By Wen Liu • October 26, 2019
Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil can be a potent fat loss weapon. Learn how it works and how to use it right.
Ever since its first appearance, the ketogenic diet has been a go-to option for those who wanted to lose weight effectively. Now more than ever, millions of people use it to achieve benefits way beyond just weight loss.
Just take Ann and Harold as an example.
Harold is 64 years old and suffers from high blood sugar. Before starting the keto diet, he weighed 235 pounds. For quite a long time, he’s been on different medications that would help him manage his condition. Harold’s doctor told him that he could get rid of two of them if he dropped 35 pounds.
After starting the keto diet, Harold lost 15 pounds in no time. While he was always aware of the dangers of carbs, he never went keto-low up until this point. With the keto diet, Harold’s markers started improving significantly.
At the same time, Harold’s wife Ann got to 183 pounds after surviving breast cancer. At 54 years of age, she decided to regain control over the weight that she lost while fighting the dangerous disease. And the keto diet was an obvious choice.
Not only did Anne lose 23 pounds, but also reap the many health benefits along the way. She now feels stronger and is enjoying her life to the fullest.
This goes to show that the keto diet isn’t just a trend that young women use to get rid of body fat and feel better. Seniors who’ve tried it have seen incredible health improvements as well.
The idea behind it is that you need to ditch carbs and focus on dietary fats instead. The low-carb, high-fat diet makes your body use stored fat as a source of energy. Not only does this help you get rid of excess fat, but it also gives you a reliable source of energy throughout the day.
Now, there are a few variants of the diet that you can choose from. You can focus on proteins to boost your exercise performance and build muscle. Or you can follow five days of keto with two high-carb days if you can’t imagine your life without carbs.
Whatever you decide to do, you’ll want to use MCT oil to support you along the way. Keep reading to see why.
What Is MCT?
MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides, a type of healthy fats that naturally occur in some foods. For example, palm and coconut oil are well-known for their high concentration of MCT.
So why are MCTs vital for the keto diet?
It’s quite simple. When you ditch the carbs and eat healthy fats, your body starts producing ketone bodies. The more of them you have, the deeper you are in ketosis, meaning that you burn fat more effectively.
MCTs help your body produce more ketones faster. But the benefits of this extend far beyond burning fat.
As your body loads up on ketones, you feel much more energetic. This is because fats increase energy better than carbs that leave you feeling sluggish at one point.
As a result, you have a balanced energy level throughout the day without many highs and lows.
This doesn’t only apply to your physical energy. MCTs also help you boost focus and mental clarity. You can go about your day without a foggy mind.
So how does MCT oil factor into the keto diet? Let’s see why it’s such an excellent addition.
MCT Oil and the Keto Diet
As mentioned, the keto diet is all about eating fats. About 75% of your daily calorie intake should come from them. But not all fats are equal, and you need to be very careful about the ones you intake.
Luckily, there’s no shortage of sources of healthy fats. The beauty of the keto diet is that you have to make very few sacrifices to achieve great results.
Some of the best sources of healthy unsaturated fats include:
- ➡️ Meat – steak, ham, sausage, chicken, red meat
- ➡️ Fish – tuna, mackerel, salmon
- ➡️ Cheese – cheddar, goat, blue, cream
- ➡️ Oils – extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil
- ➡️ Vegetables – onions, tomatoes, peppers, most green veggies
These items are only the tip of the iceberg, so variety won’t be an issue. However, while these foods support ketosis, you’ll want to go the extra mile to ensure that you don’t get kicked out of it.
And that’s where MCT oil comes into play. It keeps your body in ketosis and provides many positive effects to your health and looks. Let’s see what research has to say about it.
MCT Oil Can Help Weight Loss Results
There’s a wealth of research that supports the importance of MCT oil for health and weight loss. Medium-chain fatty acids like lauric and capric acid help your body metabolize fat much faster. As a result, you can expect more rapid weight loss.
For example, a study that compared MCT and olive oil found that MCT helped people lose 0.67-1.67 kg more. This applied to both overweight men and women who decided to go with the keto diet.
MCTs have 10% fewer calories than LCTs (long-chain triglycerides). Not only do they speed up fat burning but also ensure that you eat fewer calories. You can find LCTs in most foods like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. While they’re still a good option for keto, you can benefit more from MCTs.
How your body processes different fats is also important. Your fat metabolism plays a crucial role in burning excess fat and using it as a source of energy.
Research shows that the body doesn’t process LCTs and MCTs the same way.
The metabolic rate for MCTs is much higher, meaning that you can burn excess fat much more easily. The study that proved this involved rats but experts believe that the same mechanism applies to humans.
In relation to the above point, easier metabolism of MCTs also means that your body gets more energy than it does from LCTs.
A study examined the daily energy expenditure (EE) of those who consumed 15-30g of MCT as a part of their diet. Results showed that they had 5% higher EE than the control group.
As a senior, your body must have all the fuel it can get. And MCT can make sure that you have more energy throughout the day to live a more active life. It’s an instant source of energy that you can tap into when you need it the most.
Lastly, research shows that MCT oil helps remodel your gut microbiota. In essence, the bacteria that live in your gut help control your body weight. An unhealthy diet starves the good bacteria and helps the bad one flourish. As a result, you’re more likely to suffer from weight gain and gastrointestinal issues.
MCT oils can refuel the good bacteria and support a healthy gut lining. As a result, you’ll be able to get rid of stored body fat much more quickly and prevent it from happening in the first place.
How to Use MCT Oil
As you can see, there are many benefits of MCT oil. But what’s the best way to reap them all?
MCTs naturally occur in many foods. But the issue is that most of them have low concentrations of MCTs.
This is why people often decide to take MCT supplements. They add them to their keto-friendly foods or drinks to make sure that they get enough of these healthy fats.
But if you’re looking for the most convenient solution, you’ll want to try MCT oil powder. It’s a super-simple way for you to stay in ketosis.
You can add it to your shake or make a bulletproof coffee that will give you all the energy that you need to stay active and lose weight faster.
Just read the reviews and ask Andrea Stevenson, who uses it every single morning. She says that the powder is a perfect substitute for cream that she got rid of when she went keto. She also says that it tastes much better and gives her more energy than a regular cup of coffee.
Better yet, it has 0 carbs, and is non-GMO, gluten-free, and soy-free. Of course, you’ll still want to ask your doctor for medical advice before trying it. But since it comes with so many benefits, there’s a high chance that everyone who does will see significant improvements.
If you want to lose weight fast, MCT oil powder can be your best choice. Apart from help with weight loss, you’ll likely experience many general health improvements that you read about in this article. As you grow older, it becomes more important to take care of your body. MCT oil is one of the best options available.
