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Principal Proposed UsesOther Proposed Uses


Medium-Chain Triglycerides

Supplement Forms/Alternate Names:

  • MCTs

Uses

Principal Proposed Uses

Other Proposed Uses

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are fats with an unusual chemical structure that allows the body to digest them easily. Most fats are broken down in the intestine and remade into a special form that can be transported in the blood. But MCTs are absorbed intact and taken to the liver, where they are used directly for energy. In this sense, they are processed very similarly to carbohydrates.
MCTs are different enough from other fats that they can be used as fat substitutes by people (especially those with AIDS) who need calories but are unable to absorb or metabolize normal fats.
MCTs have also shown a bit of promise for improving body composition and enhancing athletic performance.

Sources

There is no dietary requirement for MCTs. Coconut oil, palm oil, and butter contain up to 15% MCTs (plus a lot of other fats). You can also buy MCTs as purified supplements.

Therapeutic Dosages

MCTs can be eaten as salad oil or used in cooking. When taken as an athletic supplement, dosages around 85 mg daily are common.

Therapeutic Uses

Preliminary evidence suggests that MCTs are a useful fat substitute for those who have difficulty digesting fat. This makes MCTs potentially helpful for people with AIDS , who need to find a way to gain weight but cannot digest fat easily. 1,2 MCTs might theoretically be helpful for those who have trouble digesting fatty foods because they lack the proper enzymes (pancreatic insufficiency), but taking digestive enzymes appears to be more effective. 3
Although this may sound paradoxical given the above, some evidence suggests that MCT consumption might also enhance the body's natural tendency to burn fat. 22-24,34 On this basis, the supplement has been proposed as a weight loss aid. Unfortunately, the results of studies have generally failed to find any weight loss benefits. 25,26,29,31,32 Some studies have, however, found that use of MCTs might produce improvements in body composition (ratio of fat to lean tissue). 29,31 A related supplement called structured medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols (SMLCT) has been created to provide the same potential benefits as MCTs, but in a form that can be used as cooking oil. In a preliminary double-blind trial, SMLCT has also shown some promise for enhancing body composition. 30
Athletes often sip carbohydrate-loaded drinks during exercise. MCTs may provide an alternative. Like other fats, they provide more energy per ounce than carbohydrates; but unlike normal fats, this energy can be released rapidly. 14 A number of double-blind trials using MCTs for improving high-intensity or endurance exercise performance have been conducted, but the results have been thoroughly inconsistent. 15-21 This is not surprising, as none of these studies enrolled enough participants to provide trustworthy results.
One placebo-controlled study found hints that use of MCTs by people with type 2 diabetes might improve insulin sensitivity and aid weight loss. 35
Larger studies are necessary to discover whether MCTs are really as useful for athletes as the supplement’s proponents claim.

What Is the Scientific Evidence for Medium-Chain Triglycerides?

Fat Malabsorption

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 24 men and women with AIDS suggests that MCTs can help improve AIDS-related fat malabsorption. 11 In this disorder, fat is not digested; it passes unchanged through the intestines, and the body is deprived of calories as well as fat-soluble vitamins.
The study participants were split into two groups: one received a liquid diet containing normal fats, whereas the other group received mostly MCTs. After 12 days, the participants on the MCT formula showed significantly less fat in their stool and better fat absorption than the other group.
Another double-blind study found similar results in 24 men with AIDS-related fat malabsorption. 12
The body depends on enzymes from the pancreas to digest fat. In one study, individuals with inadequate pancreatic function due to chronic pancreatitis appeared to be better able to absorb MCTs than ordinary fatty acids. 13 However, this didn't turn out to mean much on a practical basis because, without taking extra digestive enzymes, they could only just barely absorb the MCTs; whereas, if they took digestive enzymes, they absorbed ordinary fats as well as MCTs without difficulty.

Safety Issues

Studies in animals and humans tell us that MCTs are quite safe when consumed at a level of up to 50% of total dietary fat. 28,33 However, some people who consume MCTs, especially on an empty stomach, experience annoying (but not severe) abdominal cramps and bloating.
The maximum safe dosage of MCTs in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or people with serious kidney or liver disease has not been established.

References

1 Craig GB, Darnell BE, Weinsier RL, et al. Decreased fat and nitrogen losses in patients with AIDS receiving medium-chain-triglyceride-enriched formula vs those receiving long-chain-triglyceride-containing formulas. J Am Diet Assoc . 1997;97:605-611.

2 Wanke CA, Pleskow D, Degirolami PC, et al. A medium chain triglyceride-based diet in patients with HIV and chronic diarrhea reduces diarrhea and malabsorption: a prospective, controlled trial. Nutrition . 1996;12:766-771.

3 Caliari S, Benini L, Sembenini C, et al. Medium-chain triglyceride absorption in patients with pancreatic insufficiency. Scand J Gastroenterol . 1996;31:90-94.

4 Bach AC, Babayan VK. Medium-chain triglycerides: an update. Am J Clin Nutr . 1982;36:950-962.

5 Jeukendrup AE, Saris WHM, Schrauwen P, et al. Oxidation of orally ingested medium chain triglyceride (MCT) during prolonged exercise [abstract]. Med Sci Sports Exerc . 1995;27(suppl 5):S101.

6 Anderson O. Putting medium-chain triglycerides in your sports drink can increase your endurance. Nutr Sci News . 1994;6:6-7.

7 Signore JM. Ketogenic diet containing medium-chain triglycerides. J Am Diet Assoc . 1973;62:285-290.

8 Krotkiewski M. Value of VLCD supplementation with medium chain triglycerides. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001;25:1393-1400.

9 Yost TJ, Eckel RH. Hypocaloric feeding in obese women: metabolic effects of medium-chain triglyceride substitution. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989;49:326-330.

10 Geliebter A, Torbay N, Bracco EF, et al. Overfeeding with medium-chain triglyceride diet results in diminished deposition of fat. Am J Clin Nutr. 1983;37:1-4.

11 Craig GB, Darnell BE, Weinsier RL, et al. Decreased fat and nitrogen losses in patients with AIDS receiving medium-chain-triglyceride-enriched formula vs those receiving long-chain-triglyceride-containing formulas. J Am Diet Assoc . 1997;97:605-611.

12 Wanke CA, Pleskow D, Degirolami PC, et al. A medium chain triglyceride-based diet in patients with HIV and chronic diarrhea reduces diarrhea and malabsorption: a prospective, controlled trial. Nutrition . 1996;12:766-771.

13 Caliari S, Benini L, Sembenini C, et al. Medium-chain triglyceride absorption in patients with pancreatic insufficiency. Scand J Gastroenterol . 1996;31:90-94.

14 Bach AC, Babayan VK. Medium-chain triglycerides: an update. Am J Clin Nutr . 1982;36:950-962.

15 Anderson O. Putting medium-chain triglycerides in your sports drink can increase your endurance. Nutr Sci News . 1994;6:6-7.

16 Jeukendrup AE, Saris WHM, Schrauwen P, et al. Oxidation of orally ingested medium chain triglyceride (MCT) during prolonged exercise [abstract]. Med Sci Sports Exerc . 1995;27(suppl 5):S101.

17 Jeukendrup AE, Thielen JJ, Wagenmakers AJ, et al. Effect of medium-chain triacylglycerol and carbohydrate ingestion during exercise on substrate utilization and subsequent cycling performance. Am J Clin Nutr . 1998;67:397-404.

18 Misell LM, Lagomarcino ND, Schuster V, et al. Chronic medium-chain triacylglycerol consumption and endurance performance in trained runners. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2001;41:210-215.

19 Satabin P, Portero P, Defer G, et al. Metabolic and hormonal responses to lipid and carbohydrate diets during exercise in man. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1987;19:218-223.

20 Van Zyl CG, Lambert EV, Hawley JA, et al. Effects of medium-chain triglyceride ingestion on fuel metabolism and cycling performance. J Appl Physiol. 1996;80:2217-2225.

21 Krotkiewski M. Value of VLCD supplementation with medium chain triglycerides. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001;25:1393-1400.

22 Seaton TB, Welle SL, Warenko MK, et al. Thermic effect of medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides in man. Am J Clin Nutr. 1986;44:630-634.

23 Scalfi L, Coltorti A, Contaldo F. Postprandial thermogenesis in lean and obese subjects after meals supplemented with medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;53:1130-1133.

24 Baba N, Bracco EF, Hashim SA. Enhanced thermogenesis and diminished deposition of fat in response to overfeeding with diet containing medium chain triglyceride. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982;35:678-682.

25 Krotkiewski M. Value of VLCD supplementation with medium chain triglycerides. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001;25:1393-1400.

26 Yost TJ, Eckel RH. Hypocaloric feeding in obese women: metabolic effects of medium-chain triglyceride substitution. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989;49:326-330.

27 Geliebter A, Torbay N, Bracco EF, et al. Overfeeding with medium-chain triglyceride diet results in diminished deposition of fat. Am J Clin Nutr. 1983;37:1-4.

28 Traul KA, Driedger A, Ingle DL, et al. Review of the toxicologic properties of medium-chain triglycerides. Food Chem Toxicol. 2000;38:79-98.

29 Tsuji H, Kasai M, Takeuchi H, et al. Dietary medium-chain triacylglycerols suppress accumulation of body fat in a double-blind, controlled trial in healthy men and women. J Nutr . 2001;131:2853-2859.

30 Matsuo T, Matsuo M, Kasai M, et al. Effects of a liquid diet supplement containing structured medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols on body fat accumulation in healthy young subjects. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr . 2001;10:46-50.

31 St-Onge MP, Ross R, Parsons WD, et al. Medium-chain triglycerides increase energy expenditure and decrease adiposity in overweight men. Obes Res . 2003;11:395-402.

32 St-Onge MP, Bourque C, Jones PJ, et al. Medium- versus long-chain triglycerides for 27 days increases fat oxidation and energy expenditure without resulting in changes in body composition in overweight women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord . 2003;27:95-102.

33 Nosaka N, Kasai M, Nakamura M, et al. Effects of dietary medium-chain triacylglycerols on serum lipoproteins and biochemical parameters in healthy men. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem . 2002;66:1713-1718.

34 Beermann C, Jelinek J, Reinecker T, et al. Short term effects of dietary medium-chain fatty acids and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids on the fat metabolism of healthy volunteers. Lipids Health Dis. 2003 Nov 17 [Epub ahead of print].

35 Han JR, Deng B, Sun J, et al. Effects of dietary medium-chain triglyceride on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in a group of moderately overweight free-living type 2 diabetic Chinese subjects. Metabolism. 2007;56:985-991.

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

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