Research-Based

Benefits Of MCT Oil – 5 Ways It Can Improve Your Health

Photo of author

By Leslie Waterson

Reviewed by Juliana Tamayo, MS, RDN - Last Updated

Benefits Of MCT Oil

MCT Oil, or medium-chain triglycerides, has become popular amongst athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness lovers over the last couple of years. MCT oil is a special type of healthy fat that is mainly known for its ability to aid in weight loss. That said, MCT oil has a lot of benefits and is becoming increasingly popular in the health world. If you are interested in knowing about MCT and wondering how it can help you, read more because we are going to talk about just that!

In this article, we are going to talk about what MCT (and MCT oil) is, how it works, the benefits of MCT oil, the potential side effects, and some brands that you may want to check out in case you want to try it out. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

MCT Oil

What Is MCT Oil?

MCT oil is a supplement that contains concentrated amounts of MCTs. To understand how it works, we must understand what MCT is. Medium-chain triglycerides or MCT is a type of fat that is made up of smaller molecules compared to long-chain triglycerides (LCT), a type of fat that is found in most foods.

Because MCTs are smaller compared to LCTs, they are easily absorbable to our bloodstream and can be quickly converted into energy. This means that MCTs won’t be stuck in our bodies and be stored as body fat (unless we consume too much of it). Although we can get MCTs from food, oils, and other supplements (notably, coconut oil), MCT oils give us a concentrated amount of MCTs.

Although both are rich with MCTs, coconut oil and MCT oil are still different. If you primarily want to get concentrated amounts of MCTs, MCT oil could be a better option for you.

MCT Oil Bottle

How Does MCT Oil Work?

Thanks to its shorter chain length, MCTs are easily metabolized into our body and quickly utilized as our energy source. This keeps the MCTs from being stored as body fat, therefore they won’t add up to our weight or fat level.

MCTs are also easily convertible into ketones. Ketones are fatty substances that are produced whenever the liver breaks down high amounts of fat; this usually happens if the body runs low on the carb. As ketones, MCTs can easily travel to your brain and be used as its alternative energy source.

Note: Our brain prefers to use glucose as an energy source than ketones, but in case you’re running low on carbs such as if you’re on a low-carb diet or other reasons, ketones are an excellent fuel alternative for our brain.

MCT Oil Energy Source

Benefits Of MCT Oil

The most known benefit of MCTs and MCT oil is its contribution to weight loss. However, there are a few more benefits that we can get from consuming MCTs. Below are the 5 main benefits of MCT oil.

1) Aids In Weight Loss

As we had just mentioned above, MCT is known for contributing to weight loss, so let’s first talk about how it can help you lose weight.

There are a few several ways of how MCT can help you lose weight:

  • MCTs have around 10% fewer calories compared to LCTs.
  • MCTs help release two hormones that make you feel full: leptin and peptide YY.
  • If you are following a low-carb, high-fat diet (i.e. ketogenic diet), MCT oil can make you feel full even though you only consume little carbs. This helps you stay in the fat-burning phase called ketosis.
  • MCTs are easily used as an energy source, hence they won’t get stored as body fat (unless you consume too much MCTs).

MCTs, help you lose weight by making you feel full while your body consumes only little carbs. When you are feeling full despite consuming little carbs, this will activate the fat-burning phase (ketosis) and help you stay in that process.

MCT Oil For Weight Loss

2) Helps Reduce Risk Of Heart Disease

Excess weight and unhealthy cholesterol levels are some of the primary factors that lead to heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Hence, losing excess weight and keeping our cholesterol at a healthy level are some of the things we should prioritize if we want to have a healthy heart.

MCTs and its supplements like MCT oils are good for your heart because it can help you lose excess weight. But aside from weight loss, MCT is also shown to help regulate cholesterol levels.

Some studies found out that MCT oil can help reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol once you add it to your diet. More interestingly, MCT oil can help increase HDL or “good” cholesterol as some studies had found out as well!

3) Helpful For People With Diabetes

Obesity is one major factor in diabetes. Hence, it is no surprise that most people with type 2 diabetes are obese or overweight. Obesity makes diabetes harder to deal with because it hurts the way our body responds to insulin, the hormone that manages our blood sugar, and helps us utilize it as an energy source.

Lowering our fat level can help our body respond properly to insulin, which in turn makes diabetes more manageable. MCT oils can help people with diabetes by helping them in losing excess weight and fats.

For people with type 1 diabetes, MCT oil can help them think better by providing ketones to the brain (from converted MCTs). Because your body cannot process sugar properly due to little or no insulin level inside its system, and sugar (glucose) is the brain’s fuel, ketones can act as a temporary alternative fuel source for your brain.

4) Can Support Brain Health For People With Alzheimer’s Disease

Some neurological diseases can hinder your brain from properly using glucose as its fuel. One example of such a disease is Alzheimer’s disease.

If your brain cannot properly use glucose, it will cause problems for it as it does not have any fuel source to keep it properly running.

MCT oil can offer support for brain health by helping your body produce ketones which would eventually be used by your brain as its alternative fuel source. For instance, one study found out that a single dose of MCTs helped people with Alzheimer’s disease improve their short-term cognition. However, this study was done on people with a certain gene type: APOE ɛ4-negative.

While MCT oil and MCTs can be a promising aid against Alzheimer’s disease, more research is needed to confirm and see the scope of its effects.

Many people without Alzheimer’s will also use MCT oil to increase focus and mental energy.

5) Can Help Ease Seizures

Adding MCT to your system can boost ketone production because they are readily convertible to ketones compared to other types of fatty acids. Studies have shown that ketone production can reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures. 

However, when using MCT for this purpose, you may need to consider the type of MCT that you’re using. According to one study, MCT capric acid helped improve seizure control compared to an anti-epileptic drug.

For children with seizure problems, MCTs can benefit them if they don’t respond well to high-content fat such as LCTs.

Is MCT Oil Safe?

MCT oil works well with almost anybody. However, when consuming MCT, be sure not to consume too much of it. If you did, here are some possible side effects which you may experience:

  • Diarrhea
  • Bloating
  • Gas
  • Stomach pain
  • Cramps
  • Vomiting

If you experience any of these side effects, consider lowering your intake or stop your consumption altogether.

If you want to try MCT oil supplements but don’t know which brand to choose, we’ve got you covered! Here are some of the brands that we can recommend for you:

1. Bulletproof Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil

Bulletproof Brain Octane C8 MCT Oil

Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil is the overall best in the list – with a whopping 4.4/5 Amazon star review from more than 12,000 reviewers! This MCT oil supplement is sugar-free and can help you feel full and focused for a longer time! Additionally, it supports a healthy digestive system and is keto and paleo friendly.

GET THE BEST PRICE ON BULLETPROOF BRAIN OCTANE C8 MCT OIL

2. Nature’s Way Organic MCT Oil

Nature's Way Organic MCT Oil

Need to stay under a budget? Nature’s Way organic MCT Oil can give you optimal results while not breaking your budget! Priced at $13.19, this budget-friendly option includes 14 grams of medium chain triglycerides per serving. It can be easily mixed into smoothies, coffee, or other beverages.

GET THE BEST PRICE ON NATURE’S WAY ORGANIC MCT OIL

3. Kiss My Keto MCT Oil Capsules 

Kiss My Keto MCT Oil Capsules 

From the makers of Kiss My Keto Exogenous Ketones comes Kiss My Keto MCT Oil Capsules. This supplement’s capsules are naturally sourced and use unrefined coconut from non-GMO coconuts. It includes benefits energy levels and mental clarity, as well as supporting ketosis for the ketogenic diet. If you prefer to consume your MCT oil in pill or capsule form, this may be the choice for you.

GET THE BEST PRICE ON KISS MY KETO MCT OIL CAPSULES

4. Perfect Keto MCT Oil C8 Powder

Perfect Keto MCT Oil C8 Powder 

Want to add some MCT in your smoothie or coffee? Then check out this powdered MCT oil supplement! Perfect Keto MCT Oil Powder includes 10,000mg of medium chain triglycerides, 7g of fat, and 3g of carbohydrates per serving. It is gluten-free, dairy-free, and keto/plaeo friendly.

USE CODE “FITNESSCLONE” FOR 15% OFF PERFECT KETO MCT OIL C8 POWDER

5. Nutiva Organic MCT Oil

Nutiva Organic MCT Oil 

if organic is your #1 priority, you should check out Nutiva Organic MCT Oil! This unflavored MCT oil claims to contain the highest potency available at 93% medium chain triglycerides. It is made from 100% organic coconuts and includes 13g MCTs per serving.

GET THE BEST PRICE ON NUTIVA ORGANIC MCT OIL

6. Natural Force Best Value Premium MCT Oil

Natural Force Best Value Premium MCT Oil 

If you don’t want a taste or possible aftertaste, consider checking out Natural Force Best Value Premium MCT Oil! This MCT Oil supplement is designed for brain health and weight loss. It is sourced directly from organic, non-GMO coconuts and is paleo, vegan, and kosher friendly. Included per serving are 14g MCTs and 130 calories.

GET THE BEST PRICE ON NATURAL FORCE BEST VALUE PREMIUM MCT OIL

Final Verdict: It’s Time To Give MCT Oil A Try

While popular amongst bodybuilders and fitness junkies, MCT Oil can be helpful to anyone, no matter your recreational hobbies. These medium-chain triglycerides can help boost a variety of bodily functions and improve the overall status of your health.

Photo of author

Leslie Waterson

Leslie has been passionately involved in the health and fitness industries for over a decade. She is constantly reviewing the latest scientific research and studies in order to take a research-backed approach to lifestyle optimization. Her main areas of interest include nutrition and supplementation. Leslie shares her findings on Fitness Clone to help other health enthusiasts choose the products and routines that will help them achieve their goals.