MCT oil
Replies
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If you have to use MCT, get Keto8. Thats the best type of MCT you can buy.0
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Good stuff! I put a tablespoon in every Smoothie!!!0
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wishfullthinking79 wrote: »the brain octane seems a little pricey. I am not too sure I want to spend that much not knowing if I will be able to follow through with the use of it.
Yes - I think it is mostly Hype. Regular MCT Oil is just fine!
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Going_The_Distance wrote: »It depends on your goals. I usually avoid MCT oil if my goal is to lose fat. I rather have the body oxidize the fat in my body than give a readily available fuel from MCT. If your goal is better performance, quick energy it would be good. I see best fat loss with out MCT.
@Going_The_Distance do you have a reference for that?0 -
olivebeanhealthy wrote: »Going_The_Distance wrote: »It depends on your goals. I usually avoid MCT oil if my goal is to lose fat. I rather have the body oxidize the fat in my body than give a readily available fuel from MCT. If your goal is better performance, quick energy it would be good. I see best fat loss with out MCT.
@Going_The_Distance do you have a reference for that?
I don't, its common sense. None of the people I train with or help use MCT. MCT is short cut to ketones but that defeats the very purpose of forcing your body to adapt. I did lot of experiments with metabolic tests over 6 months. MCT oil almost always hindered my adaption to burning fat at higher intensities. Yeah, my training was hard for 3 months but fat loss was amazing. I have interacted with several low carb Dr's like Dr Attia among others. They used MCT for a bit but then stopped using it for similar reasons. I have done extensive testing on Micro-nutrients when it comes to break down of fatty acids in the body. Two big factors for me and other athletes I train with is Omega3/omega9. Your body not only needs omega3 but oelic acid is crucial for burning fat. Turns out I was deficient in Oelic acid. I drink 1/4-12 cup of olive oil every day. Also don't be scared of nuts, they are very nutrient rich. Try to experiment and listen to your own body, what you read on the internet often leads to incomplete results and plateaus.0 -
Most people mistake higher ketones level for burning more fat. Thats not necessarily true, ketones are small part of energy expenditure in a day. They are used by brain and other organs but most of the energy comes from fatty acids released in to the blood directly. There are multiple studies, the best of them was in a fasted man where they measured the blood glucose levels, ketones and Free fatty acids in the body for the durations of the fast.0
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MCT oil has the same calories as coconut oil.. The only difference I can tell between the two is that I get a burst of energy after taking mct oil. I rarely have either these days as they are calorie bombs
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@Going_The_Distance Thank you!0
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Now I am confused. SHould I not be using the MCT oil?0
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wishfullthinking79 wrote: »Now I am confused. SHould I not be using the MCT oil?
It's up to you... I have both.
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wishfullthinking79 wrote: »Now I am confused. SHould I not be using the MCT oil?
As much as you struggle to get in your fats and calories, I would not worry about it too much unless you stop losing weight altogether after 4 weeks.0 -
Same calories doesn't mean MCT and Coconut oil are the same. If the calories are all that mattered, why bother eating low carb, we could just eat donuts. There are some big differences between the MCT and coconut oil.
Coconut oil has these medium chain acids.
C12 – Lauric Acid
C10 – Capric Acid ( Highest Ketone booster)
C8 – Caprylic Acid
C6 – Caproic Acid
More than half of coconut oil is made up of Lauric acid (C12) which has many immune boosting benefits and is anti-viral, anti-bacterial which can help body fight infections. Some people use Lauric acid pills to fight flu, herpes etc. There has been some research on Lauric acid to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child.
MCT doesn't have any Lauric acid, may be a trace depending if any depending on manufacturer. Typically most of the MCT in market contain C8 and C10. Most of the MCT's sold have more C8 than C10. However, C10 boosts ketone levels upto 10 times more compared to C8 ketone levels. I do use MCT occasionally (every few months) if I need quick boost in performance. I only buy MCT which is 100% C10 and use small amounts to achieve better ketone levels than large quantities of C8 and C10 MCT oils.
Do I consume Coconut oil or MCT, depends on your goals? If performance is the goal, I personally would consume an MCT which is 100% C10. However for general use, I would consume coconut oil because of over all immune boosting benefits of Lauric acid though it doesn't boost ketones like C10 or C8. You could add 1/4 cup of coconut oil to a smoothie and not destroy your stomach. Good luck drinking that amount of MCT.
This is like debating, do I eat natural wholesome food(Coconut oil) or processed food (MCT)?
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Going_The_Distance wrote: »Same calories doesn't mean MCT and Coconut oil are the same. If the calories are all that mattered, why bother eating low carb, we could just eat donuts. There are some big differences between the MCT and coconut oil.
Coconut oil has these medium chain acids.
C12 – Lauric Acid
C10 – Capric Acid
C8 – Caprylic Acid( Highest Ketone booster)
C6 – Caproic Acid
More than half of coconut oil is made up of Lauric acid (C12) which has many immune boosting benefits and is anti-viral, anti-bacterial which can help body fight infections. Some people use Lauric acid pills to fight flu, herpes etc. There has been some research on Lauric acid to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child.
MCT doesn't have any Lauric acid, may be a trace depending if any depending on manufacturer. Typically most of the MCT in market contain C8 and C10. Most of the MCT's sold have more C8 than C10. However, C10 boosts ketone levels upto 10 times more compared to C8 ketone levels. I do use MCT occasionally (every few months) if I need quick boost in performance. I only buy MCT which is 100% C10 and use small amounts to achieve better ketone levels than large quantities of C8 and C10 MCT oils.
Do I consume Coconut oil or MCT, depends on your goals? If performance is the goal, I personally would consume an MCT which is 100% C10. However for general use, I would consume coconut oil because of over all immune boosting benefits of Lauric acid though it doesn't boost ketones like C10 or C8. You could add 1/4 cup of coconut oil to a smoothie and not destroy your stomach. Good luck drinking that amount of MCT.
This is like debating, do I eat natural wholesome food(Coconut oil) or processed food (MCT)?
It won't let me edit the post and interchange C8 and C10. C8 is the one which is more powerful than C10. So buy MCT with 100% C8 not mix of C8 and C10 (cheaper and less effective).0 -
Good post @Going_The_Distance ; context is definitely key.0
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Eeewww, I looked a bottle of Bulletproof MCT oil on sale today, and the ingredients say coconut oil and/or palm kernel oil -- what gives? Shady marketing.0
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olivebeanhealthy wrote: »Eeewww, I looked a bottle of Bulletproof MCT oil on sale today, and the ingredients say coconut oil and/or palm kernel oil -- what gives? Shady marketing.
I believe that is what mine says. Is that bad?0 -
I wouldn't say it is bad, but palm kernel oil is considered to not be as good of a form of the nutrients as coconut oil. Mine is coconut oil MCT (Buried Treasure Brand). It's mostly a matter of preference. I think @Sunny_Bunny_ might be able to shed some light, as she's done the most diligent research I know of...0
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Ok. So I agree with almost everything that @Going_The_Distance said. Seems very well informed, at least from everything I've learned myself on the subject.
First off, I specifically use a high concentration Caprylic acid (C8, not C10) MCT oil as treatment for ADHD with great success. I have lowered my daily dosage of Adderall XR from the maximum dosage, 30mg to 20mg just this week. In addition to the MCT oil, I use highest dose I can find of krill oil or fish oil when I'm poor. I also eventually added Ginkgo Biloba. And I take higher than average amounts of different forms of magnesium and very high dose (8000mg or more) a day of vitamin C. But, my first thing I did was start MCT oil. I noticed a difference from it and just kept my research going and adding in more things as I figure out how to best "hack my brain" health.
So anyway, the main difference between coconut oil and MCT oil is the fatty acid content and concentrations. While you will get the same fatty acids and concentration no matter what coconut oil you buy, YOU WILL NOT GET THE SAME FATTY ACIDS AND CONCENTRATIONS IN ALL MCT OIL PRODUCTS.
The manufacturers aren't making it easy for us to know what we're getting.
Why might you choose MCT oil over coconut oil?
1.) Want a higher concentration of a short chain (quick brain energy) fatty acid
2.) Want something that stays liquid.
3.) Want flavorless. (Though refined CO is also)
That's pretty much it.
Why would you choose coconut oil over MCT oil?
1.) Want higher concentration of lauric acid, which has those great anti viral, anti bacterial qualities @Going_The_Distance mentioned. Those apply to topical use as well. (Ladies, no more bikini line razor bumps
I promise!)
2.) Want yummy coconut flavor
3.) Cheaper than MCT oil and you don't really care about the differences.
That's pretty much it.
So, why does MCT oil provide a greater energy boost than coconut oil? Because the short chain fatty acids (C10 and smaller) do not require breakdown by liver enzymes before being available for fuel. They pretty much immediately becomes ketones. This even applies to sugar burners. Impressive energy source huh? These are the specific fatty acids that are associated with many Alzheimer's studies. The brain loves these fats and will use them preferentially to available glucose. Great for anyone with a brain glucose metabolism problem, and apparently ADHD too, so probably lots of other brain related stuff.
So you get a faster energy source, but it burns faster than the longer chains, so you may get more steady energy if your MCT includes some lauric acid like @KnitOrMiss said. Or, just take some more later when you need a boost.
As far as which one to buy? Well, so far the only brands I've found that are only (>99%) caprylic acid are Dave Asprey's Brain Octane at 15g caprylic acid and about $44 for 32 ounces or MiCkeyT8's MCT Oil at about 13.6g caprylic acid and about $40 for 32 ounces.
I've looked at Now Foods, Carrington Farms, Buried Treasure ... Ugh I can't remember all of them, but they were all nearly identical in composition and concentration. Typically had equal amounts of lauric and caprylic acid and about 1g less of capric acid. So, those offer the option of getting more short chain than coconut oil, without giving up the inclusion of lauric acid entirely.
Here's a chart with the composition of coconut oil.
http://www.chempro.in/fattyacid.htm
The math based on the chart of all the fatty acids of 14g regular coconut oil would be
0g-.112g caproic (C10 Hexoic)
.7g-1.26g caprylic (C8 Octoic)
.84g-1.4g capric (C10 Decoic)
6.16g-7.28g lauric (C12 Dodecanoic)
1.82g-2.66g myristic (C14 Tetradecanoic)
1.12g-1.54g palmitic (C16 Hexadecanoic)
.14g-.42g stearic (C18 Octadecanoic)
.7g-1.12g oleic (C18:1)
0g-.14g linoleic (C18:2)
0g-.07g arachidic (C20 Eicosanoic)
Comparing 14g CO to Carrington Farms MCT: (estimating an even number from the above range for CO)
Lauric: 7g in CO / 4.3g in MCT
Caprylic: 1g in CO / 4.2g in MCT
Capric: 1g in CO / 3.4g in MCT
Of course if you compare CO to Brain Octane, it's 1g of caprylic acid compared to 15g in Brain Octane.
By contemplating switching from CO to MCT, you just need to decide these things:
1.) Do I specifically want the most short chain fatty acids I can get because I want the most extra brain energy possible and want the most blood ketones or am I ok with just a little bit more? (Note: more ketones in this way does not equal more weight loss)
2.) Do I care if I lose lauric acid from my diet? If so, my options are to use highest caprylic acid MCT and also include CO in other ways, or use a blend MCT oil and get lower short chain doses.
3.) Do I simply hate coconut flavor or just want the convenience of liquid and don't care about the rest? Then buy what's cheaper and easiest to get.
I hope this helps.0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Ok. So I agree with almost everything that @Going_The_Distance said. Seems very well informed, at least from everything I've learned myself on the subject.
First off, I specifically use a high concentration Caprylic acid (C8, not C10) MCT oil as treatment for ADHD with great success. I have lowered my daily dosage of Adderall XR from the maximum dosage, 30mg to 20mg just this week. In addition to the MCT oil, I use highest dose I can find of krill oil or fish oil when I'm poor. I also eventually added Ginkgo Biloba. And I take higher than average amounts of different forms of magnesium and very high dose (8000mg or more) a day of vitamin C. But, my first thing I did was start MCT oil. I noticed a difference from it and just kept my research going and adding in more things as I figure out how to best "hack my brain" health.
So anyway, the main difference between coconut oil and MCT oil is the fatty acid content and concentrations. While you will get the same fatty acids and concentration no matter what coconut oil you buy, YOU WILL NOT GET THE SAME FATTY ACIDS AND CONCENTRATIONS IN ALL MCT OIL PRODUCTS.
The manufacturers aren't making it easy for us to know what we're getting.
Why might you choose MCT oil over coconut oil?
1.) Want a higher concentration of a short chain (quick brain energy) fatty acid
2.) Want something that stays liquid.
3.) Want flavorless. (Though refined CO is also)
That's pretty much it.
Why would you choose coconut oil over MCT oil?
1.) Want higher concentration of lauric acid, which has those great anti viral, anti bacterial qualities @Going_The_Distance mentioned. Those apply to topical use as well. (Ladies, no more bikini line razor bumps I promise!)
2.) Want yummy coconut flavor
3.) Cheaper than MCT oil and you don't really care about the differences.
That's pretty much it.
So, why does MCT oil provide a greater energy boost than coconut oil? Because the short chain fatty acids (C10 and smaller) do not require breakdown by liver enzymes before being available for fuel. They pretty much immediately becomes ketones. This even applies to sugar burners. Impressive energy source huh? These are the specific fatty acids that are associated with many Alzheimer's studies. The brain loves these fats and will use them preferentially to available glucose. Great for anyone with a brain glucose metabolism problem, and apparently ADHD too, so probably lots of other brain related stuff.
So you get a faster energy source, but it burns faster than the longer chains, so you may get more steady energy if your MCT includes some lauric acid like @KnitOrMiss said. Or, just take some more later when you need a boost.
As far as which one to buy? Well, so far the only brands I've found that are only (>99%) caprylic acid are Dave Asprey's Brain Octane at 15g caprylic acid and about $44 for 32 ounces or MiCkeyT8's MCT Oil at about 13.6g caprylic acid and about $40 for 32 ounces.
I've looked at Now Foods, Carrington Farms, Buried Treasure ... Ugh I can't remember all of them, but they were all nearly identical in composition and concentration. Typically had equal amounts of lauric and caprylic acid and about 1g less of capric acid. So, those offer the option of getting more short chain than coconut oil, without giving up the inclusion of lauric acid entirely.
Here's a chart with the composition of coconut oil.
http://www.chempro.in/fattyacid.htm
The math based on the chart of all the fatty acids of 14g regular coconut oil would be
0g-.112g caproic (C10 Hexoic)
.7g-1.26g caprylic (C8 Octoic)
.84g-1.4g capric (C10 Decoic)
6.16g-7.28g lauric (C12 Dodecanoic)
1.82g-2.66g myristic (C14 Tetradecanoic)
1.12g-1.54g palmitic (C16 Hexadecanoic)
.14g-.42g stearic (C18 Octadecanoic)
.7g-1.12g oleic (C18:1)
0g-.14g linoleic (C18:2)
0g-.07g arachidic (C20 Eicosanoic)
Comparing 14g CO to Carrington Farms MCT: (estimating an even number from the above range for CO)
Lauric: 7g in CO / 4.3g in MCT
Caprylic: 1g in CO / 4.2g in MCT
Capric: 1g in CO / 3.4g in MCT
Of course if you compare CO to Brain Octane, it's 1g of caprylic acid compared to 15g in Brain Octane.
By contemplating switching from CO to MCT, you just need to decide these things:
1.) Do I specifically want the most short chain fatty acids I can get because I want the most extra brain energy possible and want the most blood ketones or am I ok with just a little bit more? (Note: more ketones in this way does not equal more weight loss)
2.) Do I care if I lose lauric acid from my diet? If so, my options are to use highest caprylic acid MCT and also include CO in other ways, or use a blend MCT oil and get lower short chain doses.
3.) Do I simply hate coconut flavor or just want the convenience of liquid and don't care about the rest? Then buy what's cheaper and easiest to get.
I hope this helps.
And, @Sunny_Bunny_, regarding the sourcing from coconut versus palm kernel?0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Ok. So I agree with almost everything that @Going_The_Distance said. Seems very well informed, at least from everything I've learned myself on the subject.
First off, I specifically use a high concentration Caprylic acid (C8, not C10) MCT oil as treatment for ADHD with great success. I have lowered my daily dosage of Adderall XR from the maximum dosage, 30mg to 20mg just this week. In addition to the MCT oil, I use highest dose I can find of krill oil or fish oil when I'm poor. I also eventually added Ginkgo Biloba. And I take higher than average amounts of different forms of magnesium and very high dose (8000mg or more) a day of vitamin C. But, my first thing I did was start MCT oil. I noticed a difference from it and just kept my research going and adding in more things as I figure out how to best "hack my brain" health.
So anyway, the main difference between coconut oil and MCT oil is the fatty acid content and concentrations. While you will get the same fatty acids and concentration no matter what coconut oil you buy, YOU WILL NOT GET THE SAME FATTY ACIDS AND CONCENTRATIONS IN ALL MCT OIL PRODUCTS.
The manufacturers aren't making it easy for us to know what we're getting.
Why might you choose MCT oil over coconut oil?
1.) Want a higher concentration of a short chain (quick brain energy) fatty acid
2.) Want something that stays liquid.
3.) Want flavorless. (Though refined CO is also)
That's pretty much it.
Why would you choose coconut oil over MCT oil?
1.) Want higher concentration of lauric acid, which has those great anti viral, anti bacterial qualities @Going_The_Distance mentioned. Those apply to topical use as well. (Ladies, no more bikini line razor bumps I promise!)
2.) Want yummy coconut flavor
3.) Cheaper than MCT oil and you don't really care about the differences.
That's pretty much it.
So, why does MCT oil provide a greater energy boost than coconut oil? Because the short chain fatty acids (C10 and smaller) do not require breakdown by liver enzymes before being available for fuel. They pretty much immediately becomes ketones. This even applies to sugar burners. Impressive energy source huh? These are the specific fatty acids that are associated with many Alzheimer's studies. The brain loves these fats and will use them preferentially to available glucose. Great for anyone with a brain glucose metabolism problem, and apparently ADHD too, so probably lots of other brain related stuff.
So you get a faster energy source, but it burns faster than the longer chains, so you may get more steady energy if your MCT includes some lauric acid like @KnitOrMiss said. Or, just take some more later when you need a boost.
As far as which one to buy? Well, so far the only brands I've found that are only (>99%) caprylic acid are Dave Asprey's Brain Octane at 15g caprylic acid and about $44 for 32 ounces or MiCkeyT8's MCT Oil at about 13.6g caprylic acid and about $40 for 32 ounces.
I've looked at Now Foods, Carrington Farms, Buried Treasure ... Ugh I can't remember all of them, but they were all nearly identical in composition and concentration. Typically had equal amounts of lauric and caprylic acid and about 1g less of capric acid. So, those offer the option of getting more short chain than coconut oil, without giving up the inclusion of lauric acid entirely.
Here's a chart with the composition of coconut oil.
http://www.chempro.in/fattyacid.htm
The math based on the chart of all the fatty acids of 14g regular coconut oil would be
0g-.112g caproic (C10 Hexoic)
.7g-1.26g caprylic (C8 Octoic)
.84g-1.4g capric (C10 Decoic)
6.16g-7.28g lauric (C12 Dodecanoic)
1.82g-2.66g myristic (C14 Tetradecanoic)
1.12g-1.54g palmitic (C16 Hexadecanoic)
.14g-.42g stearic (C18 Octadecanoic)
.7g-1.12g oleic (C18:1)
0g-.14g linoleic (C18:2)
0g-.07g arachidic (C20 Eicosanoic)
Comparing 14g CO to Carrington Farms MCT: (estimating an even number from the above range for CO)
Lauric: 7g in CO / 4.3g in MCT
Caprylic: 1g in CO / 4.2g in MCT
Capric: 1g in CO / 3.4g in MCT
Of course if you compare CO to Brain Octane, it's 1g of caprylic acid compared to 15g in Brain Octane.
By contemplating switching from CO to MCT, you just need to decide these things:
1.) Do I specifically want the most short chain fatty acids I can get because I want the most extra brain energy possible and want the most blood ketones or am I ok with just a little bit more? (Note: more ketones in this way does not equal more weight loss)
2.) Do I care if I lose lauric acid from my diet? If so, my options are to use highest caprylic acid MCT and also include CO in other ways, or use a blend MCT oil and get lower short chain doses.
3.) Do I simply hate coconut flavor or just want the convenience of liquid and don't care about the rest? Then buy what's cheaper and easiest to get.
I hope this helps.
And, @Sunny_Bunny_, regarding the sourcing from coconut versus palm kernel?
Oh yeah.
Well, my research there isn't as good, but, I think much of it is politically motivated in that nobody wants to buy unsustainable palm kernel oil or GMO or from unfair labor sources. That's a little tricky there. Any brand that does use sustainable or non GMO Palm kernel oil, will surely lable it as such. But, if you look at the fatty acid breakdown on the linked chart, you'll see chemically, they are nearly identical. So, other than sourcing, it's a non issue.
And if you think about it, if Dave Asprey, who lays on a nail bed, wears special color changing lenses, and all his other bio hacking things that seem crazy is ok with palm kernel oil, I am good. If that nut job, who I really do respect, but he is kinda crazy, can trust it, then so can I. 0
