Have you heard of MCT oil? It can help to boost brain function, curb cravings and fire up fat burning, says clinical nutritionist Stephanie J Moore.
MCT oil is a tasteless, colourless and odourless fat that can be eaten off a spoon. Not very exciting, right? Well here’s the exciting part. MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides, which refers to its molecular structure. Most dietary fats are made up of long chains of carbon (known as long-chain triglycerides), while MCT has shorter chains that are easier to break down into fast fuel. And it’s this quick, clean energy that makes MCT oil so incredibly useful as a health aid – particularly in between meals and/or during a fasting window.
Energy boost
MCT oil is unique in the way the body uses it – especially on an empty stomach. Unlike other fats and oils, it’s metabolised by the liver very quickly. The liver converts the MCTs into ketones, a form of fast fuel that our cells (especially brain cells) love to use. Think of it like a quick sugar fix, but much, much better for you. Instead of using fast carbs like sugary snacks to provide you with an energy boost (which invariably leads to a rapid crash and drive for more sugar), MCT oil is a clean, healthy fuel for cells, sending the message to your body and brain that you’re well-nourished and don’t need to eat.
In fact, the brain loves MCTs so much that studies have shown it can improve cognition when taken by people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. As we age, our brain-processing speeds, retention of information, learning of new skills and even word-finding can deteriorate due to a reduction in brain energy. And we know this is made worse by depleted estrogen levels in midlife. MCT is a fantastic way to inject some fast fuel into the brain to keep cells nimble and delay brain ageing.
Fat-loss friend
Because the body loves to use MCT oil so much, our cellular energy and functioning increases, hence we feel good, have great focus and concentration, and we are not, hopefully, distracted by the biscuit tin or other less-than-healthy yumminess. Rapid uptake of the MCT oil also means it won’t be stored as body fat – it’s burnt up too quickly for that to happen.
This might sound too good to be true, but the science is quite simple. Ketones are the form of fuel your body makes when burning body fat. If we’ve not eaten for more than 12 hours or so, the point at which the liver has run out of its stored fuel, we should then begin to burn body fat for fuel. Our stored fat then passes through the liver, where it’s converted into ketones which su
