To fully understand the difference between LCTs (long-chain triglycerides) and MCTs, it's essential to address the issue of digestion . This is where the major benefit of MCTs lies!
Concerning TGCL, the digestion process is slow (6 to 10 hours on average) and involves many actors and stages: it is first necessary to make the fats soluble in water so that they can pass the intestinal wall. They are emulsified into fine droplets with bile, coming from the liver, then cut into free fatty acids by the enzymes present in the pancreatic juices. Thus broken down, the fatty acids can pass the intestinal wall and be transported, via specific transporters, into the lymphatic system to reach the liver. They can then serve as an energy substrate or be stored in adipose tissue according to the body's needs.
To generate energy, a final step is to get them into the cells, which contain mitochondria. By analogy, these are the cell's small chimneys, and the TG will be the fuel wood! Other specific transporters will therefore help to play wheelbarrow and bring the wood into the hearth!
MCTs, due to their shorter structure, do not require the action of enzymes and are water-soluble, so we save a lot of time . They pass directly through the intestinal barrier and are transported to the liver to serve as an energy substrate for the cells. The second advantage, and not the least, is that they do not require a specific transport system to reach the mitochondria. They therefore reach the heart of the reactor without hindrance in order to quickly release energy . As they are very easily consumed, they are used as a priority and are therefore very rarely stored!
So, once that's placed here, let's move on to our MCT oil!
Once we've said all that, it's quite simple, you'll have already understood: MCT oil (or MCT) is an oil composed solely of Medium Chain Triglycerides. It is often derived from coconut oil but can also come from palm oil (so be careful about the quality of the oil you buy).
It is obtained by fractionation, a process that allows excluding any element other than MCTs in the oil. Depending on their composition, MCT oils contain capric (C8) and caprylic (C10) acid in different proportions, never caproic acid (C6, which has an unpleasant taste and smell) and very rarely lauric acid (C12, or only weakly present in MCT oils of less qualitative composition).
The strengths of MCT oil for athletes:
- Made entirely from MCTs, the energy contained in the oil is quickly assimilated and does not cause any fluctuations in blood sugar, especially during endurance sports, unlike sugar. It will quickly and effectively nourish the brain, muscles and heart, without causing any slumps.
- One gram of fat = 9kcal, compared to 4kcal for one gram of carbohydrates or protein. This means we have more than double the energy for the same dose . Ideal for not overloading your body with food during exercise , while still providing it with the necessary fuel.
- A powerful ally in a ketogenic or Low Carb-High Fat (LCHF) diet, MCT oil can be used to make or enhance many recipes such as bulletproof coffee . It is a favorite among its followers because it is better absorbed and it allows for the generation of more ketones than TGCL : roughly speaking, we consume a little less fat in favor of proteins or a little carbohydrates for example, which makes the diet easier to follow and a little less restrictive.
For all these reasons, we decided to integrate MCT oil into our Holyfat products ! The goal is to offer athletes a healthy and effective alternative to sugary products, which are currently almost the only refueling options on long runs. The MCT oil contained in Holyfat has an excellent composition (capric and caprylic acids only) and provides 300 kcal of energy per 40g of product, with 80% fat and less than 3.5% sugars. It is derived from coconut oil, guaranteed 100% palm oil free, and perfectly complements the intake of oilseeds to offer athletes a tasty, easy-to-eat and quickly assimilated snack to keep up the pace of training or endurance competition!
Which Holyfat product contains MCT oil?
We add MCT oil or powder to all our purees and bars.
Where does the oil we use come from?
We purchase our MCT oil/powder from an ISO 22000 certified supplier in the Netherlands.
To learn more...
MCT oil is also used in the medical field for patients who have undergone certain surgeries or suffer from certain digestive or neurological pathologies! Indeed, the benefits of MCTs have been demonstrated in the treatment of epilepsy, for example. According to a recent clinical trial (2019), consuming MCTs (converted into the form of ketones to fuel the brain instead of sugar) at an early stage of Alzheimer's disease could be beneficial in reducing cognitive decline. A December 2019 meta-analysis published in Ageing Research Reviews (422 participants) reveals that MCTs can induce mild ketosis and improve cognitive performance in patients with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment.