The versatile medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs)

These medium-chain triglycerides MCT are fats found in some foods that, unlike other fats, are more easily absorbed into the bloodstream from the gastrointestinal tract.

In research, medium-chain triglycerides MCT are selected for capsules as a placebo for comparison with a supplement containing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically to measure fatty acid profiles and inflammation in healthy people.

Medium-chain triglycerides MCT consist of a glycerol molecule bonded to 3 fatty acid chains ranging from 6 to 12 carbons in length, but they have particular benefits for health, athletic performance, and body composition.

Medium-chain triglycerides MCT: what are they?

It consists of 1,2,3-propanetriol trioctanoate oil, AC-1202, capric acid, caprylic acid, and lauric acid.

They are dietary fats used to:

• Increase energy,
• Accelerate fat loss,
• Improve athletic performance and,
• Enhance cognitive function.

MCTs occur naturally in coconut oil, palm oils, and milk fat.

In the 1980s, Dr. Vigen K. Babayan of the Harvard University Nutrition Laboratory devised a technique to isolate and create pure MCT oil [1].

Medium-chain triglycerides MCT differ from long-chain triglycerides (LCTs; the most commonly consumed dietary fat in the human diet) in several ways.

• LCTs are 12 to 18 carbon atoms long and contain 9 calories per gram,
• While MCTs are 6 to 12 carbon atoms long and contain 8.3 calories per gram.

Compared with LCTs, MCTs are more water-soluble, smaller, and require fewer enzymes to break down. This means they place less strain on the pancreas and are prioritized in the digestive tract.

Medium-chain triglycerides MCT: how are they used?

The body breaks down MCTs into individual medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are a more bioavailable source of energy for the body and brain.

After consumption, MCTs are absorbed directly from the intestine into the portal vein, where they are then transported to the liver and prioritized as an energy source through beta-oxidation.

MCFAs take priority over LCFAs because they can rapidly enter the double mitochondrial membrane without the carnitine transport system and do not need to bind to fatty acid proteins.

This creates an immediately available source of energy for the body and brain.

• The point is that, as your body adapts to the constant consumption of medium-chain triglycerides MCT, it creates a systemic effect by increasing fat oxidation due to the increased lipid levels. This results in greater energy expenditure and fat loss.
• If you follow dietary protocols such as carbohydrate loading or the ketogenic diet, which emphasize high-protein / low-carbohydrate / high-fat phases, they are an excellent stimulant and energy source without carbohydrates.

These fats provide approximately 10% fewer calories than LCTs: 8.3 calories per gram for MCTs versus 9 calories per gram for LCTs.

More importantly, the reduced chain length also means that medium-chain triglycerides MCT are absorbed more quickly by the body and metabolized (burned) more quickly as fuel.

The result of this accelerated metabolic conversion is that, instead of being stored as fat, the calories contained in MCTs are converted very efficiently into fuel for the immediate use of organs and muscles.

Medium-chain triglycerides MCT: more energy

The energy-boosting properties of MCTs are attributed to the fact that they cross the mitochondrial double membrane very quickly and do not require carnitine, as LCTs do.

• The result is an excess of acetyl-CoA, which then follows several metabolic pathways, both in the mitochondria (the Krebs cycle) and in the cytosol, resulting in the production of ketones.
• Scientists attribute the energy boost from consuming medium-chain triglycerides to the rapid formation of ketone bodies.

Therefore, MCTs are a good option for anyone with increased energy needs, such as after major surgery, during normal or stunted growth, to improve athletic performance, and to counteract the decline in energy production that results from aging.

In recent years, they have gained popularity among athletes seeking to increase energy levels and improve endurance during high-intensity exercise, as well as serving as an alternative energy source for athletes on high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets.

• Researchers have previously demonstrated that MCTs can increase physical endurance, at least in animal studies.
• In one of these studies, in swimming-capacity tests, a group of rodents fed a diet containing MCTs outperformed those fed a diet containing LCTs [2].

Researchers observed that the muscles of MCT-fed rodents produced higher levels of key metabolic enzymes (3-oxoacid CoA transferase, citrate synthase, and malate dehydrogenase) involved in the Krebs cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle), the primary energy-production mechanism.

These MCT-fed rodents also burned fat at a higher rate to improve cellular energy production.

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs): less weight

In addition to having fewer calories than LCTs, MCTs are not stored in the body's fat deposits as much as LCTs, but scientific research indicates that they improve thermogenesis (fat burning) [3].

Therefore, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) appear to offer a three-pronged approach to weight loss:

• (1) They have a lower calorie content than other fats,
• (2) They are minimally stored as fat, and
• (3) They help improve metabolism to burn even more calories.

This third property may be due to the fact that MCTs behave metabolically somewhat similarly to carbohydrates, as well as to the fact that they promote ketone production, as mentioned above.

Ketone production is a cornerstone of the Atkins diet, and MCTs may allow people following this dietary program to obtain benefits more quickly and adhere to it more easily.

Ketones are also one of the two substances the brain can use for energy (glucose is the other). Scientific research speculates that MCTs may benefit the brain over time [4].

Regardless of comparisons made in animal or human studies, the scientific community agrees that, compared with diets containing long-chain triglycerides (LCTs), MCT oils not only promote postprandial thermogenesis but also improve insulin profiles, especially when medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) account for 20%–25% of consumed calories [5].

MCTs are satiating, provide energy, and improve metabolic profiles, especially in people who are overweight.

One smart way to take advantage of them is to use them with exogenous ketones on a keto diet, which improves quality of life and helps curb cravings.

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs): less appetite

MCTs have been shown to suppress appetite, a benefit for those trying to reduce their total calorie intake.

An interesting study describes how, in just 14 days, a group of athletes with unlimited access to one of three diets—low in MCTs, moderate in MCTs, or high in MCTs—displayed certain diffuse behaviors.

Those who followed the high-MCT diet significantly reduced their calorie intake, resulting in lower consumption of energy-dense, high-fat foods such as sugary foods or starchy foods like baked goods and desserts [6].

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs): less cholesterol

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) have a number of properties that may be beneficial in preventing atherosclerosis. These include anticoagulant effects, and MCTs have been shown to reduce serum cholesterol; they also reduce cholesterol levels in the liver and other tissues [7].

MCTs also act as antioxidants and reduce the tissues' vitamin E requirements, which is great for maintaining cardiovascular health [8].

• MCTs have a slight hypoglycemic effect (a reduction in blood glucose) and may therefore be useful for diabetics or anyone with a tendency toward prediabetes (which includes almost everyone over the age of 35).
• It may be the combination of the lipid- and glucose-lowering effects of MCTs that led to Kaunitz's report that “life expectancy is longer when the diet is richer in MCTs than in LCTs.”

Finally, another testament to the benefits of MCTs in preventing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease is Sri Lanka, among other Southeast Asian countries [9]

Health yearbooks report causes of death in many countries. Sri Lanka reported an ischemic heart disease mortality rate of 1 per 1,000,000, while the figures for most countries ranged from 38.4 to 187.7.

This is significant, since the predominant dietary fat in Sri Lanka is coconut oil, which contains more than 50% MCTs. Reports from the Philippines and Polynesia also show similar results.

MCTs and hypertrophy training

MCTs require less energy and fewer enzymes to break down, so they are easily digested and rapidly absorbed.

For a strength athlete, power athlete, or bodybuilder, whether amateur or professional, a heavy meal after a workout is the worst choice.

If you add medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) to your post-workout shake, you can enhance the effects of the other nutrients.

• Improves nutrient uptake by muscle cells
• Boosts catabolism and reduces muscle soreness
• Enhances protein synthesis.
• Accelerates recovery time.

When combined with whey protein and post-workout carbohydrates, which are also easily digested, it increases insulin and immune system function, boosting your growth factors to a higher level.

• Insulin regulates blood glucose (or sugar) levels.
• For a long time, bodybuilders thought that fats should be avoided after training.
• However, MCTs increase the insulin peak even more, which in turn improves the anabolic environment for muscle building.

In addition to consuming the right nutrients, you need to think about stimulating insulin secretion, since this is the hormone that will pump nutrients into your muscles [10].

Coconut oil (MCT) is highly insulinotropic and therefore should not be missing from your post-workout shake.

Also remember that MCTs bypass the digestive system and are transported directly to the mitochondria instead.

These are known as the energy generators of our cells, since they convert oxygen and nutrients into usable energy.

Energy you can replenish after hard workouts.

MCTs and endurance activity

For any endurance athlete, storing energy for a workout or competition is ideal. And since the body does not store medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) as fatty tissue, they are used as an energy source as soon as they are consumed.

Adding a little MCT to your morning coffee or shake would be fantastic for the hardest days, whether summer or winter.

On the other hand, this oil has properties that make it incredibly effective in fighting viruses, microbes, and bacteria.

This makes them work wonderfully for the digestive system, since around 70% of the immune system resides in the gut.

MCTs deeply cleanse the digestive system and support many metabolic functions, thereby fighting inflammation, a common problem among endurance athletes.

Likewise, MCTs are like rocket fuel for the brain; when endurance athletes consume them, they increase the amount of ketones in their blood, which can cross the blood-brain barrier.

This process gives the brain the energy it needs, helping you stay more focused, think clearly, and increase your sense of well-being or even reduce fatigue during long-duration sporting events.

The brain cannot store excess energy, so it requires a continuous fuel supply.

Here, ketones are much more efficient than glucose for your brain's functioning… it is a mechanism that works, and works well…

Conclusions

Medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs, which are naturally found in coconut oil, palm oil, breast milk, and whole cow's or goat's milk.

It is a saturated fatty acid, meaning that all the fatty acid chains have single bonds, not double bonds.

At room temperature, it is a clear yellow, odorless liquid that can be taken on its own, added to recipes, and used for cooking.

In the case of athletes, whether bodybuilders or participants in any sports discipline, they have demonstrated effects in several studies:

• It is an excellent energy source and is also quickly absorbed.
• Helps reduce weight through several mechanisms, such as appetite suppression.
• Improves nutrient uptake by muscle cells.
• Promotes catabolism and reduces muscle soreness.
• Strengthens the immune and cardiovascular systems.
• Accelerates recovery time.
• Enhances protein synthesis.

With all these benefits, if you do not add it to your sports diet, you are missing a great opportunity to increase your performance, improve your body composition, and promote better health.

To finish, we have added a video prepared by our team about the importance of fats for health and athletic performance.