Risks Of Taking Mct Oil
For most people, taking MCT oil for short periods is generally safe, according to research in Food and Chemical Toxicology. But acute side effects are possible, and more studies on MCTs health effects beyond a year or two are still needed, Jones says. The following issues may be a concern:
- Weight gain: A tablespoon of MCT oil contains roughly 120 calories and 14 grams of fat. If youre adding it to your diet instead of using it as a replacement for other fat sources, the extra calories could result in extra pounds, Jones says.
- Cardiovascular conditions: MCT oil is a saturated fat, Jones says. By increasing LDL cholesterol, too much saturated fat can raise a persons risk of experiencing heart attack or stroke. The specific effects of MCT oil on heart health still arent well understood. In the meantime, the American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 5-6% of your daily calories from saturated fat, including the kind found in red meat and French fries.
- Digestive problems: For some people, taking too much MCT oil can lead to stomach pain, cramping, gassiness, bloating, and diarrhea, according to research published in Practical Gastroenterology. Experts think that because MCT is metabolized without enzymes, the fat for some people can overtax the digestive system.
Other Mct Oil Resources
Steph Catalucci | Nutrition Coach@macronutritionau | macro-nutrition.com.au
Steph Catalucci is an online nutrition coach from Australia, working with clients all over the world. Her passion for nutrition was born through wanting to treat her body better, for health and performance. She is a strong advocate for understanding nutrition to develop informed nutritional habits that go beyond just food. Steph leverages a decade of her own nutritional experience to help people make sense of the noise and carve a path forward with their nutrition, supporting clients with whatever body composition goal they have. When not coaching or writing, youll find her training for her next powerlifting competition.
It May Improve Athletic Endurance
MCTs can also help improve athletic endurance by reducing lactate levels , says Dr. Pedre. A 2009 study in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminolgy found athletes who took 6 grams of MCT oil before their workouts lowered their rates of perceived exertion during moderate and high-intensity exercise, which refers to how hard you feel like your body is workingNosaka N, Suzuki Y, Nagatoishi A, Kasai M, Wu J, Taguchi M. Effect of ingestion of medium-chain triacylglycerols on moderate- and high-intensity exercise in recreational athletes. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol. 2009 55:120-5. .
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Side Effects And Dosage
Just like any type of supplement, it’s important to consume MCTs in moderation. Jennifer Lefton, RD-AP, CNSC, FAND, a registered dietitian based in Arlington, Virginia, recommends consuming no more than four to seven tablespoons per day.
According to Modell, because MCTs are digested differently than most fats, it can lead to gastrointestinal distress if you consume too much. Some symptoms of this can include:
To avoid this, only consume small amounts of MCT oil at a time when you first introduce it to your diet.
Additionally, people should avoid consuming more than seven tablespoons of MCT oil because it is calorie-dense and may cause weight gain. “One tablespoon of MCT oil has 115 calories, so if you are taking four tablespoons daily, that could easily add up,” says Lefton.
Because MCTs are digested in the liver, people with liver disease should not take MCT oil. It’s also important to not replace all LCTs with MCTs, as both contain essential fatty acids your body needs to function, says Lefton.
How Much Mct Is Found In Foods
As mentioned earlier, MCTs do occur naturally in foodsoften in combination with other fats, Dr. Apovian says. Heres a closer look at the percentages of MCTs found in each serving of common foods:
- Coconut oil: 55% MCT
- Palm kernel oil: 54% MCT
- Full-fat yogurt: 0.3% MCT
- Whole milk: 0.3% MCT
- Cheddar cheese: 8% MCT
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Mix Your Mct Oil Into A Beverage
Try mixing your MCT oil into a black tea or coffee an hour before eating a meal. This may help reduce some side effects. However, since your stomach wouldnt be required to digest anything with these liquids, you may find it isnt enough to reduce stomach discomfort.
There is the option of including it in a juice or smoothie, which would involve the stomach to assist with digestion.
However, depending on the type of diet or nutrition plan you are following, in particular the ketogenic diet, this may be in opposition to the suggested use for MCT oil. This is because including a hit of carbohydrates with MCT oil may dull the effect of creating ketones to be used as energy.
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Keto Smoothie Recipe With Avocado Chia Seeds & Cacao
Have you heard about the keto diet? Its possibly the best diet for weight loss, and it can even reverse insulin resistanceand reduce cardiovascular risk factors, according to recent research. No wonder more and more people are starting to go keto.
My keto smoothie is an easy way to get started. It includes protein foods and healthy fats, while being very low in carbohydrates. All of the ingredients in this smoothie are nutritious, heart healthy and keto-friendly plus, theyre delicious!
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Should I Be Using Fat Burning Mct Oil
If youve been eating a low-carb diet for a while, youve probably already discovered the fat-burning properties of MCT oils and powders.
Adding a quality MCT oil powder to your diet boosts your fat intake and helps to trigger ketosis and fat burning.
Ive personally been using MCT oils and powders for a few years now, though have recently switched to using the powder form over the oil.
I started out adding a tablespoon of MCT oilor powder to my morning bulletproof coffee and found that it gave me a distinct mental boost.
I also noticed that I could have bulletproof coffee for breakfast and not need to eat a meal until lunchtime. This seemed to be because the combination of butter and MCT oil is highly satiating.
What Is Mct Oil Used For
You can take MCT oil for a variety of reasons. For one, people that have issues with fat absorption may take an MCT oil supplement alongside another type of fat , since the body can digest, absorb, and use MCTs more efficiently than other, more common types of dietary fat.
Additionally, the body is more likely to use MCTs as a source of energy, as opposed to storing them as body fat. This means that MCT may be able to support better energy levels without needing to consume coffee or carbohydrates.
People on a low-carb keto diet, for example, believe that MCTs allow for the production of ketones, which are byproducts of fat-burning. In the absence of carbohydrate-based glucose, the body burns its stored fat and then uses ketones for energy.
Last but not least, MCT oil is commonly used as a carrier oil for essential oils and supplements like CBD oil. This is because of MCT oils superior absorption rates and neutral flavor make it one of the best carrier oils available.
The fact that CBD oil is fat soluble in its natural form, as opposed to water soluble, is one of the main reasons why MCT oil is the most popular carrier oil for it. CBD oil is able to easily dissolve in MCT oil without other unsavory ingredients or chemical processes while still allowing it to be used efficiently and effectively by the body. It also helps that MCT oil is absorbed so well by the body and is great for you on its own.
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How To Gain The Benefits Not Side Effects
Seriously, when you take a closer “look” at these two energy producing oils, they are very innocent. They don’t really cause any side effects, unless you use them in the wrong way. For instance,
Avoid particularly point 1, 2 and 3. As for the rest, moderate your consumption and you should be safe and sound, and gain just the benefits without the side effects, like me.
Why Is Coconut Oil Bad For Dogs
Coconut oil is one of many human health food ingredients that made the jump to pet food without the research to back it up. In fact, the actual science suggests this is a terrible ingredient for the following reasons.
Firstly, coconut oil is between 70 and 80% saturated fat. About half the fat in coconut oil is lauric acid, which causes more gut inflammation than any other saturated fat. Another saturated fat in coconut oil, palmitic acid, is also massively proinflammatory.
The second reason requires a bit of explanation.
Dogs with a compromised gut lining have spaces between their epithelial cell walls that allow undigested food and bacteria. This is called leaky gut and causes low-grade inflammation in the body, infections, food allergies or intolerances, and other severe health problems. In the cell walls of some gut bacteria are lipopolysaccharide , which is a type of endotoxin.
If LPS gets through inflamed stomach lining cells, they cause chronic inflammation called metabolic endotoxemia. In turn, this is linked to heart problems, diabetes, weight issues, and kidney disease.
But what does this have to do with coconut oil?
Coconut oil can irritate the gut lining, causing inflammation, diarrhea, and leaky gut. Remember, the saturated fat in coconut oil causes inflammation in the stomach lining. Coconut oil also feeds the bacteria that contain LPS. And it makes LPS more toxic.
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What Is Mct Oil For Dogs
MCTs may have massive benefits for brain, heart, digestive, and nervous system health when it comes to dogs.
Medium-chain triglycerides are types of fats 8 and 10 linked carbon atoms. Purified MCT oil has recently become a standard part of the human ketogenic diet. But we will likely see it become a bigger part of many pet diets in the future.
To be clear, MCTs are found in small amounts in certain coconut and palm oil or yogurt products. However, we will discuss below why this does not mean that coconut oil is a good addition to your dog’s diet. This article is about pure 100% MCT oil, not other foods that may contain some of it.
When it comes to fats for dogs, two basic types of fats are relevant to their health. These are:
- Short-chain fatty acids, or SCFAs, do not come directly from the diet. Instead, these are released in the digestive tract when your dog eats soluble and fermentable fiber such as beet pulp or fruit fiber . Dogs and cats can’t use SCFAs for energy, but SCFAs feed the good bacteria in a dog’s gut and help with the mucosal lining. This keeps your dog’s gut functioning at its best, reducing pathogens and low-grade inflammation from a leaky gut.
- Polyunsaturated fats, specifically omega-6s and omega-3s . are the two essential fats your dog needs to receive from their diet. These two facts play a role in nearly every part of health, including skin and coat, the digestive tract, brain function, and most importantly, the immune system.
How Is Mct Oil Made
MCT oil is man-made fats mostly from coconut oil, but may also be made from palm kernel oil. They strip coconut oil down to the two most efficient MCTs converted to energy, caprylic acid, and capric acid.
If an MCT product doesnt say it is specifically only C8 oil , its likely a blend of both caprylic acid and capric acid.
While C8 is the most efficient MCT, it is also more expensive in its purest form. So most MCT oils are C8 and C10 blends and cheaper than pure C8 oil.
On average MCT oils are:
- 50-80% caprylic acid
- 20-50% capric acid
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Summary: The Side Effects Of Mct Oil And What They Are
MCT oil is safe for most people to consume. However, the lack of universal dosage guidelines make it difficult for some people to know where to start.
Going overboard with your dosages could lead to digestive problems such as diarrhea, vomiting and an upset stomach in general.
If youre unsure, you should speak to your doctor before using MCT oil, and you should also start with small doses around 5 ml and work your way up.
How To Stop Mct Oil Diarrhea
You know those exercise neophytes who walk into a gym for the first time, their latest New Years resolution pinging around their brains, grab the heaviest weight, and immediately proceed to blow a tendon?
The same approach to MCT oil can get you into similarthough admittedly less painfultrouble.
So if youre new to MCT oil, dont start with the maximum recommended dosage. Instead, begin with a teaspoon and work your way up gradually.
Sounds simple, we know. But following this one bit of advice should give your system plenty of time to adjust.
However, even a teaspoon of MCT oil is too much for some people, so if youre still having trouble, you can try lowering the dose even further, or even dividing the dose throughout the day.
Its also important to remember that following a ketogenic diet or drinking bulletproof coffee can complicate things.
Why?
Because a keto diet is already fat heavy, and adding the additional fat found in MCT oil can aggravate your GI tract even more.
And bulletproof coffee throws even more potential complications into the mix.
For one thing, caffeine is a stimulant, and one of the things its known to stimulate is the colon. Whats more, people tend to drink bulletproof coffee upon arising. And dumping that much fat into a GI tract thats been at rest over the course of the night can be a recipe for disaster.
However, some people are simply intolerant of MCT oil.
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Mct Oil Side Effects Influencing Factors
If you are unfortunate enough to develop diarrhea as soon as you start taking MCT oil, there are certain factors that you must consider to determine the most likely cause. While diarrhea is usually a short-term side effect of MCT oil, it may persist indicating a pronounced problem that requires immediate attention.
Why Does Mct Oil Cause Diarrhea
It is not explicitly known why MCT oil may cause diarrhea. The 1967 Journal of Gastroenterology offers this suggestion:
The mechanism of such intolerance to MCT preparations is unclear but it may be related to the rapid hydrolysis of this fat and the resultant high concentrations of free fatty acids in the stomach or intestinal lumen. In postgastrectomy patients dumping symptoms have frequently been induced when the formula has been rapidly ingested.
To put this in simple terms, when MCT oil is consumed, it is broken down further with water so it can be readily absorbed by the body. MCTs are then directed straight into the liver through the portal vein where they are converted to endogenous ketones.
We werent able to find clinical studies specific to the association between MCT oil consumption and diarrhea. It seems that it is simply reported as a side effect and is usually related to dosage:
Excessive intake of oral MCT oil has been associated with gastrointestinal distress, such as abdominal discomfort, cramping, gassiness, bloating, and diarrhea.
On a personal level, I have never suffered diarrhea when taking MCT oil, however, I mix it in my coffee and drink it slowly. I have suffered abdominal cramping on one occasion when I used too much MCT oil in one dose.
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Best Mct Oil For Ketosis
If the above was enough to convince you to give MCT oil or MCT powder a try, Ive listed a few of my favorite brands and products.
Not every MCT oil is created equal.
There are definitely certain brands I migrate towards based on the quality of their products, especially ones that are 3rd party lab tested which Ive listed below.
This means, mostly, the dose and ingredients which they say are in the supplement are actually in the supplement.
Can I Take Mct Oil On An Empty Stomach What Not To Do
Some links in this article are affiliate links, which means we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
When youre using a supplement like MCT oil, you may be curious about how to take it safely and effectively, including whether it is ok to consume on an empty stomach.
Can I take MCT oil on an empty stomach? Consuming MCT oil on an empty stomach may cause digestive discomfort in the form of diarrhea and nausea, especially if you are new to using it. You can try having a small snack to accompany your MCT oil, or if you need to consume it on an empty stomach, start with only 6ml twice daily or try it in a powdered form.
In this article Ill explore:
- The benefits and risks to taking MCT oil on an empty stomach
- What to do if you experience side effects using MCT oil on an empty stomach
- How to approach MCT oil use while fasting.
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