am sure this makes a lot of keto dieters out there interested in MCT oil. The quicker you get into keto the better. There a controversial study that states the production of ketones by MCTs allow the body to bypass the use of carbohydrate for energy when consumed in the diet with the oil, but more research needs to be done on the matter to be conclusive. If true, it does hold a great benefit for bodybuilding. There are just too many variable that have not been accounted for in research at this time to make a conclusive statement on the matter. Though research studies have shown a moderate significant difference in the use of MCTs for accelerated weight loss over a 16 week period in humans (-1.67 +/- 0.67 kg) (2), a promising study done on lab rats showed an increase in energy levels and endurance during high endurance physical activity. Using a swimming test, mice fed MCT oil showed both superior endurance and fat burning capabilities to those fed LCTs (3). Research has also shown that rats fed MCT oils vs those fed lard at the same caloric intake resulted in weight loss for the MCT group (4), Further validating the ability of MCTs as a more rapidly available energy source. Another study on MCTs and coconut oil show strong anti-fungal properties when orally ingested (5). The anti-fungal properties of MCTs should reduce yeast in the intestinal tract. There is a very particular balance of flora in the gut that helps digestion. Sometimes that balance is thrown off and yeast starts to dominate the gut. Doctors call this candida. A minimal amount of fungus from yeast in the mouth and digestive tract is actually beneficial for digestion. When there is an overgrowth it breaks down the walls of the intestine and enters the bloodstream. Chronic fatigue, loss of energy, decreased libido, inability to concentrate, and irritability have all been linked to increased yeast in the gut. The use of MCT has proven to reduce yeast in the gut and return balance to the flora.



MCT for Weight Loss


Proper use of MCT oils in weight loss should help the user increase the capacity of reducing body fat while keeping proper energy levels and reducing the likeliness of psychological diet failure. Adding a mixture of caffeine and pure MCT oil to your daily consumption may very well increase the chances of accelerated fat loss and satiety in the process. Based on my experiences with my clients when using an MCT protocol, I believe it does. Below I am going to give a beginners, intermediate, and advanced MCT oil protocol for those looking lose weight.

The blend you are looking for to make this protocol effective is a mixture of 2 cups hot black coffee and a variable amount of MCT oil blended in a blender based on how advanced a protocol you choose to do. Using coffee with your MCT will boost energy levels, increase metabolism, and better curb your appetite. The diet you follow with this MCT protocol should be a low carb (roughly 100-150g carb intake) to ketogenic diet (no carb diet) with an emphasis on high protein.



Beginners MCT Oil Protocol

With the beginners MCT protocol, I would keep the routine simple. If you are on a 2000 calorie restricted diet, I would reduce your intake from food by 200 calories (rougly 25g MCT oil) and use MCT oil to replace that caloric intake, taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I would wait 30 min before eating breakfast also.



Intermediate MCT Oil Protocol

With the intermediate MCT oil protocol, I would follow the same guidelines as the beginners protocol, but replace a meal in the afternoon with another 25g MCT oil and 2 cups coffee. Having said that, if youre at 2000 calories and you are to eat rougly 333 calories per meal in a 6 meal day, you should make sure the other 133 calories come from protein 30 min later.



Advanced MCT Oil Protocol

Disclaimer: This protocol really goes against the grain in terms of philosophies I follow in nutrition. This is for rapid weight loss and should not be used unless rapid weight loss is truly necessary. Since MCTs have been proven to reduce yeast in the gut, your energy levels should stay pretty solid. Also, please consult a physician before starting any new dietary routine.

With the advanced MCT protocol the caloric intake is reduced very low. Usually at about 50-55% below your TDEE. 20-25% of the allowable caloric intake should come specifically from MCT oil and should be split between a morning and afternoon dose with 2 cups coffee. No whole foods are eaten until the evening, where two high protein/fat meals are eaten 3 hours apart from each other that will fill the rest of the caloric requirements up.

Sample Day (roughly 1500 Calorie Diet)

9am
2 cups black coffee
30g MCT oil

2-3pm
2 cups black coffee
30g MCT oil

6pm
13oz Chicken breast (boneless skinless)


9-10pm
10oz 93/7 Ground Beef


I have also seen more extreme measures taken with such a protocol like 14g MCT oil twice a day and only one meal in the evening. Though its very effective at weight loss im sure it would also be very taxing on the body and muscle.

I hope you enjoyed this article on MCT oil

If interested in professional nutrition and training coaching please contact me at 3jdiet@gmail.com





References




1. Kaunitz, H. Dietary use of MCT in “Bilanzierte Ernaehrung in der Therapie,” K. Lang, W. Fekl, and G. Berg, eds. George Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, 1971.
2. 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.
St-Onge MP1, Bosarge A.
3. Fushiki T, Matsumoto K, Inoue K, Kawada T, Sugimoto E. Swimming endurance capacity of mice is increased by chronic consumption of medium-chain triglycerides. J Nutr 1995 Mar;125(3):531-9
4. Kaunitz, H., Slanetz, C.A., Johnson, R.E., Babayan, V.K., Garsky, G. Nutritional properties of the triglycerides of medium chain-length. J Am Oil Chem Soc, 1958, 35: 10-13
5. Development and characterization of oral lipid-based amphotericin B formulations with enhanced drug solubility, stability and antifungal activity in rats infected with Aspergillus fumigatus or Candida albicans.
Wasan EK1, Bartlett K, Gershkovich P, Sivak O, Banno B, Wong Z, Gagnon J, Gates B, Leon CG, Wasan KM.
 
Sounds like a good idea to try. I wonder if you can get MCT oil at the grocery store (large food store chain).
 
Sounds like a good idea to try. I wonder if you can get MCT oil at the grocery store (large food store chain).

you might be able to.. if not amazon has it..

coconut oil has naturally occuring mct in it.. but i believe its only 10% mct... but he antifungal properties of coconut oil are worth its weight in gold
 
you might be able to.. if not amazon has it..

coconut oil has naturally occuring mct in it.. but i believe its only 10% mct... but he antifungal properties of coconut oil are worth its weight in gold



Okay, so we're out of my nutritional guidance time now. But, I've gotten back on my feet, back into the clean eating, and working out.. since that back injury :(

I've been aiming to hit 2500 calories a day, somedays I'll get less, but I've been going about it a bit differently than before (cyclic ketogenic). I now am doing keto and intermittent fasting. And so after reading this all, I have some questions!

I'm shooting for less than 30g of NET carbs in a day. After eating before bed, 3-4 a.m. I will not eat again until 7 p.m. 14-16 hrs fasting a day. During fasting I will have less than 30 calories.. generally 0. Black Coffee or Green Tea, a BCAA supplemental drink, and lots of water. When I finally get to eat I find it VERY easy to eat as clean as I need to because my appetite is roaring!

When I looked over the Advanced part of your MCT use.. it looks very similar to how my day is set up, only I have no MCT oil. I just use oil, nuts, cheese, butter, whole eggs in my later meals to get the fats and such.

Would I benefit from not fasting and instead adding MCT like above?


My schedule is currently like this

---------------------------- Fasting Section


Wake - 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Coffee - 12:00 a.m.

Water everywhere in between.

Green tea - 5:00 p.m.

---------------------------- Eating Section

7:00 p.m. - 5oz Chicken, 1cup brussells, olive oil and red skin spanish peanuts

9:00 p.m. - 10oz Chicken, 2 cups brussells, olive oil and peanuts/peanut butter

11:30 p.m. - 5oz Chicken, 1cup brussells, olive oil and red skin spanish peanuts

Gym - 2:00 a.m.

PWO - 45g shake, nuts/cheese, meats (snack out a bit some times)

3:30 - 4:00 a.m. - Long digesting protein source, no carb, and another serving of veggies. Tbsp of PB.. or two. :D
 
Okay, so we're out of my nutritional guidance time now. But, I've gotten back on my feet, back into the clean eating, and working out.. since that back injury :(

I've been aiming to hit 2500 calories a day, somedays I'll get less, but I've been going about it a bit differently than before (cyclic ketogenic). I now am doing keto and intermittent fasting. And so after reading this all, I have some questions!

I'm shooting for less than 30g of NET carbs in a day. After eating before bed, 3-4 a.m. I will not eat again until 7 p.m. 14-16 hrs fasting a day. During fasting I will have less than 30 calories.. generally 0. Black Coffee or Green Tea, a BCAA supplemental drink, and lots of water. When I finally get to eat I find it VERY easy to eat as clean as I need to because my appetite is roaring!

When I looked over the Advanced part of your MCT use.. it looks very similar to how my day is set up, only I have no MCT oil. I just use oil, nuts, cheese, butter, whole eggs in my later meals to get the fats and such.

Would I benefit from not fasting and instead adding MCT like above?


My schedule is currently like this

---------------------------- Fasting Section


Wake - 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Coffee - 12:00 a.m.

Water everywhere in between.

Green tea - 5:00 p.m.

---------------------------- Eating Section

7:00 p.m. - 5oz Chicken, 1cup brussells, olive oil and red skin spanish peanuts

9:00 p.m. - 10oz Chicken, 2 cups brussells, olive oil and peanuts/peanut butter

11:30 p.m. - 5oz Chicken, 1cup brussells, olive oil and red skin spanish peanuts

Gym - 2:00 a.m.

PWO - 45g shake, nuts/cheese, meats (snack out a bit some times)

3:30 - 4:00 a.m. - Long digesting protein source, no carb, and another serving of veggies. Tbsp of PB.. or two. :D

i def think you would benefit from the faster acting mct oils..

you know im not a fan of IF dieting.. i think its horrible personally
 
I feel you. Goes back to the basics of eating consistently throughout your waking period to keep your metabolism revved up. I figured after seeing the long fasted state you would recommend the oil input.

I'll get to looking for some MCTs to add in with my coffee and tea and remove the caloric equivalent fats later in the day in my meals.

Thanks
 
How funny I am reading this now as I drink a cup of bulletproof coffee which contains.....MCT oil. I just tried this recently after reading mixed stuff about it for years (the bulletproof coffee that is, not MCT, I have used MCT oils as far back as 12 years ago).
Anyway I am addicted to this coffee and drink at least one, maybe 2 cups everyday. My wife makes the best damn bulletproof coffee I have ever freaking tasted.
Thanks for the article 3J!
 
I think I will grab some coconut oil then, for now. My gut is not usually a happy camper. My popcorn machine uses coconut oil - maybe I should make a ton of popcorn. :D
 
I think I will grab some coconut oil then, for now. My gut is not usually a happy camper. My popcorn machine uses coconut oil - maybe I should make a ton of popcorn. :D
poporn is a great snack if you watch added salt and cals.
I also like coconut oil and olive oil added to my diet, great stuff
 
Good to see you've joined nerdville with a scientific article 3J :)
I was going to write about this myself but I might as well add a few notes over here instead of doing a separate article (hope you don't mind man)...

Just wanted to point out that though MCTs do help, and its certainly worth replacing some of your fat intake with it, people shouldn't be expecting miracles - we're talking about an extra 60-70 cals burnt per day based on the studies.

Also, people need to careful about not going overboard with this (the "more is better" attitude dieters have, especially with healthy stuff).
Some studies do show negative side effects of MCTs when taken in excess like increased plasma triacylglycerol levels (bad for cardiovascular health):

Changes in blood lipids during six days of overfeeding with medium or long chain triglycerides. - PubMed - NCBI

Here is an example of 70g of MCTs resulting in a 12% increase in LDL levels & 32% increase in VLDL levels with no impact on HDL compared to sunflower oil:

Effects of medium-chain fatty acids and oleic acid on blood lipids, lipoproteins, glucose, insulin, and lipid transfer protein activities. - PubMed - NCBI

Again, people shouldn't go crazy with it.
 
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I should add to this. While now my sole intake of MCT's is in the form of my daily cup of bulletproof coffee, my first use of mct oil was while experimenting with ketogenic diets many years ago. MCTs can help to provide you with a good source of energy without pushing you out of ketosis. It worked very well for this purpose. A very interesting compound they way the body can utilize what is a fat as a readily and rapidly available source of energy.
 
Good to see you've joined nerdville with a scientific article 3J :)
I was going to write about this myself but I might as well add a few notes over here instead of doing a separate article (hope you don't mind man)...

Just wanted to point out that though MCTs do help, and its certainly worth replacing some of your fat intake with it, people shouldn't be expecting miracles - we're talking about an extra 60-70 cals burnt per day based on the studies.

Also, people need to careful about not going overboard with this (the "more is better" attitude dieters have, especially with healthy stuff).
Some studies do show negative side effects of MCTs when taken in excess like increased plasma triacylglycerol levels (bad for cardiovascular health):

Changes in blood lipids during six days of overfeeding with medium or long chain triglycerides. - PubMed - NCBI

Here is an example of 70g of MCTs resulting in a 12% increase in LDL levels & 32% increase in VLDL levels with no impact on HDL compared to sunflower oil:

Effects of medium-chain fatty acids and oleic acid on blood lipids, lipoproteins, glucose, insulin, and lipid transfer protein activities. - PubMed - NCBI

Again, people shouldn't go crazy with it.

ive been through two undergrad majors at ucla and law school.. after all of it, i can tell you i despise writing research articles thanks to my university education and the amount of that crap i had to do.. im much more of a creative writer

furthermore, when an article is dense with scientific info it loses the readers interest..

id rather present facts in a way that is clear to the reader and interesting at the same time.. without the difficult scientific jargon that goes with it..

so yea, i stepped out of my comfort zone with this one.. lol
 
They're definitely a pain in the ass to write up - one of the reasons I take ages to write anything new lol. Plus they take ages to edit since you don't want people to be too confused by the jargon like you said.

But still, its always good to step out of your comfort zone now & again ;)
 
They're definitely a pain in the ass to write up - one of the reasons I take ages to write anything new lol. Plus they take ages to edit since you don't want people to be too confused by the jargon like you said.

But still, its always good to step out of your comfort zone now & again ;)

lol.. just saw this..


i just want to get info out to people and make it interesting.. so if i can be more of a creative writer and give the same facts i will...

i was commissioned to do this one, so i did it differently
 
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