Coconut oil has grown in popularity over the last couple of decades, and for good reason. As years passed, coconut oil has been widely regarded as a superfood because it is rife with healthy natural fats that can help your body in a variety of ways. The secret, however, is that this oil contains medium-chain triglycerides, commonly known as MCTs.
While coconut oil is still well-known, MCT oil has been sneaking up in popularity in recent years as well. This then becomes an intriguing issue: What is MCT oil, exactly?
In this guide, we’ll take you through what MCT oil powder is, what it can do for your health, and we’ll give you our picks for the absolute best MCT oil powder.
Best MCT Oil Powder
Let’s start by looking at our top-rated MCT oil powders before how MCT oil works and what benefits it provides.
MCT Wellness
Best Overall
MCT Wellness is an MCT oil powder created by Gundry MD. Gundry MD is a renowned supplement company known for creating high-quality supplements that support gut health, longevity, and overall health.
MCT Wellness contains over 5 grams of MCT oil powder, prebiotics, and polyphenols.
The product is designed to support energy, weight management, and digestion.
MCT Wellness is vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and free of any artificial colors or ingredients.
Purchases are backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Perfect Keto MCT Oil Powder
Best Tasting
Perfect Keto is a company that specializes in keto supplements.
The company’s MCT Oil powder contains 7 grams of MCTs and comes in unique flavors like salted caramel, cinnamon toast, peanut butter, and more.
Perfect Keto MCT Oil powder also has an unflavored option, but the flavors are what truly stand out with this supplement.
This keto MCT oil provides you with a powerful punch of energy to wake you up, increase the effectiveness of your workouts, and even provide you with mental clarity.
Many customers love to add this keto MCT product to their coffee. The powder absorbs easily and may enhance the taste of your coffee if you opt for a flavored version.
BioTrust Keto Elevate
Best C8 Powder
Keto Elevate is a C8 MCT Oil Powder created by BioTrust.
The product contains 5 grams of C8 MCT oil powder.
C8 is often considered one of the best MCTs for boosting metabolism and energy. It is the main ingredient in the well-known Brain Octane Oil supplement from Bulletproof.
Keto Elevate is ideal for people who want the most potent/effective MCT oil powder.
What Is MCT Oil?
MCT is a chemical compound that is entirely composed of a glycerol backbone along with the attachment of three fatty acids. The attached fatty acids may have different numbers of carbon atoms in them. In other words, the lengths of medium and long-chain triglycerides tell us the number of carbon molecules attached.
Now, this begs the question: Why is medium better than long?
This is because MCTs with six to eight carbon molecules are rapidly digested by the body which it considers as a source of clean fuel for the brain and body. This means that the medium-chain triglycerides give your body sufficient energy without the need for necessary ingredients like added sugars or processed ingredients.
In contrast, long chains with ten to 12 carbon atoms attached, tend to be metabolized longer and as a result, they are stored as fats along the way.
How Does MCT Function?
Compared to the LCTs, MCTs can travel to the liver and this happens at instantaneous speeds using it as energy. Furthermore, it can be turned into ketones, traveling from the blood to the brain, and from there; it serves as a substitute energy source to glucose, with the same efficiency and effectiveness.
The following are the main types of medium-chain fatty acids, mainly defined by the length of their aliphatic tail:
- Caproic acid or hexanoic acid (C6)
- Caprylic acid or octanoic acid (C8)
- Capric acid or decanoic acid (C10)
- Lauric acid or dodecanoic acid (C12)
Where Does MCT Oil Powder Come From?
MCT oil is made from coconut or palm kernel oil. These sources both contain MCT. Getting the MCT oil from them is an entirely different story.
This is because a process called fractionation is employed. What this process does is separate the MCT from the original oil and concentrating it in the process. This distillation process leaves you with MCT oil or MCT oil that is turned into MCT powder.
MCT Oil Powder Benefits
There are many different benefits to adding MCT oil or MCT powders to your day-to-day consumption. MCT has grown in popularity over the last couple of years, but especially amongst those who are on the keto diet. This is because both coconut oil and MCTs are useful for those trying to kick their body into ketosis. You can purchase regular MCT or reach for a keto MCT oil instead. Both are effective and both work well!
Now we know that medium-triglycerides are a type of fat that is commonly found in coconut or palm kernel, let us go to the most exciting part: What are the potential health benefits of MCT oil?
1. Regulate Your Digestive System
With the help of MCT, your gut health will drastically improve. This is done by killing detrimental bacteria without harming the good ones in the gut. As a result, diarrhea and fat indigestion are prevented.
MCTs also help in restoring proper digestive functions in the body especially those who have prior experience in gastrectomy.
2. Help Fight Seizures
People who engage in a high-ketogenic diet are less likely to experience seizures as studies have shown. It is also shown to help children fight epilepsy. What is more surprising is that a keto diet that incorporates MCT instead of LCT gives more assurance to combat seizures.
Adding MCT oil or MCT powder to your diet may be able to help protect you from seizures.
3. Improve Cognitive Health
The consumption of MCTs on a regular and guided basis may lead to better and more focused thinking. Remember that the brain is mostly composed of fatty acids and since MCTs improve gut health, this necessarily equates to brain functioning.
The production of ketones by the MCTs also fuels the central nervous system much more than the LCTs do. The reason is that the former can easily pass through the blood-brain barrier without so much restriction.
4. Lower The Risk Of Diabetes
Compared to LCTs, MCTs are beneficial to those who have diabetes because they can initiate the lowering of blood sugar levels and in return increase insulin sensitivity.
The insulin-sensitivity body makes a difference. This is also a crucial factor in preventing diabetes for those who are at high risk. Further, consuming MCTs help in maintaining body weight or reducing it, another factor that contributes to diabetes.
MCTs can also fuel fat loss by putting your system into ketosis. This helps balance out your blood glucose levels as well as boost your brain health.
5. Increase Exercise Performance
The fact that MCTs can increase energy levels and at the same time burn fats they can, in return, excessively boost workout and exercise performance for athletes and bodybuilders. As studies have recently shown, consuming MCT oil before exercise can lead to better workouts and increases lean muscle mass.
Frequently Asked Questions About MCT Oil Powder
Is MCT Oil Better Than MCT Oil Powder?
Both forms of the MCT make great dietary supplements and they help in maintaining the body to function the way it should be. The MCT oil, in its nature, is slightly more concentrated as compared to its variant form, the powder. This is the reason why it is recommended to take a full serving of food so that an upset stomach is avoided.
MCT powder, the oil counterpart, is the recent version. In terms of its concentration, it makes up between 50-80% of MCT oil with the other derivatives being starch and milk proteins.
To answer the question, research has supported that MCT powder is much more effective compared to the oil because of how the body interacts and responds to the powder.
Does MCT Oil Powder Help You Lose Weight?
MCT oil powder has the potential to promote weight loss. This claim is supported by a study where researchers found a lower rise in triglycerides and glucose upon the consumption of the oil powder which equates to the feeling of fullness. Other studies buttressed this claim as the MCT oil powder showed overwhelming results in helping reduce body weight and waist circumference.
As a recommendation, to get the most of the weight loss MCT oil powder brings, pour a packet of MCT oil powder into your morning drink, you will feel longer and fuller brought about by the MCT.
What Do You Mix MCT Oil Powder Into?
The MCT Oil Powder can be used in a variety of ways. It is perfect to add in any cold drinks you like simply because it is tasteless. You can also add it to your favorite pre-workout drink, smoothie, or protein shake. All the benefits of the MCT oil powder are attainable without altering the taste of your drink.
For cooking, it is perfect in salad dressings, soups, or even in mayonnaise, bone broth, and baked goods.
Should You Give MCT Oil Powder A Try?
If you are looking to increase your level of healthy fats, balance out your blood glucose levels, or are seeking appetite control, adding these powerful medium-chain triglycerides to your diet may be beneficial. These supplements are great to add alongside low carb diets, ketogenic diets, or even to your post-workout shakes. They’re versatile, taste-free, and offer a plethora of benefits.
Most of these products are Non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan, making them fitting for just about any diet! If you’re unsure about using MCT powder or keto MCT, try just adding coconut oil to your diet first. An easy way to add coconut oil is to add it to your coffee by blending it in. It will add in the extra fats without you having to buy an MCT oil supplement.
Hopefully, this article helped you decide whether or not you want to add organic MCT oil, MCT powders, or even keto MCT oil powder to your diet. While the jury is still out on the best MCT oil, try some options out for yourself! We suggest trying for someone for at least a few weeks before making a decision on it. There really aren’t any side effects to this supplement, so using MCT is considered safe.